When you step into the small shed behind Art and Kathy Worm’ s home, the first thing you notice is the color. Row after row of caps— 4,590 of them, give or take— line the walls from floor to ceiling. Seed corn caps, chemical company caps, dealership caps, novelty caps, caps with jokes, caps with ears, even one shaped like a Big Mac. It’ s a sight that makes visitors stop in their tracks.
But for Art, the collection didn’ t begin with the intention of becoming a collection at all.
“ Years ago, when you bought seed corn, the dealer would give you one of his hats,” he said.“ Then if you bought another kind, you’ d wear the hat from the first seed guy to see the next seed guy, and he’ d give you one too. It just kind of happened.”
Art took over the family farm in 1975, and the hats came with the territory. One here, one there— until one day,“ one” turned into thousands. Eventually, he built a 12-by‐24 shed just to hold them all.
His kids recently counted the full collection.“ 4,590,” Art said with a grin.“ I just say 4,600 plus‐plus.”
A collection full of stories
Some hats carry memories of the farm. Some came from friends. Some came from garage sales. Many came from people who heard about“ the hat guy” and showed up with a bag full of caps to add to the shelves. A few hats, though, hold deeper meaning. One is a Holstein-pattern cap given to him by his brother, who has since passed away. Another is from Kuep Chevrolet, where his younger brother once worked. Those hats sit in a special place— quiet reminders of family, time, and connection.
And then there are the funny ones: the Big Mac hat, the cap with ears, and the one that proudly reads,“ Do it with a worm.” Art laughs every time he mentions that one.
His collection has become a part of who he is.“ It’ s something I put a lot of time into,” he said.“ I made all the shelves myself. I’ ve bought a lot of them, but I always went with the cheaper ones— ones I didn’ t have.”
A hat for every day … for 13 years
Art’ s kids once tried to figure out how long he could go without repeating a hat.
Art Worm: A life measured in hats, hard work, and heart
“ Five thousand hats divided by 365 days,” he said.“ That’ s over 13 years.”
He shook his head.“ I don’ t think I’ ll get through them all.”
Kathy chimed in with a smile:“ He might have to go two a day.”
A life rooted in agriculture
Art’ s connection to agriculture runs deeper than the hats. He farmed for decades, working the land with International and John Deere equipment, and later a Deutz. He still misses the rhythm of the fields.
“ When I see someone chopping silage or baling hay, I miss it,” he said.“ I didn’ t have the big equipment like they do now, but it’ d be fun to get in one of those big rigs and drive it again.”
Six years at Mid‐County Coop
After leaving a job at a lumberyard, Art joined Mid‐County Coop in 1996. He started part‐time during the spring rush, hauling fertilizer and chemicals, helping with maintenance, and working alongside longtime employees like Dale Schmitz.
What he remembers most isn’ t the work— it’ s the people.
On his last day, the shop crew and office staff invited his whole family for a retirement lunch.
“ That was really cool,” he said quietly.“ Not everybody could make it, but most of the family was there. It meant a lot.”
A Collection Meant to Be Shared
People react the same way when they hear the number: shock, disbelief, and then curiosity. Art has become something of a local legend.
“ Some people say,‘ My husband has 15 hats,’” Kathy said.“ They think that’ s a lot.”
Art just smiles.“ You don’ t have to feed them,” he said.“ They’ re just fun.”
He plans to pass the collection down to his seven children—“ one‐seventh each,” he jokes. Whether they divide them, keep them, or sell the sheds as a package deal, he’ s at peace with it.
For now, the hats stay right where they are.
More than a
collection
Spend an afternoon with Art and Kathy, and you quickly realize the hats are only part of the story. The real story is the life behind them— years of farming, raising a family, working hard, and finding joy in simple things.
It’ s a story of community, too. Of people who bring him hats because they know it will make him smile. Of coworkers who celebrated him on his last day. Of a family who laughs together about the Big Mac hat and the one with ears.
And it’ s a story of a man who never set out to build a collection— but ended up building something much bigger.
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