October/November 2018 - Southeastern Peanut Farmer

Inside: n n n

The Ideal Cover Crop Partners in Research Peanut Leadership Academy Graduates Class X

A communication service of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation.

Contents October/November 2018

6

Editor Joy Carter Crosby joycrosby@gapeanuts.com 229-386-3690

Cover crops are an integral part of Steven Godwin’s crop production practices. He farms near Jay, Fla., and plants cover crops for his peanuts, cotton and other crops which help with conserving soil moisture.

Director of Advertising Jessie Bland jessie@gapeanuts.com Contributing Writers John Leidner johnleidner@bellsouth.net Kaye Lynn Hataway klhataway@alpeanuts.com Southeastern Peanut Farmer P.O. Box 706, Tifton, Ga. 31793 445 Fulwood Blvd., Tifton, Ga. 31794 ISSN: 0038-3694 Southeastern Peanut Farmer is published six times a year (Jan./Feb., March, April, May/June, July/Aug., and Oct./Nov.) by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation.

The publisher is not responsible for copy omission, typographical errors, or any unintentional errors that may occur, other than to correct it in the following issue. Any erroneous reflection which may occur in the columns of Southeastern Peanut Farmer will be corrected upon brought to the attention of the editor.

(Phone 229-386-3690 or joycrosby@gapeanuts.com.)

Postmaster: Send address changes (Form 3579) to Southeastern Peanut Farmer, P.O. Box 706, Tifton, Georgia, 31793.

Circulation is free to qualified peanut growers and others allied to the industry. Periodical postage paid at Tifton, Georgia and additional mailing office.

Editorial Content: Editorial copy from sources outside of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation is sometimes presented for the information and interest of our members. Such material may, or may not, coincide with official Southern Peanut Farmers Federation policies.

Publication of material does not necessarily imply its endorsement by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation.

For editorial concerns call 229-386-3690. No portion of this or past issues of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the written consent of the editor. By-lined articles appearing in this publication represent views of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher.

Advertising: The Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. Corrections to advertisements must be made after the first run. All billing offers subject to credit review. Advertisements contained in this publication do not represent an endorsement by the Southeastern Peanut Farmer or the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation. Use of trade names in this publication is for the purpose of providing specific information and is not a guarantee nor warranty of products named. For advertising concerns call 229-386-3472.

The Ideal Cover Crop

10

Foes on the Field Partners in Research The fall brings football and diehard fans cheering on their team. However, through the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative, the foes during football season will become partners when it comes to peanut research benefitting farmers.

12 Peanut Leadership Academy graduates Class X The Peanut Leadership Academy traveled to Portland, Oregon, to learn more about agriculture on the west coast. The twenty-two leaders also graduated as the tenth class from the PLA, which is coordinated by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation.

Departments: Checkoff Report .................................................................................. 8 Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Florida Peanut Producers Association, Georgia Peanut Commission and Mississippi Peanut Growers Association

Washington Outlook ............................................................................ 20 Southern Peanut Growers Update ....................................................... 22 Cover Photo: Cover crops are an integral part of Steven Godwin’s crop production practices.

Godwin farms near Jay, Fla. Photo by Joy Crosby.

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

3

Editorial

Calendar of Events u National Peanut Festival, Nov. 2-11, 2018, Dothan, Ala. For more information visit nationalpeanutfestival.com.

The Resilient Farmer he farmer hears the wind howling, trees snapping, rain coming down and sits with his family trying to remain calm but his mind his filled with questions about what the morning light will bring. Will the 100-year-old barn that has stood the test of time through multiple generations withstand the wind?

How will his peanuts, cotton, pecan trees, corn and pine trees withstand the wind? Will trees fall on his fences that keep his livestock in? Will his poultry houses remain standing? Even through his worry, the farmer remains calm and leads his family in a prayer to protect them from the hurricane.

The lights flicker off and on at his house and then finally the darkness overtakes the light as the power is lost. Flashlights, lanterns, candles and more are lit to keep the kids from being scared. The farmer tells his kids stories about the good ole’ days and tries to remain positive, even though he realizes they could be without power for days or weeks.

In the morning’s light, the farmer sees the devastation that begins to surround his farm. He sheds a tear as he walks by the 100-year-old barn now flattened and heads to his shop where he gathers the generator and chain saws. He realizes there is no time to waste at this point so he goes to work by setting up the generator for the house. Then he sets out on his four-wheeler to check the fences around the farm. One by one, he removes tree after tree from the fence row and repairs the fence. Then he proceeds to locate his cattle which are now in his neighbor’s yard. Once the cattle are safely back in the pasture, he begins to make the rounds to check on his crops.

The farmer is not prepared for what he is about to see. Recently dug peanuts in perfect windrows prior to the storm, are now blown all over the field. Then he views his record-setting cotton crop to see more of the cotton on the ground than on the plant, knowing he has lost 90 percent of the cotton. Next, he spots his sweet corn lying flat on the ground. Each irrigation pivot lies flipped over in the field from the 115 mph winds during the storm.

As he looks beside him in the truck and sees his 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter, he realizes they are scared and wonder how the damage will impact them and the future of the farm. He regains his composure and says, “God will take care of us. He provides and we are resilient farmers!” t

T

Joy Carter Crosby Editor

u Georgia Farm Bureau Annual Meeting, Dec. 2-4, 2018, Jekyll Island, Ga. For more information visit gfb.org. u American Peanut Council Winter Meeting, Dec. 4-6, 2018, Atlanta, Ga. For more information visit peanutsusa.com. u American Farm Bureau Annual Convention & IDEAg Trade Show, Jan. 11-16, 2019, New Orleans, La. For more information visit fb.org. u Georgia Peanut Farm Show, Jan. 17, 2019, University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, Tifton, Georgia. For more information visit gapeanuts.com. u Georgia Young Farmers Association Annual Meeting, Feb. 1-2, 2019, Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center, Augusta, Ga. For more information on the meeting visit georgiayoungfarmers.org. u Georgia Peanut Commission Research Report Day, Feb. 6, 2019, NESPAL, Tifton, Ga. For more information visit gapeanuts.com. u Alabama/Florida Peanut Trade Show, Feb. 7, 2019, National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds, Dothan, Ala. For more information visit alpeanuts.com or flpeanuts.com. u Florida Peanut Producers Association Annual Meeting, Feb. 21, 2019, Jackson County Agricultural Complex and Conference Center, Marianna, Fla. For more information visit flpeanuts.com. u American Peanut Shellers Association Industry Spring Conference, April 4-5, 2019, Albany, Ga. For more information visit peanut-shellers.org. u USA Peanut Congress, June 22-26, 2019, Amelia Island, Fla. For information visit peanut-shellers.org.

(Let us know about your event. Please send details to the editor at joycrosby@gapeanuts.com.

4

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference set for January 17 roducers can fine-tune their farming operation with information gained at the 43rd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference, held at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, Jan. 17, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Peanut farmers and those involved in the peanut industry will be able to learn more about the latest products, services and peanut research at the 2019 Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference. The show is sponsored and coordinated by the Georgia Peanut Commission.

The one-day show offers farmers a full day to view the products and services of more than 100 exhibitors and a day of education. A free luncheon begins at noon for all peanut farmers in attendance and an opportunity for farmers to win more than $40,000 in door prizes. The Georgia Peanut Commission will present a short program beginning at 12:15 p.m. that will cover award presentations and other special recognitions.

The University of Georgia will present an educational peanut production seminar from 9:00 until 10:30 a.m.

An industry seed seminar will also be held from 10:35 to 11:35 a.m. during the show. This event is sponsored by the American Peanut Shellers Association Committee on Variety & Seed Development, Peanut Foundation,

P

Peanut farmers and those involved in the peanut industry will be able to learn more about the latest products, services and peanut research at the Georgia Peanut Farm Show set for Jan. 17, 2019, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center.

Southern Peanut Farmers Federation and the Georgia Peanut Commission. Growers will be able to learn about farm-saved seed, peanut varieties available for 2019 and varieties on the horizon.

Farmers will also have the opportunity to earn credit toward their private or commercial pesticide applicator certification.

