by Amanda Huber
Take a minute, if you will, to turn back the page to the Table of Contents and look just under the header “January 2013” and then under The Peanut Grower logo. It says “Volume 25, No. 1.” That’s right: The Peanut Grower turns 25 this year.
It is impossible to think about The Peanut Grower celebrating a silver anniversary without thinking about Cathy Andrews Kvien, who recognized the need and possibility of a production-oriented magazine for the peanut industry, and then worked very hard to make it a reality.
Cathy served as the editor for about the first half of the magazine’s existence before stepping down to spend more time with her family and turning the reins over to me. Unfortunately, Cathy passed away much too soon after that, and I can’t help but wish she were here today to celebrate this anniversary with us. Tyron Spearman, The Peanut Grower’s marketing editor, has also been with us since the beginning, and we will ask him to share some thoughts about the last 25 years in a special silver anniversary issue in May.
It would be great if, going into this celebratory year, all news was good news for peanut producers and the industry. Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a reach to find good news right now. My friend and colleague, Carroll Smith, wrote in the December issue of Rice Farming about the quest to define the popular buzzword sustainability in agriculture. She wrote that when an Arkansas rice farmer was asked how he would define sustainability, he thought for a moment then said, “Well, we are still here.”
For now, that may be the best news I can come up with, “We’re still here.” Whatever news may develop in 2013, The Peanut Grower is still here to bring it to you like we have been for the last 25 years, and despite the many, many challenges, if you are reading this, you are still here working to produce the greatest food product in the world. I look forward to celebrating this fact all year long.
