SAUNDERS COUNTY, Neb (KMTV) — Stan Keiser and his family have spent a lot of years farming in Saunders County.
“Basically my whole life. My great grandpa bought this in 1911 and it’s been passed down through the generations,” said Keiser.
For most of his life Stan has raised field corn but the next generation of Keiser farmers are looking at a different crop to carry on the Keiser legacy.
“The reason why I started the popcorn venture was to pay homage to my family for working so hard to keep it within the family for 100 years,” said Amy Whitehead, Stan’s daughter who also farms at Keiser Family Farm.
For years now Amy has been carving out her own piece of Keiser farm to raise corn for popcorn.
So what makes popcorn corn different from regular corn?
“It’s a little different, the popcorn I have to pick at a certain moisture. I don’t have the luxury of storing a lot out here so I have to pick it just right,” said Amy.
This year Amy is preparing to harvest around 2 acres of her popcorn.
In year’s past Amy did almost all of the work, including harvest, by hand, but this year she is getting a little help from some more modern machinery.
“We are sharing a combine too, haha right?” said Amy.
“Its just a 6 row machine, but it does what we need it to do,” said Stan.
Amy’s popcorn is sent to Chapman to be processed at Preferred Popcorn, then it makes its way to retailers across the Omaha area.
It’s not a large operation but for Amy, seeing the Kaiser legacy continue on is just as important as the crops coming out of the fields.
“I don’t really do it for money. I do it because it’s fun and I get to work with dad," said Amy
"Well thank you, I dont do it for the money either," joked Stan.
