Indiana leads the nation in popcorn production

Today is national popcorn day, and for Hoosiers that should be cause for celebration.

That’s because in 2021, Indiana took the top spot in the nation’s popcorn production. Traditionally, Nebraska is the top producing state followed closely by Indiana.

In 2021, over 97,000 acres of popcorn stalks were planted; an 8 percent increase from the previous year.

Isaac Duckworth is a farmer in Morgan County. His family has been farming since the 1800s. For them, 2022 was a strong harvest.

“It was a great year really,” he said. “Our soybean yields were average, and our corn yields were above average. Popcorn was kind of right in the middle, almost a little bit below average.”

Indiana has other claims to popcorn fame, including being the home for Orville Redenbacher and Weaver, two of the largest popcorn companies in the nation. Pulaksi County is also known as "Popcorn Capital of the U.S."

The Duckworths harvest popcorn for a company called Preferred Popcorn in Palmyra, Indiana. The family grows, maintains and harvests the crop before trucking it out to the production plant for processing and eventual sale to consumers.

You may not be aware, but popcorn is actually a different plant than the one we get corn on the cob from.

“To the untrained eye, you're probably not going to notice it,” he said. “But if you’re looking in the cornfield versus the popcorn field, the leaves on it are kind of lazier, they go out more instead of straight up like a pineapple top. It's also a little bit shorter in stature.”

Field corn kernels are soft, making them easier to chew whereas popcorn kernels are hardier, allowing for that signature "pop" when heated.

“I think that I've got the best job in the world,” Duckworth said. “I get to work every day with my brother and my dad. I'm working the same ground that that my grandfathers worked and their fathers beyond that. And it's a lifestyle. I don't go to work every day; I just live my life.”

Today, consider celebrating an Indiana staple crop by putting on your favorite movie and popping a bag of that crunchy, buttery snack we call popcorn.