The Georgia Peanut Commission, in cooperation with One Blood, will hold a blood drive from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center during the show.

For more information on the show, contact GPC at 229-386-3470 or online at www.gapeanuts.com. t

Georgia Young Peanut Farmer award nominations due Dec. 15 Nominations are now open for the Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer. The state winner will be announced during the Georgia Peanut Farm Show on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, in Tifton, Georgia. The award is sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) and BASF. The Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer Award is based upon the applicant’s overall farm operation; environmental and stewardship practices; and leadership, civic, church, and

community service activities.

“We have so many young peanut farmers making a difference in their communities and I consider this awards program a great opportunity to recognize one young peanut farmer for their contributions to the agricultural industry,” says Armond Morris, GPC chairman.

The award is open for any active Georgia peanut farmer who is not over 45 years of age, as of Jan. 17, 2019. An individual may receive the award only once. There is no limit on the number of

applicants from each county in Georgia.

Applications are due to the GPC office by Dec. 15, 2018. The application is available on the GPC website at gapeanuts.com or by calling the GPC office at 229-386-3470.

The award winner receives registration and hotel accommodations to attend the Southern Peanut Growers Conference in July 18-20, 2019, at the Edgewater Beach Resort, Panama City Beach, Florida, and a sign to display at his or her farm. t

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

5

Searching for the Ideal C

over crops are an integral part of Steven Godwin’s crop production practices.

Godwin, who farms near Jay, Florida, plants cover crops for his peanuts, cotton and other crops. He says the best decision he’s ever made for his farm was when he started planting cover crops.

By conserving soil moisture, cover crops help his dryland peanuts to grow.

He doesn’t have irrigation and says his investment in cover crops really pays off during dry years. At times, he’s able to use bottom plowing, cover crops and strip tillage planting—all in the same peanut field.

He typically grows about 400 acres of peanuts and 500 acres of cotton each year, and tries to get cover crops planted on all of this ground. His crop rotation system isn’t especially long. Mostly, he grows one year of peanuts followed by a year of cotton.

Over the years, he has tried several different cover crops and cover crop mixtures. One of Godwin’s best use of cover crops has come from blends of different types of covers.

The tricky part of growing blends of different cover crops is to use seeding

6

rates that allow each plant species to establish itself without one type of plant dominating and overwhelming the stand.

For instance, Godwin says that using too much rye seed will result in rye overcrowding the other plants in the cover crop mixture.

For instance, when he plants a mix of rye, wheat and oats, he limits the amount of rye seed to about 10 to 15 pounds per acre.

“If you use more than 20 pounds of rye seed in a cover crop blend, the rye will dominate and squeeze out the other cover crops,” Godwin says.

One of Godwin’s favorite cover crop seed blends includes 12 pounds of rye seed plus 10 pounds of clover seed per acre. He omits the clover if he will be planting the land to peanuts the following spring. But he says that clover is a good choice to include in a cover crop blend on land that will go into cotton.

Godwin says he’s still looking for an ideal seed blend to plant as a cover crop for peanuts. Generally, he plants either rye or oats, and mostly oats, as a cover for his peanut land.

Oats grown alone have emerged as one of his favorite cover crops before planting peanuts.

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

Steven Godwin, Jay, Fla., plants either rye or oats as a cover crop for his peanut land.

“I plant 120 pounds of oats per acre and add 30 units of nitrogen as a fertilizer for the oats,” he recalls. “I apply a small amount of fertilizer on all of my cover crops.”

He likes to fertilize his cover crops during February if they are growing on land that will be planted to peanuts.

Applying the fertilizer during February allows the cover crops to directly benefit, while the peanuts are able to utilize the residual nutrients. Also, he says the timing of this application minimizes the loss of fertilizer nutrients to leaching or runoff.

Another cover crop he has tested is called daikon radish. This plant is sometimes called tillage radish because it has been bred to produce thick long and deep roots.

While Godwin is still experimenting with daikon radish, he has seen some positive results. For instance, he says the radish cover crop left the ground mellow for planting. He wonders, however, if its roots grow deep enough to penetrate the soil hardpan.

When he plants radish alone as a

cover crop, he uses a seeding rate of 20 pounds per acre. When he added radish to one of his cover crop blends, he found that three to four pounds of seed per acre were inadequate, so he upped the radish seed component to six pounds per acre and obtained better radish stands. He was generally disappointed with the radish stands this past winter. He feels that cold weather may have hurt those radish stands.

So far, he has mainly planted the radish cover crop on land planted to soybeans and cotton the following year.

Getting a good, thick cover is important in reducing competition from winter weeds, according to Godwin. One of the worst winter weeds he faces is called annual bluegrass. Its scientific name is Poa annua.

“It is the first winter weed that comes up, usually before the first of the year,” he adds.

Cover crops also help to control some of his other weeds such as cutleaf evening primrose and wild radish.

“A thick cover also suppresses herbicide resistant pigweeds,” Godwin adds.

The cover crops he plants aren’t just for looks or for benefitting the springplanted crops that follow. Godwin is also able to graze beef cattle on some of his cover crops.

He says one of his best cover crop blends for grazing includes a blend of about 50 pounds of oats, 20 pounds of rye and 10 pounds of ryegrass per acre. He typically plants this blend on land following a harvest of peanuts that will be planted to cotton the following year.

Godwin plants the blend of oats, rye and ryegrass after growing peanuts and before growing cotton.

“I lean against including ryegrass before peanuts because ryegrass can harbor lesser cornstalk borers,” he says.

“Some people say that ryegrass is hard to kill, but I’ve had no issues with killing ryegrass if I use the full labeled rate of Roundup.”

For early grazing on land intended for cotton, he has planted a cover crop blend with high seeding rates—100 pounds of cereal rye, 100 pounds of oats, 20 pounds of ryegrass and 20 pounds of crimson clover per acre.

“If I can get this blend planted around the first of October, I’m able to turn cattle in to start grazing it around the

Getting a good, thick cover is important in reducing competition from winter weeds. One of the worst winter weeds Steven Godwin of Jay, Fla., faces is called annual bluegrass.

first of December,” he says. “I can graze it for a week in December and then graze it again for a week in January.”

He adds that he applies about 100 pounds of 30-0-30 fertilizer per acre to this early grazing cover crop blend.

And while planting in early October can provide good early grazing, Godwin warns that planting cover crops much earlier than that can result in production lost to armyworms before cattle have a chance to graze it.

He generally stops planting cover crops by January 10, and only plants later than that when he needs a quick stand of cover to prevent soil erosion.

“It doesn’t matter how you plant your cover crops as long as you get them planted,” Godwin says. He has had good results recently by planting cover crops with a 60-foot air boom spreader. This machine is an Air Max 180 mounted on a Challenger RoGator and is owned by a local dealer, Nutrien Ag Solutions of Jay, Florida.

“With this machine, we were able to get a good even spread of the seed blends, even when the wind was blowing 20 miles per hour,” Godwin recalls.

Godwin uses strip tillage to plant all of his peanuts and cotton. He says the next strip tillage rig he buys will probably come with a cover crop roller. He notes that a local Best Management Practices (BMP) cost sharing program is available that helps farmers in paying some of the expenses of investing in cover crop rollers. He designates one employee with the primary responsibility of planting the cover crops.

He also looks forward to trying out

some no-tillage cotton planting. This would be planting without subsoiling under the row.

“I want to try this out to see if the roots from my cover crops will be deep enough to penetrate the hard pans so that I could eliminate subsoiling,” Godwin says.

Godwin has also become an advocate of fall plowing for land he will plant to peanuts the following year. He notes, however, that weather prevented him from plowing much of his peanut land in the fall of 2017. When he’s able to plow, he usually does it during late October and early November.

Generally, he does the moldboard plowing and then plants his cover crops.

“We still see the benefits of plowing after ten years,” he says. Godwin uses a Deere 995 seven-bottom switch plow.

“We’re on a 10-year plowing rotation,” he explains. “So almost all of our land is plowed at least once every 10 years.”

He believes that plowing is responsible for increasing his peanut yields by 500 to 700 pounds per acre.

