'Poppers' Harvest Almost 13,000 Bushels
Published: Friday, October 30, 2026
The Northern Indiana Johnny Poppers conducted their annual harvest day last Saturday in New Paris. Using antique tractors to pull picker-shellers, the members were able to harvest 12,920 bushels of corn on 63 acres. The average corn yield was 198 bushels per acre.
The yield was a little less than last year due to deer feeding on the plants, according to Mark Yoder, field manager.
Members got a late start due to fog and a heavy dew, but by late morning, the sun was peeking through the clouds and burning off the moisture.
"As long as the sun stays out, we should be able to keep going," said Derek Schrock, president of the club.
He said 45 members showed up with their tractors to help shuttle wagons from the field to the unloading area. Ten men drove picker-shellers.
The Johnny Poppers planted corn in a field just east of the intersection of S.R. 15 and U.S. 6. After selling the corn, the club will hold a banquet in December to donate money to area FFA chapters and food pantries.
One of the most unusual tractors was a John Deere 318 lawn tractor that had been modified with a 40-horsepower turbo-charged engine. The owner, Karl Bontrager of Shipshewana, said he and his son, Logan, compete in area garden tractor pulls.
"That one is for my son," he said, referring to the 318 model. "He's out here for the first time to help with the harvest."
Bontrager said the garden tractor had enough horsepower to pull a fully loaded wagon.
"It spun the tires a little bit, but it did it," he said.
Weights were added to give the machine more traction.
"The back has roughly 350 pounds, and the front is about 150 (pounds)," he said, plus wheel weights. "We didn't know what to expect. We brought it and it did pretty good."
Return to Top of Page