South Africa’s Popcorn Industry | by Jacqueline Lourens

South Africa grows more than 2 million hectares of corn per year and for this reason corn is a staple food in South Africa. We have a corn culture with many corn-derived products. Popcorn fits perfectly into that culture as an inexpensive snack.

The popcorn industry took off during 1966 in South Africa and has enjoyed steady growth over the years. In South Africa, popcorn production is estimated at 55,000 metric tons per year. Popcorn is produced mostly by irrigation farmers in the Free State and Northern Cape. About 40 percent of the total popcorn production is exported to Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Egypt and the Ivory Coast.

At least 95 percent of the seed planted in South Africa is of U.S. origin. There is currently one popcorn seed breeding company in South Africa that is developing local popcorn hybrids. It produces no more than 20 metric tons of popcorn seed per year. An interesting fact: all popcorn sold in South Africa has been certified as non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) by international laboratories. 

Popcorn is unique among corn varieties because its starchy endosperm expands and pops when heated. The “butterfly” popcorn kernel is usually large, light and fluffy. The “mushroom” type of kernel is more dense and compact like a ball and mainly used for candy coating and caramelizing.

Producing popcorn is a highly specialized industry that differs from conventional maize production. Popcorn plants grow best in full sun after soil warms up to 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Popcorn requires deep watering techniques, and this is where the Valley_® 8120 pivot comes in handy. Valmont_® Irrigation also recently added AquaDock™ drop hose docking stations to the Valley sprinkler product line. This series of drop components allow for two sprinkler ground clearance positions thereby maximizing sprinkler package uniformity to match the height of the popcorn plants. This eliminates dry rings and ensures even application of water and fertilizer to produce undeviating crop growth and yield in the popcorn fields.

Planting season starts as early as August in the northern part of South Africa, but the bulk of the crop is planted from October to December. The first of the new crop is harvested in late December, and the bulk of the crop from March to June.

One thing is for certain: South Africa’s popcorn industry is a growing market and it is here to stay. If you haven’t tried South African popcorn, you are definitely missing out!

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Jacqueline Lourens Personal Assistant Jacqueline has been with Valley Irrigation of Southern Africa since 2011. Jacqui loves being part of the marketing team where she spends most of her time tending to the needs of two sales managers in an extremely challenging and fast-paced environment. In her spare time, Jacqui cranks up the volume and listens to music of all genres. She enjoys reading horror and suspense novels and her favourite author is Stephen King. Jacqui has an immense passion for animals and nature, and enjoys camping and hiking. She believes that life doesn’t provide any guarantees… it only provides possibilities and opportunities for those who dare to make best use of it.

A New Way to Match Drop Hose Length to Crop Height | by Jerry Gerdes

It’s been almost 40 years since drop components were developed as an option for mounting sprinklers below a center pivot pipeline. 

Wrapped hose

Placing sprinkler devices close to the crop canopy improves irrigation efficiency by reducing evaporation and wind drift losses of the irrigation water. In many applications, growers will place the sprinklers just above their tallest crop, which could be field corn, silage corn, or sugar cane, to maximize the uniformity of application for all crops. However, for low growing crops, such as wheat, soybeans, or potatoes, application efficiencies can be reduced because the sprinklers are well above the crop canopy.

Growers wanting to maximize uniformity and application efficiency for all crops began looking for a way to change the sprinkler ground clearance for the crop being grown. One solution is to use flexible drop hose material and “wrap” the drop hose around the span pipe (photo at right . For tall crops, the drop hose is wrapped around the span pipe to raise the sprinkler. For low crops, the drop hose is unwrapped to lower the sprinkler.

Using a lift pole to hang the drop hose in the AquaDock.

Dale Shelton of Pasco, WA, is a farmer who saw firsthand the benefits of adjusting the sprinkler ground clearance by wrapping drop hoses to match the crops being grown. However, the time it takes to wrap drop hoses and the risk of injury while performing the task led Dale to develop a better solution. His solution is AquaDock™. 

AquaDock drop hose docking stations are a series of drop components that allow for two sprinkler ground clearances within one drop configuration. 

Using a lift pole, the sprinkler position can quickly be raised or lowered to match the crop being grown. The AquaDock products can be attached directly to u-pipes or can be attached around the span pipe. The span pipe mount also doubles as a span cable theft deterrent.

The AquaDock product is exclusively available through the Valley_® dealer network. For more information visit the Valley website, or contact your local Valley dealer.


Watch this video to see how AquaDocks work:

Standard drops without AquaDock.

AquaDock drop hose docking stations with unlatched hoses on the left, and raised hoses on the right.

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Jerry Gerdes Product Manager - Water Application Jerry, Nebraska-based Water Application Product Manager, contributes years of experience from his time working for a sprinkler manufacturer prior to joining Valley Irrigation. Currently working with different sprinkler manufacturers, Jerry develops the recommendations for the optimum water application package for a grower's operation.