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The Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service, based at Purdue University, reported that the 64,000 acres planted in popcorn in the spring of 1996 was 7 percent below the rain-reduced planting levels of 1995 (69,000 acres).
In '94, under relatively normal planting conditions, Indiana's popcorn acreage stood at 88,000.
The bright spots in the statistics service's report are in yield per acre and price.
Based on survey responses from 300 Indiana producers, the '96 yield per acre averaged 3,000 pounds, compared to 2,400 pounds in '95. And the price per pound averaged 12.4 cents, considerably higher than the 10-cents-per-pound level of '95.
The per-acre yield increase combined with the price increase lifted the value of Indiana's '96 popcorn crop above the previous year by 41 percent -- $23 million compared to $16.3 million.
Indiana was the nation's top popcorn-producing state in 1992, the most recent year in which national popcorn production statistics were compiled. Another national survey will be conducted this year.