Tourists attracted by signs along Highway 20 can drive into Sac City, Iowa, to see a handmade monument to agricultural production.
“It's awesome! When you think about 9,000 pounds of popcorn, that's pretty cool,” said David McAvoy.
He and his wife, Cindy, stopped to see the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball, as they drove to Mount Rushmore from their home in Tennessee. Encased in glass, the ball stands more than eight feet tall.
“All you see when you're driving is corn everywhere,” McAvoy said of their trip through Iowa. “So, you can make all kinds of popcorn.”
In fact, McAvoy likely didn’t see popcorn.
Most farmers around the area raise field corn instead. And of about 1.9 million farms in the U.S., only 860 raise popcorn, according to the latest Census of Agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Even in nearby Schaller, called the “Popcorn Capital of the World,” very few growers remain.
Yet the town still celebrates with an annual popcorn festival in July that includes a parade, rides and plenty of free popcorn.
Allison Kistenmacher with the Schaller Chamber of Commerce calls Popcorn Days her favorite time of the year.
“Because it’s when everybody comes together and we bring back so many people that no longer live in Schaller, but this is where their home roots are,” Kistenmacher said. “There’s a lot of history here with popcorn — we used to distribute it all over the world.”
Since then, Kistenmacher says much of rural Iowa turned to other cash crops instead.
“Farmers now raise soybeans, seed corn and field corn to feed their animals or produce ethanol,” Kistenmacher said.
Where popcorn is grown
While Iowa still shows pride in popcorn, the state no longer leads the country in its production.
It held that position until the mid-1940s, when it lost out to Illinois and Indiana. Then in the mid-1970s, Nebraska took the lead.
More recently, the top spot has popped between states.
“There have been cases where they flip back and forth, but Indiana and Nebraska are the top two popcorn-producing states,” said Dan Quinn, an extension corn specialist at Purdue University and an assistant professor of agronomy.
The university, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, has deep roots in the development of popcorn. The famous Orville Redenbacher, who revolutionized the industry, even graduated from there.
“A lot of popcorn work has been done here at Purdue. There's been a lot of breeding and food science efforts, too – even figuring out microwave times.” Quinn said.
The researcher is currently trying to figure out how much nitrogen popcorn plants need.
“One aspect is that it just doesn't need as much nitrogen fertilizer, but it's also not as efficient,” Quinn said. “We're also finding out if the nitrogen rate’s too low or too high, it can actually impact the popping parameters of the crop, too.”
Quinn noted that popcorn is not the easiest crop to grow.
He said since it is non-GMO, or not genetically modified, it’s more susceptible to bugs, weeds and weather. Those challenges can make some farmers reluctant to plant the grain.
“The overall genetic piece of the corn is not as advanced as dent corn, so makes it a little bit more challenging too from a management standpoint,” he said.
Dan Quinn is the extension corn specialist at Purdue University. His research works to improve the overall production, profitability, and environmental performance of Midwest corn systems.
While people love eating the snack, Quinn said most people don’t think much about the crop.
“There's a lot of people who go to the movie theater that I think they just don't understand the magnitude of where popcorn is grown, the importance of it to a lot of farmers, and also the amount of research and work that goes into it,” he said.
The U.S. popcorn industry as a whole is worth about $3 billion, with the National Popcorn Board projecting the market to reach more than $4 billion by 2030.
A family business
Jack Hogue knows popcorn. He’s been in the business on his northwest Iowa farm for 52 years, like his father before him.
“My parents moved up here in the mid-1930s, and so our family has raised popcorn here ever since,” Hogue said.
He checks his field, a sea of green waving leaves and says things are looking good.
“We're really fortunate this year. Corn here is about seven to seven and a half feet tall, that’s unusual,” Hogue said. “We had a lot of rain this spring. So, we have been blessed to have so much rain.”
Like many producers, Hogue has diversified operations to try to increase profits. His family also owns a greenhouse and rents out a historic barn for special events like weddings.
He plants between 40 and 50 acres of popcorn a year, which usually brings between 6,000 and 8,000 pounds per acre.
Hogue said because of better breeding, the popcorn yield has doubled over the decades.
“When more people were growing it, the genetics weren't there that a lot of times popcorn would fall over right when it was drying down and getting ready to harvest and just go flat on the ground,” he said. “And it was just tough to harvest.”
It’s since been bred for better standability.
“That makes it a lot more fun running the combine in the fall,” Hogue said.
He contracts his harvest to the American Pop Corn Company, the makers of Jolly Time, one of the country’s most recognized brands, which was founded in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1914.
“It’s high in fiber, you know? It's good for you. You can have fun with it,” said Steve Huisenga, president of Jolly Time Popcorn, as he gave a tour of the facility.
Jolly Time sells between 50 and 60 million pounds a year, or as Huisenga estimates, 90 billion kernels.
“Popcorn is still kind of that snack that brings people together, right? And that's about happy memories, and about doing things with family and friends … ” Huisenga said. “My memory was my dad popping popcorn on the stove with an iron skillet, and the pan to the top, it didn't fit, but somehow, he made it work.”
A Cornhusker tradition
In North Loup, Nebraska — a town of 280 people — the community’s annual Popcorn Days will turn 125 next year.
“It's unbelievable what our forefathers did,” said Larry White, who helps organize the event each year. “You know, I wasn't around to help start it, but I continue to help do things, because I want to keep it going.”
The small town is home to Zangger Popcorn Hybrids, which raises up to 30% of the world’s popcorn seed.
“They help out a lot and donate a lot to our festival,” White said.
Popcorn Days is the longest-running event of its kind in Nebraska and possibly the country. Despite the town’s small population, White said they put on “quite a celebration” with rodeo events, entertainment and wiener dog races.
“We had a good one this year. It was hotter than blazes, but we had a very good turnout,” he said. “We seem like we're adding something new every year.”
The biggest attraction remains the popcorn. White laughs that some people are amazed to learn they give out free popcorn at the festival.
“It's so good you can't quit eating popcorn, as far as I'm concerned.”
This story was produced in partnership with Harvest Public Media, a collaboration of public media newsrooms in the Midwest and Great Plains. It reports on food systems, agriculture and rural issues.