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Popcorn &

Introduction and blue corn ( mays) are harvested for their grain and sold for human consumption. Popcorn is a special type of , while blue corn isa general term for corn varieties that produce ears with blue or mixtures of blue and white kernels.

Marketing and Market Outlook Popcorn Blue Corn Blue corn is used to make cereals, tortillas, , some pancake mixes, corn chips, and a number of popped corn is generally white to pale yellow. The Mexican foods. Popcorn can be sold unpopped for shape of the popped corn (“mushroom” or round, and microwave or conventional use; or it can be packaged “butterfly” or irregular) and expansion rate will also as a plain or flavor-added popped product. vary between cultivars.

Most specialty food grains are grown under contract Many blue corn cultivars are derived from American with a processor who specifies both the hybrids to Indian sources dating back to the 1800s and are be planted and the number of acres. Prices received classified as heirlooms. Kernel color can be blue- under contracts are sometimes linked to gray to darker colors (red or purple) that appear prices through a set formula. The contract should be nearly black. in place prior to planting. There are some prospects in western Kentucky for local contract popcorn Site selection and planting production. A list of Kentucky popcorn producers Field preparation for specialty corns is similar to can be obtained on the Kentucky Department of that of field corn. No-tillage techniques, pioneered Agriculture Web site. A number of markets for blue by farmers and researchers in Kentucky, are now corn in surrounding states may provide opportunities so widely used in-state that they dominate seeding for Kentucky specialty corn producers. methods for corn. No-till is best suited to soils that are moderately well-drained to well-drained. Quality popcorn can also be sold on the open market Standard crop rotations often include corn-soybean since the product will keep indefinitely if properly or corn-wheat-soybean rotations. Optimum planting stored. However, this is risky due to the very dates usually range from the first of April to mid-May. unpredictable popcorn market. Growers willing to become small-scale processors can also package and Specialty corns will freely cross-pollinate with other sell popcorn for local sales. types of corn, making isolation necessary to maintain cultivar integrity and quality. Isolation from other Production Considerations corn types (e.g. field corn and ) as well as Cultivar selection other cultivars of the same type Popcorn cultivars vary in terms of can be accomplished by physical kernel size, shape, and whether or separation or by making sure not they are hulless. While hulls there is a minimum of 14 days can be various colors (e.g. yellow, difference in the maturities of the white, blue, red, speckled), the different types. Agriculture & Natural Resources • Family & Consumer Sciences • 4-H/Youth Development • Community & Economic Development

Educational programs of the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. Pest management Selected Resources Major insect pests include flea beetles, cutworm, • Business Development (Kentucky Department of corn borer, and corn earworm. Scouting to monitor Agriculture) populations can help the grower determine when and http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/agribusiness/index. how often insecticides should be applied. Potential htm disease problems include damping-off, gray leaf spot, • Comprehensive Guide to Corn Management in stalk rots, and viruses. Fungicide sprays typically do Kentucky, ID-139 (University of Kentucky 2001) not show justifiable economic returns for commercial http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id139/id139.htm corn production. Crop rotation, treatment, and • Field Crop and Forage Enterprise Budgets for the use of resistant varieties can help reduce disease Kentucky (University of Kentucky, 2005) and insect problems. Weed control can be achieved http://www.ca.uky.edu/cmspubsclass/tinymce/ by a good crop rotation program and the use of jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/filemanager/files/adreum/ herbicides. budgets/archivedbudget/2006fieldcrop_budget.xls • Kentucky Integrated Crop Management Manual Harvest and storage for Corn (University of Kentucky, 2009) Specialty food corns are harvested at various moisture http://www.uky.edu/Ag/IPM/manuals/ipm2corn.pdf levels, depending on the type of corn and whether it is • Popcorn Production and Marketing, NCH-5 harvested on the ears or shelled. Popcorn is harvested (University of Kentucky et al.,2009) only after it reaches full maturity to maximize http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/Management/pdfs/ popping potential. Blue corn kernels are initially NCH05_CR-2104web.pdf white, darkening as kernels dry. Harvesting specialty • Where to Buy Kentucky Products (Kentucky corns with a rotary combine generally results in less Department of Agriculture) damage to the kernels. Aeration is necessary for http://www.kyagr.com/buyky/ extended storage. • Alternative Field Crops Manual: Popcorn (University of Wisconsin and University of Labor requirements Minnesota, 2000) Labor needs are approximately 4 hours per acre for http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/popcorn. production and harvest. html • Blue Corn (Purdue University, 1993) Economic Considerations http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/ Initial investments include land preparation and the proceedings1993/V2-228.html purchase of seed. Blue corn and popcorn prices • Enterprise Budget: Popcorn (Leopold Center, would be expected to be slightly higher than white/ Iowa State University, 2010) yellow food corns; however, specialty corns generally https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail. also have a lower yield. Total 2013 variable costs for aspx?ProductID=13308 contracted popcorn (reduced tillage) are estimated at • The Popcorn Agri-Chemical Handbook (The $240 per acre. Presuming a harvest of 3,800 pounds Popcorn Board, 2012) per acre sold at $16 per hundredweight (cwt), gross http://www.popcorn.org/ returns of $608 per acre would be expected. Returns PopcornAgriChemicalHandbook/tabid/148/Default. to operator labor, land, capital and management would aspx then come to approximately $370 per acre. Blue corn • Popcorn Profile (Agricultural Marketing Resource returns would also be expected to be in the $350 to Center, 2012) $400 per acre range. While these estimates indicate http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/ returns about $100 per acre above comparable field grains__oilseeds/corn_grain/popcorn_profile.cfm corn assumptions, producers should remember that costs and returns can vary greatly between production settings and contract requirements.

Reviewed by Chad Lee, Extension Specialist (Issued 2003, Revised 2006, Revised 2009) Reviewed by Shawn Wright, Extension Specialist (Revised 2013) Photos: J.G. Davis, Bugwood.org (blue corn) and MorgueFile (popcorn) June 2013 For additional information, contact your local County Extension agent