Deep turning also helps in controlling white mold in peanuts, according to Godwin. He says his father and grandfather controlled white mold by using bottom plowing, and he has seen tremendous reductions in white mold damage where he has been able to plow.

“Bottom plowing has allowed my dad to reduce his peanut fungicide applications from six to seven normally to only about four applications,” he adds. t

BY JOHN LEIDNER

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

7

Checkoff Report Investments Made by Growers for the Future of the Peanut Industry.

Banks and financial institutions celebrate peanuts during Georgia Peanut Bank Week The Georgia Peanut Commission and the Georgia Bankers Association joined forces Oct. 15-19, 2018, in an effort to promote Georgia’s peanut industry during the 42nd annual Georgia Peanut Bank Week. Financial institutions and local banks across the state offered a tribute to Georgia’s 4,500 peanut farm families and the sustainability they provide to Georgia’s state and local economies.

The 2018 theme, “Bank on Georgia Peanuts,” showcases the sustainability peanuts provide on and off the farm, as well as highlight the fact Georgia peanuts contribute more than $2 billion annually to the state’s economy; a contribution that helps maintain Georgia’s largest industry: agriculture.

Mississippi Peanut Growers Association donates CPR in Schools Training Kit The Mississippi Peanut Growers Association, as part of their partnership with the American Heart Association Gulf Coast Heart Walk, donated two CPR Kits to help train the next generation of lifesavers. The MPGA funded CPR in Schools Training Kits that will train D’Iberville Middle School and D’Iberville High School students and their families.

The kit was presented to the faculty and students in an assembly at the beginning of this school year. Malcolm Broome, executive director of MPGA, presented information on the heart healthy benefits of peanuts at the event and conducted media interviews with two television stations.

Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Unfortunately, only 41 percent of people who experience a cardiac arrest at home, work or in public get the immediate help they need before emergency services arrive. Because of the alarming statistics, the Mississippi legislature passed a bill requiring all Mississippi graduating seniors to receive hands-only CPR instruction. The donation from MPGA will provide the schools with resources that can assist in fulfilling the CPR graduation requirement.

“Nationally, each hour 38 people experience a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital setting and, tragically nine out of 10 will not survive,” says Christin LeBoeuf, American Heart Association regional vice president. “The simple act of learning CPR can transform health outcomes for our community. We are thankful for the support of Mississippi Peanut Growers.”

8

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

Georgia Peanut Commission promotes peanuts through sporting events across the state The Georgia Peanut Commission exhibited at the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff Game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Sept. 1, 2018. During the event, GPC promoted peanuts at Fans were able to sample peanut an exhibit in the Fan Zone products at the Georgia Peanut Commission exhibit in the Fan Zone twice reaching an at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. estimated 40,000 fans. In the exhibit, fans had the opportunity to sample roasted peanuts and snap a photo of themselves with the GPC Instagram photo board and post it on social media. Also, fans were able to play a game at the booth to win a number of peanut promotional items ranging from koozies to peanut stress balls and Crazy Richards peanut powder.

To further the promotion, GPC designed a full-page ad in the game program and promoted peanuts through the videoboard and LED ribbon board throughout the game, which had an attendance of 70,103 fans. Prior to the event, GPC was listed as an official sponsor on the game website.

Throughout the fall, the Georgia Peanut Commission Fans were also able to snap sponsored peanut promotional a photo with the Georgia advertisements with the Atlanta Peanut Instagram sign.

Braves baseball and the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech football.

Thirty-second and 10-second promotional messages aired on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network through 680 The Fan, which has approximately 3.5 million listeners per week throughout the Southeast from July to October.

Also, a 30-second promotional message airs during the UGA and Georgia Tech football season through IMG, where up to 56 radio affiliates broadcast the message.

The commission is also promoting peanuts in the Statesboro area on the campus of Georgia Southern through radio ads, website and in-game promotions on the video board and a tailgate for their Ag Day event prior to the Nov. 10 football game.

Promotions at a variety of sporting events continues to help spread the powerful peanut message.

Reports from the: Alabama Peanut Producers Association Florida Peanut Producers Association Georgia Peanut Commission Mississippi Peanut Growers Association

Alabama Peanut Producers Association grills up PB&Js at Alabama Farm and Land Expo The smell of grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches filled the Renaissance Montgomery and Convention Center on August 4, 2018, at the Alabama Farm & Land Expo.

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association was on hand to sample the popular sandwiches to approximately 400 attendees, who also picked up peanut butter spreaders, peanuts, and recipes. The event is hosted by the Alabama Farmers Federation and held in conjunction with the Commodity Producers Conference.

Pictured right: Caleb Bristow, APPA executive director, and Donna Sanders, wife of APPA president, Carl Sanders, serve grilled PB&J’s at the Alabama Farm & Land Expo.

Peanut Research highlighted at Field Day across the Southeast Late summer brought many farmers together at a variety of field days across the Southeast to learn more about current research being conducted by researchers and extension specialists at Auburn University, University of Florida and University of Georgia. Farmers and ag industry professionals were able to attend field days ranging from the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center’s 89th Crops Field Day to the Florida Peanut Field Day, as Jimmy Royce Helms (right), and his son, Wade, look at the peanut variety well as the University of Georgia Cotton and trials during the Wiregrass Crops Field Peanut Field Day. The researchers highlighted some Day in Headland, Ala. of their research projects ranging from variety trials to new information on weeds, insects, and diseases. Research funding is one way the state checkoff organizations including the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Florida Peanut Producers Association, Georgia Peanut Commission and Mississippi Peanut Growers Association helps peanut farmers in their respective state.

Florida peanuts promoted at Florida School Nutrition Association Annual Conference The Florida Peanut Producers Association provided the latest on peanut allergies and nutrition information during exhibit hours at the Florida School Nutrition Association Annual Conference and Expo in Kissimmee, Florida, Oct. 4-6, 2018. Through the exhibit, FPPA staff distributed peanut samples and answered many questions about peanut allergies. By exhibiting, FPPA was able to connect with professionals from the Florida School Nutrition Association in attendance and update them on the latest in nutrition research and early introduction of peanut products to help prevent allergies.

Pictured right: Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association executive director, visits with school nutrition directors during the Florida School Nutrition Association annual meeting.

Florida Peanut Producers Assocation announces scholarship winners The Florida Peanut Producers Association recently announced the 2018 scholarship winners. Two scholarships are awarded to Nathalie Yoder, Altha, Florida, and Jerry Mills III, Morriston, Florida.

Yoder is a third generation farm and ranch kid. She was very active in 4-H during high school, mainly with livestock judging and showing cattle.

Yoder says some of her earliest and best memories are on a peanut picker with her dad. She began really helping in the field at fourteen years old.

Yoder is working on her associates degree at Chipola College and then plans to transfer to the University of Florida to obtain a bachelors degree in Food and Resource Economics. She is hopeful to be able to help the farming community right here in the panhandle when she completes her education.

Jerry Mills III is attending Santa Fe College in Gainesville and will transfer to the University of Florida to finish his studies. His plans are to earn a degree in plant and crop science and feels confident that he will return to Levy County to help area farmers produce better crops as efficiently as current technology will allow.

While growing up in Morriston, Florida, Mills has taken an active role on the family farm and also has his own heard of cattle. He raises, breaks and trains calves from his herd for show calves and sells to youth in the area. His long term goal is to have his own farm growing peanuts, watermelons and raising cattle.

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

9

Foes on the Field Partners in Research

T

he fall brings football and full bragging rights for the winning team. Across the Southeast college fans swear their allegiance to one team and proudly wear their team’s official colors.

Even as foes on the football field, farmers and researchers come together as partners in research when it comes to peanuts.

Since 2001, Southeastern researchers have joined together to submit research proposals where scientists from universities across state lines work together on identifying potential projects that will benefit the farmer. The first set of grants approved for research totaled more than $1 million. The funding is derived from the National Peanut Board.

Although, the funding comes from NPB, the checkoff organizations in Alabama, Florida and Georgia thought it was best to consolidate the money through the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative. The joint projects have been a benefit to researchers as well as farmers.

