By Robert Pore
robert.pore@theindependent.com

And one of the prime popcorn-growing areas in Nebraska is the Loup River Valley.

That's where Pam Garnick works. For 24 years, she has been the secretary and controller for Popcorn County USA (popcorn processor) and W.O. Zangger & Son Inc. (popcorn seed plant breed and production), both located in North Loup, where they have been celebrating Popcorn Days since 1901.

Garnick, who lives in Ord, was named by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer as a new member of the National Popcorn Board. Frank C. Morrison of Clearwater was also named to the board.

They each are serving a three-year term that began Jan. 1. The nine-member board is composed of popcorn processors who normally process and distribute more than 4 million pounds of popcorn annually.

The board members were appointed from nominations submitted by the industry. The board, authorized by the Popcorn Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, conducts promotion, research and consumer information activities to maintain and expand the popcorn market.

Today, Garnick is in Chicago for her first meeting of the board.

"Popcorn is an important specialty crop and industry in Nebraska," said Bill Brush, president of Popcorn County USA. "Besides the growers, there are several processors and microwave packers in Nebraska and western Iowa."

Brush previously served on the Popcorn Board since its inception in 1998. He nominated Garnick to replace him on the board when he stepped down last year.

Brush said Garnick will be an asset to the board.

"Popcorn is fun and important to Nebraska and the U.S.," he said. "The popcorn processors in Nebraska are significant contributors to the rural economies of several small communities in Nebraska."

Garnick said at first she didn't take her nomination to the National Popcorn Board seriously.

"I thought they would have a lot better offers," she said.

But when she learned that her nomination was accepted by Schafer, she got excited about the opportunity to represent an industry she has been working in for nearly a quarter of a century.

"It's an opportunity to meet other people in the industry and see what I can do and learn," Garnick said.

Funding for the Popcorn Board is through a checkoff program on popcorn processors. The checkoff fee is .0006 of a cent per pound of processed popcorn.

With those checkoff dollars, Garnick said, the board's primary job is to promote popcorn, which Americans eat at a rate of 16 billion quarts annually, or 54 quarts per man, woman and child.

According to the National Popcorn Board, about 70 percent is eaten in the home (home popped and pre-popped) and about 30 percent outside the home (theaters, stadiums, schools, etc.). Unpopped popcorn accounts for about 90 percent of sales for home consumption.

During her 24 years working at Popcorn County USA, one of the biggest changes she has witnessed to the popcorn industry is the advent of microwave popcorn.

"People began using microwave ovens to pop their popcorn instead of on the stove," Garnick said. "That increased popcorn consumption."

According to the National Popcorn Board, since the advent of the microwave in the early 1980s, more than 80 percent of U.S. households own one.

Also, the hot air popcorn popper has helped to boost popcorn consumption.

Garnick said that Nebraska popcorn has a worldwide reputation for its quality and popping excellence.

At Popcorn County USA, Garnick said, they ship more than half of the popcorn they process overseas. She said the company ships popcorn to the Ukraine, Columbia, Philippines, Japan, Romania, Africa and many other countries.

"They prefer our quality over other countries," Garnick said. "Our quality is good and it creates a demand."

Garnick said processors such as Popcorn County USA contract with growers for their annual supply of popcorn. While the majority of her company's popcorn comes from growers in the Loup River Valley, they also contract with growers in other areas of Nebraska to help spread out their risks.

With corn prices of more than $5 per bushel, Garnick said she is still confident that processors will be able to compete for the necessary acres to keep their customers supplied with popcorn.

"It has had an impact," Garnick said. "We have to pay more to get them to produce popcorn. But the price of popcorn as a snack food is still going to be lower than corn chips. I still think our market share will be good, even though the price will be higher."

Garnick said she hopes to make a difference as she represents Nebraska on the National Popcorn Board.

"If there's an opportunity to help Nebraska, that will be a priority, but we are there to promote popcorn in its entirety," she said. "I hope people start realizing how much healthier popcorn is compared to a lot of other snacks. With the price of snacks going up, hopefully, they will turn to popcorn. It's a really versatile snack."

To learn more about the popcorn industry and to get popcorn recipes, visit: www.popcorn.org/