WAVERLY, Ky. — Donnie Greenwell, a farmer from Waverly, Kentucky, planted the first American popcorn crop in Argentina on Oct. 12, 1992, a symbolic act on the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America.

That single planting sparked a revolution, transforming Argentina into a global popcorn export powerhouse and earning Greenwell recognition as an industry trailblazer.

Greenwell, now retired from popcorn farming, grew up in a multi-generational farming family in Union County.

His father, Mark, grew seven acres of popcorn in the 1930s, selling it to a theater in nearby Morganfield.

In 1965, Mark purchased 943 acres from the former Camp Breckenridge, and in 1972, he divided the land, allowing Donnie to buy a portion. That year, a Corydon, Indiana, popcorn processor of

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