The first workday after the time changed back to daylight savings, my husband came home and plopped down into his easy chair without saying a word. This was not his standard behavior. Usually, he comes in, greets me, maybe we talk a few minutes, and then he’s back out the door and off to the barn to work around the ... Read More »
Virtual peanut production meetings are nearly complete in preparation for the 2021 planting season. Although this format is not good for stocking up on pens, pads, hats and the yearly rain gauge, it is still useful for relaying needed information to start the crop year. Here are a couple of news items I learned recently. The first is a useful ... 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 »
It’s the place of weird happenings, unusual occurrences and oddities. It’s the strangest story you’ve ever heard, and it usually starts with “Florida man…” What began in 2013 as an internet meme, Florida Man has only grown in popularity and recognition with each crazy story. Part of the reason for this is the ease at which journalists navigate Florida’s freedom ... Read More »
At a county peanut and cotton production meeting in January, University of Georgia Extension peanut specialist Scott Monfort brought up the subject of stress. The UGA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences made the topic of rural mental health a priority beginning this year. Not to make light of the topic, but did they have some inside information 2020 was ... Read More »
I had a birthday recently. It was one of those big ones where the front number rolls over. In planning a family gathering to celebrate the event, my mother got the idea to dig out some pictures. I am old enough now that this task involves converting trays of slides into digital pictures. One by one, with the help of ... Read More »
In the middle of a pandemic, the news was all abuzz, pun intended, about murder hornets. The invasive Asian giant hornet had been found in the Pacific Northwest. Despite the ominous nickname given this insect, within days I saw a video of how a swarm of bees worked together to overwhelm the murder hornet and of a praying mantis that ... Read More »
The best thing about Peanut Grower magazine this month might be that it offers a respite from the constant flow of COVID-19 news. Other than a news brief on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and a mention here and there, this issue is all about peanut production and marketing, as it should be. In “White Mold Warning” ... Read More »
As best I can, I’m an optimist. I look for the silver lining in clouds, make lemonade from lemons when possible and always count my blessings one by one. But the truth is, this situation of sheltering in place doesn’t change what I do nearly as much as it does many people. I have been working from home since becoming ... Read More »
It had everyone talking. Was Mr. Peanut really dead? Would Planters kill off one of the longest running, most recognizable, top hat- and monocle-wearing brand icon? When the commercial teaser was released, my phone started buzzing. Friends and co-workers wanted to know if he was dead. Peanut industry friends and contacts were talking about it. At production meetings prior to ... Read More »
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