Swastika Chopped Into Corn Field

From the ground, it’s just another corn field. From the air, chopped stalks reveal a huge swastika.

Farmer Joe Goodenough said Friday he had no idea the 60-foot Nazi symbol was hacked into his 30-acre corn field until a newspaper reporter showed him an aerial photo.

“This is very disturbing,” said Goodenough, who farms 240 acres with his family. “I have no idea who would do it or anything about it.”

Now police are trying to find out how long it has been there and who is responsible.

Goodenough said he had not been deep inside the field to notice the chopped stalks, which were cut at knee-level in 10-foot-wide paths.

The symbol created by the effort could be seen by pilots flying into nearby McGuire Air Force Base.

Goodenough’s family believes the symbol was carved about a month ago judging by the size of the ears on the felled stalks.

“We don’t need this kind of publicity,” said Goodenough’s daughter, Marge Casey. “I can’t believe this. This is dad’s worst nightmare. He just wants to mind his own business and farm.”

The Goodenoughs, who grow corn, soybeans, hay and sell milk, may harvest the corn early to erase the swastika or just cut back some of the stalks to alter the symbol.

In either case they will lose money, since corn picked early is good only for cow feed.