By Lori EhdeRising energy prices are fueling the search for alternative heating mechanisms, and rural residents are turning to a source close to home — corn. A Lismore couple has been selling corn-burning stoves since 2001, and suddenly they’re finding they can’t keep up with demand."This went absolutely wild," Nancy Brake said. "Business has been picking up steadily, but this year it just blew out of the water. And it was frustrating, because we couldn’t keep up with demand."Lismore farmers Nancy and Jack Brake are dealers for two corn-burning stove companies, Countryside Stoves (a division of American Energy Systems in Hutchinson) and St. Croix Corn Burning Stoves (manufactured by Eventemp Corp in Waco, Neb.)Their dealership area reaches as far north as Pipestone, as far east as Jackson, as far west as the South Dakota border and south just into Iowa.Last year the Brakes sold 35 stoves, and this year more than 40 since August."We have 20 people on a waiting list," Nancy said. "We’re putting them in as fast as we can get them."A big selling point for the stoves is that they can save 50 percent on an average home’s heating bills, largely because heating fuel prices have risen so sharply this year.Shelled corn is worth about $1.43 per bushel, and a corn-burning stove takes about a bushel per day for an average home.One bushel of shelled corn is equal to about 5.5 gallons of LP, in terms of heating units. A gallon of LP now costs $1.35. For the Brakes, who raise corn on their farm, their heating costs amount to what it cost to raise the corn. "We always say, if you aren’t a farmer, make friends with a farmer," Nancy said.The environmental benefits of burning corn are another selling point for the Brakes."They burn clean, they’re efficient and they don’t pollute groundwater," Nancy said.Plus, she said, there’s no dependence on foreign oil. "We’re the Saudi Arabia of corn," she said of the Midwest.In the early years of American corn production, pioneers knew corn burned hot and offered good fuel for heating. But it wasn’t until recently that technology allowed for corn to be a viable heating source. The secret to efficient corn burning that the pioneers didn’t have access to was a controlled air flow and augers timed to feed the corn into the fire pot safely and efficiently.An auger slowly feeds corn into a burning pit. The faster it’s set to burn, the warmer the house gets, depending on the thermostat.Corn-burning stoves look like traditional wood-burning units, and prices range from about $1,300 to more than $3,000, depending on the size of the house and vent work needed.The Brakes can be reached at jnbrake@yahoo.com.