“SPRI funding is important to state grower associations since it provides more research dollars to each state and allows the states to extend current

10

projects or fund new, worthy projects,” says Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association executive director.

By coordinating the research projects, the review team is able to maximize the use of research projects and prevent duplication of projects in each state.

“It also allows for the replication of projects on research and education centers throughout the Southeast,” Barton says.

One long-time example of the research partnerships can be found through joint projects with United States Department of Agriculture Peanut Research Lab, University of Georgia and University of Florida. Diane Rowland, University of Florida, professor of physiology and associate chair of agronomy, knows first-hand the benefits.

She credits former research leader at USDA’s National Peanut Research Leader Paul Blankenship who showed by example how to work with university collaborators throughout the Southeast and Southwest.

“The first research project I planned was a survey of the carbon isotope signatures of peanut cultivars and breeding lines throughout the U.S. to

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

evaluate water-use efficiency,” Rowland says. “Paul encouraged this work in many ways and helped make the connections with University researchers since I was new to peanut research at that time. This brought really valuable and lasting collaborations with researchers throughout the peanut belt in the U.S. and really launched my collaborations that have lasted many years.”

In 2008, Scott Tubbs, research agronomist with the University of Georgia began his collaborations with other Southeast research institutions through SPRI funding. According to Tubbs, research requires repeatability to be credible in the scientific community.

“The research process is not truly complete until data has been analyzed, interpreted and reviewed by other scientists to confirm that the work was accomplished with appropriate methods and that interpretations match what the data reflects,” Tubbs says. “Doing collaborative research in multiple locations with other scientists that have expertise in different disciplines increases the likelihood of publication, expands the area of reach for the research if similar

results can be gained in multiple locations, and the experience of difference research disciplines allows additional opportunities for data collection to pinpoint the exact causes of treatment differences and eliminate potential sources of error.”

Another bonus of the joint research partnerships is seed money to use as a start up for a variety of projects.

“The funds received have been really helpful with providing funds we need to conduct studies throughout the state of Alabama,” says Austin Hagan, plant pathologist at Auburn University. “The funding serves as seed money which allows us to generate data in order to receive other funding sources and grants.”

The Peanut Rx Program is one major cross-state project Hagan has worked on for a number of years. Researchers in Georgia, Florida and Alabama conduct various research trials focusing on varieties, rotation, seeding rate studies and more that provide supporting data to validate aspects of the Peanut Rx Program. According to Hagan, the multistate projects and coordination efforts help to validate the data and provide a stronger set of recommendations for farmers.

Until recently, the majority of the collaboration came from land-grant universities and USDA. About three years ago, Georgia Tech expressed an interest in peanut research and has since joined the collaboration on a variety of projects.

Wayne Daley, associate division chief and principal research engineer with Georgia Tech’s Agricultural Technology Research Program, became interested in research with peanuts after some of his work focusing on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in peppers and peaches. He is currently working on research projects with the University of Georgia and University of Florida.

“Through the research we can have a better understanding of the biological processes from an engineering standpoint,” Daley says. “In turn, this helps us apply different solutions to the program from an engineering perspective.”

The specific research project Daley is working on with colleagues is sensing drought stress in a peanut plant. Usually, drought stress in a plant is often assessed through indirect measurements, most frequently utilizing soil moisture. In this

Researchers with the University of Georgia Extension, Crop and Soil Sciences Department and the College of Engineering are working together to review the way farmers determine peanut maturity by using the Peanut Profile Board or using a smartphone-based application in the future to determine peanut maturity.

research project, Daley uses VOCs that are released from the plant canopy in gas form. This information can indicate a host of stresses, including feeding from insects, drought stress and even aflatoxin formation.

Through three years of collaborative research, Daley has learned that average VOC signatures do differ among peanut plants under differential levels of water deficit stress. This information could be helpful in managing drought and aflatoxin formation in peanut production.

In addition to Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia College of Engineering has begun to look at ways they can assist farmers through a research project aimed at developing a smartphone-based application to determine peanut maturity. Even though their research project is not part of the SPRI research projects, they are still collaborating with the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Peanut Team members and Extension agents. Their research project is funded directly from the Georgia Peanut Commission.

The collaborators have been working this fall by obtaining samples, photos and redefining the App in order to make it an easy-to-use tool for peanut growers. If successful, the App will be made

available to growers at no cost through Google Play and Apple App stores.

Collaboration also includes support from a variety of organizations and private businesses as well. One example is the Grading Equipment Modernization Initiative which includes support from the Georgia Federal-State Inspection Service, UGA, USDA, LMC and Georgia Tech.

This project is exploring methods to automate the grading systems by developing a vision system to detect damage and then updating the automation and separation. Each collaborator is working on an individual part of the process that will be combined together for a more modern grading system for peanuts.

Collaboration is the key for advancements in research as funding decreases across the United States. The collaboration helps to prevent duplication of research and allows for replication of projects among states that ultimately benefit farmers.

“With decreasing support in agricultural research funding on a national scale, it can be scary to think about how researchers can stay ahead of issues when there are fewer scientists to address an increasing number of threats and issues facing farmers,” Tubbs says. t

BY JOY CROSBY

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

11

Peanuts to Portland Peanut Leadership Academy Graduates Class X wenty-two peanut farmers and sheller representatives from across the peanut belt graduated from Class X of the Peanut Leadership Academy July 31, 2018, in Portland, Oregon. The graduating class consisted of growers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and new this year, South Carolina. The class also included representatives from three sheller organizations in the industry. This was the largest class to graduate from the PLA program in its 20-year existence.

During the three-day graduation session, class participants and their spouses had the opportunity to step out of their familiar farming areas and learn about agriculture in the Northwest – specifically in the state of Oregon.

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the state’s top 10 commodities in 2017 included: greenhouse and nursery, cattle and calves, hay, milk, grass seed, wheat, potatoes, pears, grapes for wine and blueberries.

The PLA class began their visit with a stop at Woodburn Nursery and Azaleas.

This multigenerational operation began more than 50 years ago and includes approximately 500 acres of nursery and 2,500 acres of grass seed production. The operation is also diversified by including production of broccoli, cauliflower, onions, green beans, sweet corn, peas, hazelnuts and blueberries. On the nursery side of the business, Woodburn’s target customer includes growers, retail garden centers and landscape contractors. Plants are shipped all over the country from locally in Oregon to the Southeast and Gulf Coast. The Schipka Laurel is the No. 1 plant Woodburn Nursery and Azaleas sells.

Participants then traveled to the Willamette Valley to learn about hops.

Oregon is the second largest hop-producing state in the country and grows the majority of its crop in the valley, which is located between the Coast Range and

T

12

Peanut Leadership Academy graduates pictured in front of Mt. Hood at Kiyokawa Orchards.

Cascade Mountains. During the visit, participants heard from the Oregon Hop Commission, enjoyed lunch at a local microbrewery and toured two hop farms, B&D Farms and Crosby Hop Farm. Both farms are some of the largest in the valley and grow hops for local distribution, as well as for brewers across the country.

B&D Farms has also created its first on-farm, craft brewery, Trellis Brewing Company.

The final day of touring was spent traveling east of Portland to the Hood River Valley. This particular area is known for its production of fruit such as berries, pears, apples and cherries.

PLA participants visited Sturms Berry Farm where red raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, marion berries, boysenberries, blueberries and strawberries are grown. The farm also grows hemp for CBD oil and participates in the Oregon Berry Bee Project, where they are working to grow the population of bee pollinators needed for berry production.

After visiting Sturms the class traveled to two family-owned pear orchards, where they were able to see

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

Bartlett and Anjou pear varieties. They also were able to see and pick fresh cherries at Kiyokawa Family Orchards. At both orchards, they were able to learn more about the farmers by hearing their story, production practices and challenges they face in agriculture.

To conclude the day, the class visited Hood River Juice Company, where apple juice, cider and other products are produced with local Oregon fruit and distributed across the country.

The Peanut Leadership Academy is a cooperative effort between Syngenta Crop Protection, the American Peanut Shellers Association and grower organizations.

The program began in 1998 with the first class of 14 peanut growers from Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Since then, the academy has continued to grow to include growers from Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and sheller representatives.

