Heat stress caused by climate change is threatening to reduce peanut crop yields and burnout this source of income and food for millions of people worldwide. But a group of researchers led by Clemson University Plant and Environmental Sciences assistant professor Sruthi Narayanan is working to develop heat-tolerant peanut varieties they hope will help maintain peanut production and profitability. Their ... Read More »

Variety selection is one of the most important decisions in peanut production. Field history, irrigation, planting and harvest capabilities, seed availability, seed quality and marketing opportunities are all factors that affect variety selection. Most varieties now offer some level of resistance to multiple diseases. The best choice is one that will achieve a rapid, uniform stand and provide good yield ... Read More »

Crop Quality Loss Payments The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency recently announced signup for the Quality Loss Adjustment program. Funded by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, this new program provides assistance to producers who suffered eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters occurring in 2018 and 2019. The deadline to apply for QLA is March ... Read More »

A new project co-led by Auburn University researchers addresses the increasing number and distribution of feral swine—animals that cause more than $50 million a year in damage to agriculture in Alabama. The research focuses on measuring the reduction in damage caused by feral swine during the implementation of the Alabama Feral Swine Control Pilot Program. Through a $450,000 grant from ... Read More »

We are now into the second month of 2021, and that means it is time for the annual Peanut Grower Variety Guide. Planting and growing conditions in 2020 pushed crop harvest late into the year. Still, peanut breeders and state Extension specialists were able to pull data together quickly enough to include in this issue. The guide covers all four ... Read More »

As the pandemic continues, the peanut market has been relatively quiet for growers and shellers. Buyers have good coverage for 2021, and shellers are not being aggressive to sell with higher prices looming. But changes in the peanut market are expected. Thanks to rising cotton and corn prices, the peanut market has a firm undertone. Corn is over $5 a ... Read More »

Demand increased for peanuts during the pandemic; cotton markets soured at first but are opening again. People expect two things in the late fall in the South: the smell of freshly plowed peanuts and cotton fields that resemble snow. Each year, farmers anticipate and prepare for unknowns, such as weather and industry changes; however, responding to a global pandemic was ... Read More »

• By Ryan McGeeney • Despite a year dominated by major weather systems run amuck and a global pandemic, most of Arkansas’ major crops came out ahead in 2020, according to a Jan. 12 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Overall, Arkansas growers harvested about 6.74 million acres of commodity crops in 2020, not including fruits and other specialty ... Read More »

Agricultural producers and private landowners interested in the Conservation Reserve Program  can sign up for the program through Feb. 12. The competitive program, administered by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency, provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes. “This signup for the Conservation Reserve Program gives producers and landowners an opportunity to enroll for the first ... Read More »

Check out the 2021 Peanut Grower Pesticide Guide. It includes updates to the Disease Risk Index as well as Insect Management and Weed Management sections. Read More »