Taking off his boots, Stuart Veatch finds kernels everywhere.

What You Need To Know

  • Stuart Veatch is a popcorn farmer 

  • This year he harvested nearly 2 million pounds of popcorn

  • He said this year, the drought pushed that harvest early than normal

But for him, that’s nothing new.

He’s been a farmer for three decades, including the last eight years as a popcorn farmer.

“Harvest is fun to see the crops coming in," he said. "It’s even better if it’s a good year, not as much fun when it’s not a good year."

Every fall, Veatch harvests 400 acres producing nearly 2 million pounds of popcorn.

He said this year, the drought pushed that harvest earlier than normal.

Once he harvests the popcorn, he air dries the kernels in massive tanks that can hold semi loads of popcorn. This process makes sure there’s not too much moisture. 

“Popcorn needs so much moisture in it for it to pop, but it can’t have too much, otherwise it won’t pop right or, if it’s too dry, it won’t pop,” Veatch said.

Veatch said there are many varieties of popcorn.

“There’s a mushroom variety, and there’s a yellow butterfly variety. Typically everything we grow is yellow butterfly that is used for most of the consumption for movie theaters, just general snack popcorn," Veatch said. "Your mushroom popcorn's used for more like popcorn balls."

After the popcorn is harvested, it’s stored on the farm in tanks until it goes to their end user Mike Higgins, CEO of Reist Popcorn in Pennsylvania. 

“The cool thing about popcorn, think of it like a blank canvas," Higgins said. "It’s a great whole-grain snack that can hold so many derivations, so many combinations of flavors."

And at the end of the day, Veatch said popcorn farming is rewarding, especially when you’re a popcorn lover and get to see your hard work pay off and pop your own kernels to enjoy.