Kyle Hord, a representative with Golden Peanut & Tree Nuts in Levelland, Texas, believes the experiences gained and relationships formed in the PLA will be beneficial to the overall peanut industry.

“The Peanut Leadership Academy not only builds personal leadership and knowledge, but is strengthening the voice of the younger generation of farmers and peanut leaders,” Hord says. “Each member of the Peanut Leadership Academy class gains a better understanding of the similarities and struggles of farmers and industry across the United States peanut belt; I am already seeing the impact this program has made in several communities.”

Activities in the leadership program are structured to give participants a thorough understanding of the U.S. peanut industry. The leadership sessions range from industry tours, meetings with industry leaders and professional development training. Each class has one leadership session in Washington, D.C. where class members have an opportunity to visit with members of Congress about issues affecting the peanut industry.

South Carolina farmer, Wesley Crider, is one of the first growers from his state to participate in the program and learned more about how the peanut industry works and cultivated relationships with growers across the U.S.

Peanut Leadership Academy Class X Alabama:

South Carolina:

Nathan Bartl, Lillian Josh McCoy, Midland City Jeremie Redden, Seale

Wesley Crider, Bamburg Antron Williams, Rowesville

Texas:

Florida: Blaire Colvin, Citra Ryan Jenkins, Pace

Georgia: Casey Cox, Camilla Douglas Harrell, Whigham Jan Jones, Climax Jonathan Mann, Surrency Adam McLendon, Leary Jason Sauls, Shellman

North Carolina:

Mason Becker, Brownfield Eddie Bergen, Seminole Michael Newhouse, Clarendon

Virginia: Paul Rogers, Wakefield

Sheller Representatives: Kyle Hord, Golden Peanut & Tree Nuts David Rushing, Birdsong Peanuts Marshall Spivey, Premium Peanut, LLC Russ Williams, Birdsong Peanuts

Zach Morris, Colerain

“By being with other peanut farmers across the country, we were able to talk about different methods we all use,” Crider says. “It was a wonderful opportunity to collaborate together and it truly opened my world up in the sense we can continually strive to improve, and we don’t have to keep doing things the way we’ve always done them just because it’s what we’ve always done.”

For many, the time commitment for

the program is less than appealing. To that, Crider added, “Often as farmers, we get caught up feeling like we can’t take the time to do these things, but you can; this is worth it.”

For more information on the Peanut Leadership Academy, visit the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation website at southernpeanutfarmers.org. Class XI of the program is scheduled to begin in December 2018. t

BY JESSIE BLAND

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

13

High yielding Georgia farms recognized hree Georgia peanut farms have been recognized by the Georgia Peanut Achievement Club as state winners for producing the highest peanut yields in the state during the 2017 growing season.

The award ceremony recognizing the 2017 high yielding producers was held recently at Jekyll Island, Georgia. The Georgia Peanut Achievement Club is sponsored by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, Bayer Crop Science, BASF Crop Protection, Amvac Chemical Company, the American Peanut Shellers Association, the Georgia Peanut Commission and the National Peanut Buying Points Association.

Matt Bryan of Faith Farms in Baker County, Georgia, was recognized for the second consecutive year for producing the highest yields in Georgia. Bryan and his Faith Farms produced peanuts yielding 6,892 pounds per acre from 228 acres in 2017. This earned Bryan and Faith Farms recognition as the state yield winner in the 100 to 299 acre category.

In the 300 to 699 acre category, the Chloe M. Rentz farm of Baker County was named the state yield winner for producing 6,865 pounds per acre from 324 acres in 2017.

Chloe Rentz was unable to attend the Peanut Achievement Club meeting at Jekyll Island. The award was accepted on her behalf by Robbie Tabb who works as a cotton seed sales representative and also works occasionally on the Rentz farm.

Tabb says the Rentz family has been farming for about 35 years, and are known for being timely in their production practices such as planting and fungicide application.

The 4 Miller Farms of Seminole County was also a state winner for the Peanut Achievement Club in the category with more than 700 acres of peanuts. A member of the Peanut Achievement Club

14

Photo credit: Clint Thompson, University of Georgia.

T

2017 Georgia Peanut Achievement Club winners. First row pictured left to right, Chip Dorminy, Irwin County; Daniel Newberry, Jefferson County; Scott Moore, Dooly County; Colby Cromley, Bulloch County; Hal Cromley, Bulloch County; Robert Davison, Brooks County and David Cromley, Bulloch County. Second row pictured left to right: Kerry Hodges, Screven County; Eddie Miller Jr., Seminole County; Jerry Heard Jr., Baker County. Third row pictured left to right: John Gaines Jr., Baker County; Donald Chase, Macon County; Bucky Tyler, Irwin County; Robbie Tabb on behalf of Chloe Rentz Farm, Baker County.

for many years, 4 Miller Farms produced 6,674 pounds of peanuts per acre from 931 acres in 2017.

Bryan was also recognized for producing the highest yield in the state during the 2016 growing season. That year, his peanuts produced an average yield of 7,105 pounds per acre. He almost reached 7,000 pounds per acre with his 2015 crop. Bryan says he produced his first 7,000-pound yields during 2009 or 2010.

“That was either the first or second year that I started growing Georgia-06G variety,” he recalls. “That was also the first year I saw Valor injury on my peanuts, but they recovered.”

Given the normal useful life of a peanut variety, it’s about time for 06G to be replaced, according to Bryan.

“I’m fine with continuing to grow 06G, but I’m also looking for a new

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

variety,” he says. He has evaluated Georgia-12Y and likes its white mold resistance, but he says 12Y produces rank vines and takes longer to mature. “We really need a 135-day variety, and 12Y is longer,” he adds.

For his disease control program, Bryan relies on Velum Total, Proline and Propulse. He says Proline is good for controlling white mold and Rhizoctonia limb rot, and for suppressing Cylindrocladium black rot (CBR). CBR has not been a problem for Bryan in recent years, but it has been a major challenge in the past.

In addition, Bryan uses Bravo for leaf spot control, along with additional white mold fungicides such as Provost, Folicur and Elatus. In all, he used a total of seven fungicide applications during 2017.

Bryan also has conducted his own on-farm tests using Velum Total and

Velum Total plus Propulse. While the Velum Total produced an extra 200 to 300 pounds per acre, the Velum Total plus Propulse increased his yields by 700 pounds per acre.

He uses an in-furrow application for the Velum Total, while Proline is applied at 35 days after planting and Propulse goes out at 55 days after planting. Bryan says it is important for Propulse to be watered into the soil.

“Propulse is also labeled for use with chemigation,” he adds.

Velum Total followed by Propulse also provides good nematode control, and Bryan says these products are easier to apply than a Temik-based nematode control program.

Bryan’s other production practices included conventional land preparation with a disk harrow, bottom plow and field cultivator. His weed control program featured Sonalan and Valor followed by Cadre and 2,4-DB at 35 days after planting. He applied landplaster as a source of calcium during the growing season and he used a bacterial seed inoculant to make sure the peanut plants would not suffer from a lack of nitrogen.

He also applied a total of eight inches of irrigation water per acre to his 2017 peanuts.

Land preparation at 4 Miller Farms for the 2017 crop included three trips with a disk harrow followed by bottom plowing, another harrowing and then using a bedder. Georgia-06G was the high yielding variety planted at 4 Miller Farms.

Eddie Miller, Jr., says the farm has been successfully saving and planting home-grown peanut seed.

“We also conduct vigor tests on our seed,” Miller adds.

In addition, the seed on this farm receives a treatment from the TagTeam rhizobia bacterial inoculant. The 2017 peanuts at 4 Miller Farms benefitted from a 4-14-14 fertilizer application along with both lime and landplaster.

During the 2018 growing season, Miller said frequent rains forced his farm to tighten up fungicide spray applications.

This has included using aerial application for the fungicides, though Miller feels he gets better coverage by applying the fungicides using a ground rig. He feels fortunate that his farm hasn’t had to use back-to-back aerial applications on the peanuts this year.

