Don't think it'd be possible, GMO is everywhere, no real way to control it. you'd probably have to grow corn and have it genetically tested at a cost of a few hundred dollars, to verify it's purity. corn pollination can travel, so a little lot in your back year pretty much has no chance if there is lots of GMO corns growing around it.

" Mexico and the United States have been battling over GM corn. Mexico does not allow GM corn to be grown in their country; however scientists have found genetically modified DNA in the wild maize that Mexico so proudly loves (Mercola). This GM corn in Mexico is being naturally spread by cross-pollination (Kaufman). Genetically altered genes from crops grown in America and Canada are finding their way into MexicoÂs wild maize crop. "Up to 70 percent of wild Mexican maize now carries transgenes that could only have come from genetically engineered crops" (Mercola).

ref: http://lwicker.myweb.uga.edu/corn.htm

That's what I was afraid of :(

Thanks for your response

veggieholic

Isn't most ornamental corn relatively short? In your shoes, because I'm curious, I think I'd contact one of the state universities that has an active agriculture department or school, and ask if there's any kind of large row cover you could use to cover your patch during the pollination period. Or maybe your County Extension office. You could encourage self-pollination by gently shaking the stalks under the cover at the right time, when the silks appear.

I have no idea if this would work -- pollen from surrounding corn in your local area may be too fine for a fabric cover to keep it from your silks, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

One possibility - if you have time in your growing season, you could plant yours before or after theirs such that they are not pollinating at the same time. I grow succession plantings of different corn every year without problem.

It is possible to seed save in the corn belt, but very labor intensive. Get the book "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth. She goes into great detail on how to bag the corn and where to get the supplies. If I remember correctly, she bags both the tassels and silk which would protect you neighbor's sweet corn. Another possibility is to grow your corn in a small hoop house. You must set up fans to run during tassling/silk time and apparently not open the hoop house for any reason during this period. I'll see if I can track down the full information on the miny hoop houses and corn seed saving. I can't remember where I read it now.

Bellatrix