Peanuts
Gain New Ground in Cherokee County Celebrating a first in the agricultural history of Cherokee County, the harvesting of a successful peanut crop last fall introduced new possibilities in the farming community.
Nick McMichen proudly displays the bounty of his October peanut harvest to Jessica Proctor, 2017 Miss Alabama. 40
The peanut crop was a product of Nick McMichen and company, who planted in mid-May and harvested some 140 days later, in October 2017.
McMichen explained that the idea of peanut farming had been at the discussion table before. They have watched farms in nearby counties plant peanuts with excellent results for over ten years but a glut in the marketplace in recent years had stalled their participation, and they were not willing to jump into an insecure market.
However, there was an impressive turn when peanuts in general gained more attention in the world market. China seemed to have acquired an affinity for the peanut, discovering that peanuts were not only delicious but also an affordable food source rich in protein. McMichen says China will ‘take all the peanuts we can produce.’ Commonly, we think of peanuts growing in South Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia, and to some extent in Texas. To consider peanut farming here in Alabama seems unusual, but new ground offers sound benefits. McMichen noted that the fresh ground is less worrisome for a disease. “It is a good reason we can get higher yields with much smaller inputs. Where you grow peanuts, you worry about white mold and having to use fungicides and the like. We didn’t require much of that at all. Our inputs are less expensive, even though we have to haul 350 miles one way to process. Peanuts are “scavengers,” and do not require a lot of fertility. They are also excellent in cotton rotation and help to clean the soil.
Nick McMichen produced the first peanut harvest on his farm in Cherokee County in October 2017