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Published on 09/12/18

Peach State proves to be peanut powerhouse

By Cristina Luisa deRevere

National Peanut Day is September 13. Although Georgia is known as the "Peach State," it is also the No. 1 producer of peanuts in the U.S. Last year, American farmers produced almost 2 million tons of peanuts. The U.S. is ranked third in worldwide peanut production, behind China and India.

The U.S. is also the No. 1 exporter of peanuts worldwide, exporting about 200,000 tons annually. Georgia farmers grow 50 percent of the U.S. production, with 825,000 acres dedicated to peanuts in 2017. Each acre yields an average of 4,353 pounds of peanuts.

"Peanuts are one of the most sustainable crops," said Mark Abney, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peanut entomologist. "They do not require pollinators, require minimal insecticides, and produce the best quality and yield with the lowest level of input from growers."

The UGA Peanut Team is the largest single-commodity team in the U.S. The team consists of applied researchers and scientists, including horticulturists, crop and soil scientists, plant pathologists, entomologists, geneticists, food scientists, climatologists, engineers and economists, all conducting research dedicated solely to peanuts.

"Peanuts are sustainable, profitable and nutritional," said Scott Monfort, UGA Extension peanut agronomist. "Dedicated research and applied trials are a large part of continuing the increase in efficiency and production."

UGA, alongside the Georgia Peanut Commission, is sponsoring the 32nd Annual Georgia Peanut Tour Sept. 18-20, 2018. The tour will begin in Savannah, Georgia, and travel across the state to large peanut production areas. UGA’s Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center in Midville, Georgia, is among the stops.

For more information on the tour, visit georgiapeanuttour.com/. To learn more about the UGA peanut team and research or subscribe to the UGA peanut blog, visit peanuts.caes.uga.edu.

Cristina deRevere is the public relations coordinator for Georgia 4-H.

Authors:
Cristina Luisa deRevere
Experts/Sources:
Mark Abney
Scott Monfort
Peanut harvest will be delayed this year because of Hurricane Michael and the damage to buying points and shellers in South Georgia.
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