The herbicides Sonolan, Strongarm,

2017 Georgia Peanut Achievement Club State Winners Name

County

Acreage Category

Yield

Faith Farms (Matt Bryan)

Baker

100 to 299

6,892

Chloe Rentz

Baker

300 to 699

6,865

4 Miller Farms

Seminole

700+

6,674

Hillside Farms (Mike Newberry)

Early

100 to 299

6,718

Chase Farms

Macon

300 to 699

6,432

Jimmy Webb

Calhoun

700+

5,821

John Gaines Jr.

Baker

100 to 299

6,839

Jerry Jr. and Jeff Heard Farms

Baker

700+

5,859

Daniel Newberry

Jefferson

100 to 299

6,473

C&S Farms, Scott Moore

Dooly

300 to 699

6,473

Kerry & Lisa Hodges

Screven

700+

5,893

Bucky Tyler

Irwin

100 to 299

5,976

Robert Davison

Brooks

300 to 699

5,605

Chip Dorminy

Irwin

300 to 699

5,633

Nellwood Farms/Hal Cromley

Bulloch

700+

5,813

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

Valor and Cadre provide peanut weed control at 4 Miller Farms.

“We like to spray Cadre 35 days after planting, but this year we didn’t get it applied until 45 days after planting,” Miller explains. “Even though we were a little late with Cadre this year, our crop looks decent and we don’t have any excessive weed problems. I do hope the rain tapers off as we get closer to harvest this fall.”

For nematode control on the high yielding 2017 crop, 4 Miller Farms relied on Telone II. Thimet was used to control thrips and Lorsban was applied for soil insect control. The insecticides Steward, Karate-Z and Prevathon were applied for foliar insect control.

The 06G variety was the peanut of choice for the Chloe M. Rentz farm as

well. For its high yielding 2017 crop, the 06G was planted May 10-15 in twin rows using a total of seven seed per foot of row. The farm used landplaster and a seed inoculant but no lime or fertilizer were applied directly to the peanuts.

The Chloe M. Rentz farm applied Velum Total in-furrow for nematode control followed by an application of Propulse at 60 days after planting. The farm used acephate (often sold as Orthene) as an insecticide to control thrips and the farm needed no insecticide for either soil or foliar insect pests. Weed control consisted of the Prowl, Valor and Cadre herbicides. Disease control was also provided by the Provost, Propulse, Bravo-Folicur and Proline fungicides in a total of seven applications. t

BY JOHN LEIDNER

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

15

Two peanut farmers are Farmer of the Year Finalists wo peanut farmers are normally used for single row planting. He the Mississippi Peanut Growers among the ten state winners has been planting cover crops since 2001 Association. of the 2018 Swisher or 2002, and has been using strip tillage Rogers has been a longtime peanut Sweets/Sunbelt Expo planting since about 2004. grower and in his spare time he has been Southeastern Farmer of the Year a youth league and high school award. They are Lonnie Fortner of baseball coach. His peanut yields last Port Gibson, Mississippi, and Paul year yielded 5,136 pounds per acre Rogers, Jr., of Wakefield, Virginia. from 159 acres. He is able to irrigate Fortner started his farming career about 25 percent of his annual peanut as a farm manager with Rock Lake acreage. He attributes his good yields Planting Company, then was named a to crop rotation and conservation partner and eventually managing tillage planting. partner of the farm. He recently Rogers has been planting mostly branched out on his own as owner and the Bailey and Sullivan varieties of operator of Bayou Pierre Farms.

Virginia type peanuts. He raises some After the peanut quota program peanuts for seed, and markets most of was eliminated, Fortner recalls the rest of his peanuts through becoming one of the first farms to Wakefield Peanut Company and the grow peanuts in east central Peanut Growers Cooperative Mississippi. In addition to peanuts, he Marketing Association. Rogers is paid grows cotton, corn and soybeans. His higher prices for producing Extra peanuts last year yielded 4,798 pounds Large Kernels (ELK’s) and Fancy per acre from about 400 acres. He kernels.

2018 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer grows peanuts on contract for Golden of the Year state finalists Lonnie Fortner (left) from He says the loss of the peanut Peanut and Tree Nuts. quota program was a blessing to his Mississippi and Paul Rogers Jr. from Virginia were Fortner grows his peanuts in twin recognized during the 2018 Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie, Ga. farm because it allowed him to use rows, and he believes that twin row longer crop rotations that resulted in production results in yields that are 500 Fortner uses strip tillage and plants higher yields. “I’m making more peanuts to 600 pounds per acre more than if he peanuts into rye cover crops. So far, he on less land,” says Rogers. Some of his planted in single rows. says, he has escaped damage from peanuts are on a six-year rotation, and Though he now uses a twin row burrowing bugs. Entomologists report that most are planted after four or five years planter, he remembers first planting twin burrowing bugs tend to be worse in out of peanuts. rows by making two planting trips over peanuts that are planted into cover crops.

While most peanuts grown in his the field pulling a planter that was He also uses RTK-based precision community are Virginia types, Rogers guidance, and says this technology says a small amount of runner peanuts are especially pays off when digging peanuts. being grown in Virginia.

2018 Swisher Sweets Sunbelt Ag Expo Like many farmers in the Southeast, Much of the peanut research in Farmer of the Year State Finalists Fortner has been growing the popular Virginia takes place at the Tidewater Georgia-06G variety. However, Fortner Agricultural Research and Extension Alabama – John DeLoach III points out that weather during late Center in Suffolk, Virgina. Rogers chairs Arkansas – Luke Alston October and early November can keep an advisory board for this Center. Rogers farmers from their peanut fields. That’s has also been a board member of the Florida – Lynetta Usher Griner why he has also been planting a small Peanut Growers Cooperative Marketing Georgia – James Vaughn portion of his peanut crop, about 100 Association. He also serves the peanut Kentucky – Darren Luttrell acres or so, to early maturing varieties industry as a member of the National Mississippi – Lonnie Fortner such as AT 215.

Peanut Standards Board. This board North Carolina – Howard Brown Fortner also serves the peanut advises USDA on peanut quality and Tennessee – John Verell III industry by chairing the Mississippi handling standards. His conservation Virginia – Paul Rogers Jr. Peanut Promotion Board, by serving as efforts have also been recognized by the Mississippi’s alternate member of the Peanut Soil and Water Conservation Overall winner - Kevin Yon National Peanut Board and by serving as District. t South Carolina a board member and as vice president of

BY JOHN LEIDNER

T

16

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

2018 Southern Peanut Growers Conference 018 marked the 20th annual year for the Southern Peanut Growers Conference held July 19-21 at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Florida. This year’s theme was “Opportunities in Change.” General sessions during the three-day conference provided farmers with information on making an impact through promotional efforts, rural development opportunities, production practices, broadening the land grant mission and an overview of what’s needed in the new farm bill.

During the awards breakfast on Friday morning, Valent U.S.A. LLC presented the annual Valor award to J. Frank McGill, retired University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist. McGill worked from 1954-1982 and was a member of the peanut team that developed a multi-discipline “package approach” for peanut production in Don Koehler (left), Georgia Peanut Georgia.

Commission executive director, Known as “Mr. Peanut,” McGill served presents J. Frank McGill with the as president of the American Peanut 2018 Valor Award sponsored by Research and Education Society; chairman Valent U.S.A. LLC. of the University of Georgia Agronomists, the U.S. Task Force on Peanut Policy and the U.S. Peanut Improvement Working Group. He was technical advisor to the Georgia Peanut Commission, U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, National Peanut Council and National Peanut Growers Group. He traveled to 21 foreign countries as a peanut consultant.

Three farm families were also recognized during the conference with the annual Peanut Efficiency Awards, which are sponsored by Farm Press. With three uniquely different production regimes — from a “topographically challenging” dryland system, to one with a limited water irrigation regime concentrating on high-value acreage, to a soil and climate ideally suited to peanuts — the 2018 Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Award winners demonstrate the importance of adapting management to available resources.

The Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Award each year Winners of the 2018 Peanut Efficiency recognizes three growers who Awards were honored at the Southern produce high yields at the lowest Peanut Growers Conference. Pictured left to cost per acre in Southeast and right are Ron Smith, Farm Press; Upper Southeast Region winner Atwood “At” Southwest regions. The 2018 McIntosh, S.C.; Lower Southeast Region winners are Upper Southeast Region winner Jimmy Miller, Ala.; Southwest Region - Atwood “At” McIntosh, winner Mason Becker, Texas; and Marshall Williamsburg County, South Lamb, National Peanut Research Lab. Carolina; Lower Southeast Region Jimmy Miller, Snead, Alabama and Southwest Region - Mason Becker, Terry County, Texas.

Highlights of the conference including photos, presentations and speaker interviews are all available on the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation website at southernpeanutfarmers.org. t

BY JOY CROSBY

2

18

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

Thanks to the 2018 Conference Sponsors Syngenta Bayer CropScience BASF National Peanut Board Corteva Agriscience Farm Press Ag Leader Technology Birdsong Peanuts Colombo NA FMC Corporation AgGeorgia Farm Credit AgSouth Farm Credit Farm Credit of Florida Farm Credit of Northwest Florida First South Farm Credit Southwest Georgia Farm Credit Golden Peanut & Tree Nuts John Deere SunSouth LLC Kelley Manufacturing Co. LMC NewLeaf Symbiotics UPI Valent U.S.A. LLC Vantage South Vantage Southeast Amadas Industries Olam Specialty Sales Co. Southeastern Peanut Farmer The Peanut Grower AMVAC Chemical Early Trucking Company Alabama Ag Credit Alabama Farmers Federation AmTrust Agriculture Insurance Serv.

Georgia Farm Bureau Georgia Federal-State Inspection Service LMC Ag Monsanto BioAg Nachurs-Alpine Solutions National Peanut Buying Points Assn.

Premium Peanut LLC Verdesian Life Sciences VICAM, A Waters Business Visjon Biologics Nichino America, Inc. United Bank InformedAg LLC Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC Rabo AgriFinance Sessions Co. Inc. Southern Ag Carriers The KBH Corporation

2018 Georgia Peanut Tour showcases Southeast Georgia he thirty-second annual Georgia Peanut Tour was held Sept. 18-20, 2018, and based out of Savannah, Georgia. Each year, the tour provides attendees the most up-to-date information on peanuts by showcasing a broad view of the industry through farm visits, processing and handling, as well as research facilities in the state. For 2018, tour stops were made in Bulloch, Burke, Chatham, Emanuel and Screven Counties.

Tour attendees began day one with a Hot Topics session highlighting an update on the 2018 crop update, farm bill update and a focus on international activities within the peanut industry. During the remainder of the tour, attendees were able to see nearly every aspect of peanut production in the state.

Tour stops were made at local peanut farms in Sylvania, Brooklet and Twin City, Tillman & Deal Peanut Buying Point in Statesboro, the Georgia Port Authority in Savannah and the University of Georgia’s Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center in Midville.

The tour offered some Southern highlights with dinner at Old Fort Jackson and the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens at the Historic Bamboo Farm in Savannah, Georgia.

T

Tour attendees were able to view peanut harvest up close at the farm of Lee and Charley Cromley, Brooklet, Ga., during the Georgia Peanut Tour held Sept. 18-20, 2018.

A popular highlight of the tour every year includes seeing peanut harvest. This year attendees were able to see both digging and picking of peanuts on the farm. Farmers Joe and Knapp Boddiford of Screven County, Charley and Lee Cromley of Bulloch County, Carl and Clay Hood of Emanuel County welcomed

2018 Georgia Peanut Tour Sponsors Platinum Sponsors American Peanut Shellers Assn.

Bayer CropScience Concept Ag LLC Corteva Agriscience Georgia Organics Golden Peanut & Tree Nuts Nichino America Silver Sponsors Farm Credit Associations of Georgia Georgia Federal State Inspection Service Nolin Steel Southeastern Peanut Farmer UGA Innovation Gateway

Bronze Sponsors Agri Supply National Peanut Buying Points Assn.

Olam Edible Nuts The Peanut Grower Verdesian Life Sciences Supporter Sponsors AgSouth Farm Credit John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. Mars Chocolate North America Little Debbie Snyder’s Lance The Hershey Company

tour attendees to their farms and showcased peanut digging and picking.

Attendees were also able to learn more about organic peanut production by visiting the farm of Al Clark in Emanuel County.

Each farm visit offered attendees the opportunity to view the similarities and differences among peanut fields, farming practices ranging from conservation tillage practices as well as irrigated and dryland fields.

The Georgia Peanut Commission, University of Georgia-Tifton Campus and Griffin Campus, Southwest Research and Education Center, Attapulgus Research and Education Center and the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Peanut Research Lab coordinate the tour.

The 2018 tour included 199 industry representatives from 20 states and four countries including Bangladesh, India, Malawi and China.

To learn more about the 2018 tour stops, visit the tour blog online at georgiapeanuttour.com. t

BY JOY CROSBY

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

19

Washington Outlook

by Robert L. Redding Jr.

2018 Farm Bill Update

USDA Tariff Mitigation

Conferees for both the U.S. House and Senate have been named and negotiations are occurring relative to the 2018 Farm Bill. Nine U.S. Senators have been named to the conference committee and forty-seven House members.

Georgia has three members of the conference committee including Congressmen Austin Scott, R-Georgia, Rick Allen, R-Georgia, and David Scott, D-Georgia. Additional members from the Southeast include Congressman Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, Congressman Ted Yoho, R-Florida, and Congressman Neal Dunn, R-Florida.

Although the initial meeting included all members of the conference committee, the “Big Four”, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, are meeting frequently in person and by phone. Important to note is that both ag committee staffs have been meeting for some time to try and find common ground on all the titles of the farm bill.

The U.S. House of Representatives is out of session until after the elections, returning on November 13 for the Lame Duck session. The Senate is in session during October.

Congress has been inclined not to pass an extension of the 2014 Farm Bill anticipating passage of the 2018 Farm Bill during the Lame Duck. If passage of the 2018 Bill does not occur during the Lame Duck session, Congress will have to pass an extension in order to protect programs for the 2019 crop year.

The November elections could also impact farm bill progress. There is a twenty-three seat margin for republicans in the House and a one vote margin for republicans in the Senate.

If either body flips, the process could change.

In response to China’s tariffs placed on U.S. agricultural exports, the Administration has begun a tariff mitigation program.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced several actions to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation. President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a short-term relief strategy to protect agricultural producers while the Administration works on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals to open more markets in the long run to help American farmers compete globally. Specifically, USDA will authorize up to $12 billion in programs, which is in line with the estimated $11 billion impact of the unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods. These programs will assist agricultural producers to meet the costs of disrupted markets.

“This is a short-term solution to allow President Trump time to work on long-term trade deals to benefit agriculture and the entire U.S. economy,” Secretary Perdue says. “The President promised to have the back of every American farmer and rancher, and he knows the importance of keeping our rural economy strong. Unfortunately, America’s hard-working agricultural producers have been treated unfairly by China’s illegal trading practices and have taken a disproportionate hit when it comes to illegal retaliatory tariffs. USDA will not stand by while our hard-working agricultural producers bear the brunt of unfriendly tariffs enacted by foreign nations. The programs we are announcing help ensure our nation’s agriculture continues to feed the world and innovate to meet the demand.”

USDA will use the following programs to assist farmers: • The Market Facilitation Program, authorized under The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and administered by Farm Service Agency (FSA), will provide payments incrementally to producers of soybeans, sorghum, corn, wheat, cotton, dairy, and hogs. This support will help farmers manage disrupted markets, deal with surplus commodities, and expand and develop new markets at home and abroad.

• Additionally, USDA will use CCC Charter Act and other authorities to implement a Food Purchase and Distribution Program through the Agricultural Marketing Service to purchase unexpected surplus of affected commodities such as fruits, nuts, rice, legumes, beef, pork and milk for distribution to food banks and other nutrition programs.

• Finally, the CCC will use its Charter Act authority for a Trade Promotion Program administered by the Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) in conjunction with the private sector to assist in developing new export markets for our farm products.

Peanuts have been approved for participation in the Food Purchase and Distribution Program and the Trade Promotion Program. Additional peanut purchases include an amount of $12 million. The Trade Promotion Program will take applications till early November.

