Ohio Farmers Pop Into Profits: Inside the Growing Market for Popcorn Production

Ohio AgNet’s Dusty Sonnenberg takes us up in the cab with a popcorn farmer bringing in this year’s haul.

HENRY COUNTY, OHIO (Ohio Ag Net) — To the untrained eye, a field of corn looks the same as the next, but we all know that is not true.

Ohio Ag Net’s Dusty Sonnenberg takes us to Henry County for this unique perspective from inside the cab with Mark Hoorman of New Vision Farms to talk about the practice of growing popcorn. The two dive into a discussion about how the crop differs from field corn, the equipment practices it demands, and how the market has changed for Ohio producers in recent years.

The 2022 Census of Agriculture shows Ohio farmers brought in around 14,000 acres of popcorn that year.

Related Stories
Market analyst Kevin Huddleston said news of trade deals could rebound cotton prices in late fall, and producers need to be ready to strike deals.
Harvest Builds As Logistics And Input Costs Shape Fall Decisions
Despite tariffs having a less significant impact on exports, corn producers struggle with tariff-related increases on inputs, which complicates their bottom line.
Jack Daniel’s will end its Cow Feeder Program, which served around 100 livestock operations near the distillery, and redirect spent grains to its anaerobic digester.
Dave Kestel, a farmer from Will County and member of the Illinois Farm Bureau, joins us to share a boots-on-the-ground update on the 2025 corn harvest.
American Coalition for Ethanol’s Ron Lamberty shares the significance of California’s approval, opening up the country’s largest gasoline market to a cleaner-burning, often lower-cost fuel option.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Smaller U.S. production and steady global demand could provide better pricing opportunities in 2026.
More than 1,100 residents and farmers have signed a letter urging Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins to step in, saying the proposal threatens irrigation supplies and long-term farm viability in the region.
Reviewing risk management now can help dairy and livestock producers enter 2026 with clearer margins and fewer surprises.
Canada’s new voluntary Grocery Sector Code of Conduct will take effect on Jan. 1, a goodwill effort to promote fairness and transparency between retailers and support farms that sell directly to stores.
With record grain harvests and rising global ethanol demand, leaders across the ag and energy sectors are pushing for year-round E15 sales to mitigate the strain on grain trade.
Pork producers warn that proposed definitions of “ultra-processed” food in guidelines from the “Make America Healthy Again” plan could negatively impact industry-standard bacon, sausage, and feed practices.
Agriculture Shows
Hosted by Scott “The Cow Guy” Shellady and RFD News Markets Specialist Tony St. James, Commodity Talk delivers expert insight into the day’s ag commodity markets just before the CME opens. Only on RFD-TV and Rural Radio SiriusXM Channel 147.
A look at the news, weather and commodities headlines that drove agriculture markets in the past week.
Everything profits from prairie. Soil, air, water — and all kinds of life! Learn how you can improve your land with prairie restoration, cover crops and prairie strips, while growing your bottom line.
Special 3-part series tells the story of the Claas family’s legacy, which changed agriculture forever.