CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 07/21/11

Georgia peanut acreage takes dive

By Brad Haire

Peanut acreage in Georgia this year dropped to the lowest amount in three decades, a sharp decline for the country’s leading peanut-producing state. Farmers planted 480,000 acres of peanuts this spring, according to a recent survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“If the peanut industry wanted to know what the bottom floor was for peanut acreage in Georgia in modern time, we reached it this year,” said Nathan Smith, a farm economist with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Georgia’s peanut acreage has only fallen below 500,000 acres twice in the last 30 years with 494,000 acres planted in 2000 and 475,000 acres planted in 1982, Smith said. Previous to 1982, Georgia peanut acreage hadn’t dropped below 500,000 since 1967, when 493,000 acres were planted.

Peanut acres are down nationally, too, expected to be 1.152 million acres, 10.5 percent less than last year.

Farmers planted fewer peanuts this year because prices for other crops, particularly cotton, “were more attractive to them,” he said. But this may not be the case next year.

Higher peanut prices

The country’s peanut-growing regions are now in the grips of drought, which is hurting the crop. More than 20 percent of the peanuts in Georgia are rated as poor to very poor, according to the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service.

If farmers can wrestle average yields from the poor conditions, the U.S. will harvest about 1.8 million ton of peanuts this year, and half of that will come from Georgia fields. The country currently has 765,000 tons left in stockpile from last year’s crop, which will mean a 2.6 million ton peanut supply for the country this year.

The U.S. is projected to use or export 2.1 million tons, which leaves 500,000 tons for next year’s stockpile. The peanut industry likes to keep at least 500,000 tons in surplus each year to guard against crop failures and to insure a steady peanut supply throughout the year.

“The crop this year has far to go, but it is shaping up to be a short year for production, which has gotten many people already thinking about next year,” Smith said.

Peanut prices are climbing. Last year’s crop now coming out of storage is selling for $750 per ton. Prices earlier this year were $600 per ton. Prices next year, he said, could reach $800 to $900 per ton or higher, the highest peanut prices in 20 years.

Peanut harvest will start in September.

Brad Haire is the former news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Brad Haire
Experts/Sources:
Nathan B. Smith
Peanut acreage in Georgia this year dropped to the lowest amount in three decades, which could set the stage for the highest peanut prices in 20 years.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Helenedamage web CAES News
Hurricane Helene: Preliminary damage assessment on Georgia agriculture and forestry industry 10/10/24 Claire S. Kinnard, Matthew Agvent
Today, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, in coordination with Governor Brian P. Kemp, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and the Georgia Forestry Commission, announced the preliminary estimate of Hurricane Helene’s economic impact on Georgia agriculture is $6.46 billion. This figure represents the sum of direct crop losses, losses to businesses that support agriculture and forestry, losses to workers in those related industries, and estimated recovery and restoration costs that agricultural businesses will face.
Nino Brown stands in front of a peanut field holding up a red net bag of harvested peanuts above his head as he speaks to participants in the Georgia Peanut Tour in 2022. CAES News
CAES experts study oil production to boost Georgia’s peanut power 09/05/24 Maria M. Lameiras
A new study by experts in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is seeking to increase the value of Georgia’s peanut crops for new markets while reducing losses caused by aflatoxin, a consistent threat to the No. 1 peanut-producing state in the United States. The four-year, $490,000 grant will take a systems-based approach toward developing high-oil peanut varieties bred to withstand the unique climate and pest pressures of the Southeast.
An employee of Pyxus Agriculture Malawi shows a map explaining the various sites where the Feed the Future Peanut Innovation Lab works with 147 local farmers, Pyxus and the national agriculture program in Malawi. The demonstration was part of the 2024 Groundnut Tour in Malawi, a three-day event modeled after the Georgia Peanut Tour. CAES News
Georgia Peanut Tour inspires Malawi to host first groundnut tour 05/01/24 Allison Floyd
Ten years ago, the Georgia Peanut Tour welcomed its first visitor from the southern African nation of Malawi, where peanuts are part of the local cuisine but are only grown in small gardens or bought in informal markets. Over the next decade, visitors from Malawi attended the tour every year, traveling halfway around the world to see how farmers, shellers, researchers and others work together to get a large crop of peanuts to consumers every year.
Danielle Ama Essandoh, a Ghanaian student studying at Makerere University, works in a greenhouse on a research project in Uganda led by UGA’s Soraya Leal-Bertioli in 2021. Essandoh completed a master’s degree and is now working toward a doctorate at UGA. (Submitted photo) CAES News
Peanut Innovation Lab receives $15 million 04/13/23 Allison Floyd
Farmers around the world grow peanuts because the plant adapts to poor soils and produces a crop even as droughts become more common. Smallholder farmers around the world grow the crop on modest plots and cook the nuts into traditional dishes or sell the crop for money to send their kids to school. On April 12, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the University of Georgia announced a five-year extension of their collaborative research and outreach work in peanut innovation.
UGA Extension selected Bart Davis of Davis Family Farms in Doerun, Georgia, as the 2023 Georgia Farmer of the Year. (Photo courtesy of the Georgia Peanut Commission) CAES News
Bart Davis named 2023 Georgia Farmer of the Year 02/02/23 Amanda Budd
Bart Davis doesn’t seek out accolades or praise, but through an impressive dedication to his farm and the industry, honor found him at this year's Georgia Ag Forecast presentation, where he was recognized as 2023 Georgia Farmer of the Year.
Newly purchased sensors will allow growers to monitor fertilizer movements in their soil over time and adjust irrigation and other production practices to minimize fertilizer loss through leaching. CAES News
UGA Extension helps farmers improve efficiency, save 100 million gallons of water 01/23/23 Emily Cabrera
Over the last few decades, water use-related disagreements between Georgia and its surrounding states have held the spotlight in the Southeast. To address the need for conservation, the Agricultural Water Efficiency Team (AgWET) was created to train University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents to transfer advanced irrigation scheduling knowledge to growers through a unique one-on-one educational approach.