USDA officials meet with grower leaders USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Richard Fordyce met recently with Georgia peanut leaders and visited peanut farms in Georgia. Glenn Lee Chase and Donald Chase hosted Administrator Richard Fordyce and FSA Chief of Staff Kathy Sayers for a farm discussion followed by an additional meeting with Joe and Dick Minor at their farm.

Growers discussed the peanut program, payment limitations and the importance of the farm bill to rural communities. Also in attendance was Georgia FSA State Administrator Tas Smith.

The Georgia Peanut Commission also hosted the Risk Management Agency Administrator Martin Barbre at the American Peanut Growers Group, LLC in Donalsonville, Georgia, to discuss important issues relative to peanuts and crop insurance. The new Chief of Staff for Administrator Barbre is former Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA) Washington D.C. Representative Keith Gray.

20

Southeastern Peanut Farmer October/November 2018

USTR announces Mexico, Canada agreement U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer announced that the U.S., Canada and Mexico have reached an agreement with regard to the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). USTR Lighthizer stated, “Today, Canada and the United States reached an agreement, alongside Mexico, on a new, modernized trade agreement for the 21st Century: the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA will give our workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses a high-standard trade agreement that will result in freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in our region. It will strengthen the middle class, and create good, well-paying jobs and new opportunities for the nearly half billion people who call North America home.

We look forward to further deepening our close economic ties when this new agreement enters into force. We would like to thank Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo for his close collaboration over the past 13 months.”

Hurricane Michael devastates agriculture Hurricane Michael dealt a heavy blow to farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. As the storm entered the tri-state area on Oct. 10, farmers had to wait until the next morning to realize the extent of the damage.

The storm was far-reaching and affected many portions of agriculture including row crops, pecans, livestock, poultry, timber, as well as fruit and vegetable production.

In Alabama, Hurricane Michael caused almost $204 million in agricultural damage as it moved across the state, according to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Hurricane Michael caused production losses totaling $158 million for Florida’s agricultural industries in the 2018-19 growing season, according to economists with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

In Georgia results are estimated at more than $2 billion in losses to the

state’s agriculture industry, according to estimates from the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agricultural economists and Extension agents.

Donation efforts have been set up to aid farmers in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The hurricane relief information can be found online at alfafarmers.org, floridafarmbureau.org and gfb.org. All proceeds from the donations will aid in the relief effort following the devastation form Hurricane Michael and will go farmers and ranchers across the states that have been affected by the devastation.

The Georgia Farm Service Agency held an Agriculture Disaster Assistance Meeting, Oct. 22, in Georgia for farmers to learn about disaster relief resources available from USDA FSA, National Resources Conservation Service, Rural Development and Risk Management Agency. A video and presentations from the meeting is available on the Georgia Peanut Commission website at gapeanuts.com. t

Peanut Proud delivers peanut butter to hurricane victims he U.S. Peanut Industry has united again to donate more than 60,480 jars of peanut butter for Hurricane Florence and 144,000 jars donated for Hurricane Michael relief efforts. The donation effort is being coordinated through Peanut Proud, a non-profit organization of the U.S. peanut industry.

Hurricane Florence deliveries were made to Second Harvest Food Bank of North Carolina and Harvest Hope Food Bank of South Carolina. For Hurricane Michael, deliveries are still ongoing but have made to churches, schools and food banks in Georgia and Florida.

Deliveries have been made by Southern Ag Carriers and Early Trucking Company. Donations for Hurricane Michael relief efforts have come from checkoff organizations including the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Florida Peanut Producers Association,

T

Georgia Peanut Commission, South Carolina Peanut Board, Virginia Peanut Growers Association and the National Peanut Board. Additional donations have come from Olam Edible Nuts, Birdsong Peanuts, American Peanut Council, Florida Peanut Federation, National Peanut Buying Points Association, ADM Cares, Kelley Manufacturing Co. and Baldwin County Farmers Federation.

During Georgia Peanut Bank Week, banks across the state collected donations for Peanut Proud and many individuals donated to the relief efforts. Kroger donated peanut butter directly to the relief efforts in Donalsonville, Ga. Gregg Grimsley, president of Peanut Proud, says he was very moved by the outpouring of donations from the peanut industry.

“I am always overwhelmed by the generosity of people in general and especially the people who work in the

The peanut industry donated 60,480 jars of peanut butter following Hurricane Florence and 144,000 jars following Hurricane Michael.

peanut industry. From all the groups that make our industry, the response to the recent disaster from two hurricanes back to back have been amazing.”

To contribute to the relief efforts, visit Peanut Proud’s website online at peanutproud.com or send a check to: Peanut Proud, Hurricane Relief, P.O. Box 446, Blakely, Georgia 39823. t

BY JOY CROSBY

October/November 2018 Southeastern Peanut Farmer

21

Southern Peanut Growers Peanut Butter Lovers Facebook Page on a Roll with Latest Collaboration With a goal of increasing engagement on its Peanut Butter Lovers Facebook page, Southern Peanut Growers (SPG) recently partnered with popular food blogger, Dorothy Kern of Crazy for Crust, to host a live video on Facebook. Dorothy, a major peanut butter fan that boasts more than 1 million Facebook followers, demoed a delicious peanut butter cup cake roll recipe that had viewers wanting more, and shared peanut butter facts, asked questions for prizes, and touted peanut farmers. The video is available on the Peanut Butter Lovers Facebook page.

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with more than 300 comments such as: “We get nervous when we’re under 10 jars of peanut butter in the pantry.”

“OMG! I love this! Anything peanut butter is gone in minutes at my house.”

The promotion also increased traffic on all SPG platforms. Peanut Butter Lovers Facebook page gained 211 followers, reached over 21,700 users daily and received over 301,700 impressions. The @PeanutButterLovers Instagram account gained 22 followers and received 4,252 impressions. Web traffic to the newly redesigned peanutbutterlovers.com spiked after the Facebook Live and hundreds of viewers interacted and expressed their love of peanut butter in the Facebook Live comments.

Check out the Facebook Live on the Peanut Butter Lovers Facebook page and follow Peanut Butter Lovers on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.

Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Meeting Southern Peanut Growers teamed up with Florida Peanut Producers and The Peanut institute to exhibit at the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. Aug. 31 - Sept. 2.

“We are committed to helping to spread the message of early introduction of peanuts to help prevent peanut allergy to as many pediatric influencers as possible,” said Leslie Wagner, executive director of Southern Peanut Growers.

The exhibit featured early introduction and allergy facts materials from National Peanut Board, materials and backdrop from The Peanut Institute, samples of products like powdered peanut and NutterPuffs to help with early introduction and general peanut butter recipes and promotional items.

Celebrate in November - Peanut Butter Lovers Month November is Peanut Butter Lovers Month, time to celebrate our favorite food! Americans will celebrate by eating more than 65-70 million pounds of peanut butter during the month of November. Southern Peanut Growers, representing Southeastern peanut farmers, started the celebration as Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November 4, 1990. November 4 marks the anniversary of the first patent for peanut butter, applied for by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg on November 4, 1895. It grew to a month-long celebration in 1995 when peanut butter celebrated its 100th birthday!

Marketing arm of

Ken Barton, executive director with the Florida Peanut Producers Association and Leslie Wagner, executive director of Southern Peanut Growers, provides information on early introduction of peanut products to an attendee during the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla., Aug. 31 Sept. 2, 2018.

Southern Peanut Growers 1025 Sugar Pike Way · Canton, Georgia 30115 (770) 751-6615 · FAX (770) 751-6417 email: lpwagner@comcast.net Visit our website at http://www.peanutbutterlovers.com

Georgia’s Largest Commodity Show January 17, 2019 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center Tifton, Georgia Free farmer lunch Pesticide applicator certification More than 100 Exhibits Door prizes

Learn more about the 2019 Georgia Peanut Farm Show by scanning this code with your smartphone.

www.gapeanuts.com

For more information contact: Georgia Peanut Commission P.O. Box 967, Tifton GA 31793 Phone: 229-386-3470 Fax: 229-386-3501 Email: info@gapeanuts.com