Corn fields are present in all corners of Wisconsin, and while most of this land is comprised of field corn, there are some popcorn fields dotting the state as well.
Dakotah Hammerly is the Crop Production Manager for Biddick, Inc. out of Livingston. He shares more about what goes into raising popcorn and how the crop is looking this year.
There are some unique challenges that come with raising popcorn in Wisconsin. Since popcorn relies on its moisture for expanding when being popped, it’s important to keep the kernel from cracking. Frost can pose a potential problem because it can lead to cracked kernels and, ultimately, popcorn that doesn’t pop.
“We’ve seen years where there’s a Saturday night when it dips below 30 degrees for an hour, and that 1 hour…. is just enough to cause problems with how well it pops,” adds Hammerly. He goes on to explain that this pushes them to plant and harvest in a time sensitive manner.
Dakotah says that the cold spring weather pushed back planting by about a week and a half, and he has noticed that shift throughout the entire growing season. He says that nothing has posed a large problem, however, and there have been a lot of heat units this summer that should put the crop on track for fall harvest.
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