The peanut market is often difficult to read, evaluate and especially to explain. The markets for farmer-stock peanuts have little or no impact on the shelled-market price at the sheller level. The export market for the farmer is lost in the blending of seasonal prices and world competition. Even the domestic market for the farmer is a three-way deal between ... Read More »
The U.S. peanut market is getting mixed signals at home and abroad causing the producers to be concerned as to how to manage under the present peanut program. The Commodity Credit Corporation is successfully moving ahead with selling or exchanging 2014 forfeited farmer-stock peanuts to clear out warehouses. USDA is seeking bids on major purchases to go to nutrition programs ... Read More »
The U.S. peanut industry is adrift in a growing, uncharted fog. The Farm Bill has caused an expansion in acreage, which resulted in great surplus, and a lack of strategic planning has failed to keep all segments in a profitable posture. It will take time to turn this boat around and a heavy fog of market uncertainty and government intervention ... Read More »
Unless the Southeast region of the peanut belt experiences a weather disaster, such as a drought or a major flood, peanut prices will likely stay flat during the 2016 growing season and beyond. Shellers are using every way possible to discourage wall-to-wall peanut acreage because they know that another bumper crop is likely to keep shelled peanut prices too low ... Read More »
The American peanut industry has been jolted by the low prices caused by increased acreage, increased yields and a generic base from cotton that resulted in even more peanut acreage. Because other commodities that could compete with peanut acreage offer low prices as well, producers have little choice in an effort to survive. The situation creating the need to go ... Read More »
Decisions, decisions, decisions. A producer’s goals include protecting the land and crop potential production with recommended crop rotation, surviving the lowest commodity prices in recent memory while reducing the cost of production so a profit shows at harvest, and then growing quality peanuts for the market and not for the government. Those are great goals; however, each farmer is different ... Read More »
Producers have a better understanding of the 2014 Farm Bill after a full-year cycle under the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, which 99.7 percent of peanut producers chose. Farmers have always evaluated prices of commodities to determine the most profitable crop to plant. Other factors to evaluate include contract offers from shellers, cost of production and always with a watchful ... Read More »
Down on the family peanut farm, there is much unhappiness. Commodity prices are the lowest in two decades; peanut contracts are at or below the cost of production, and that’s if you can find one. Input costs were higher than last year, and the peanut program regulations have been almost impossible to fully understand. Just trying to survive, too many ... Read More »
The U.S. peanut industry has experienced an unusual start for 2015. Seed quantities were good and quality was mostly good as well. There were some problems getting accurate information on germination and the process was slower than normal. Weather was most unusual in Texas with flooding during planting season and the Southeast, where 80 percent of peanuts are grown, with ... Read More »
The peanut market seems to be singing the same song, second verse, and will likely remain quiet until the industry has a better handle on acreage. Until then, sunshine has arrived, and while producers feel the season is late, researchers and Extension specialists assure them the delay is okay. Most planting decisions have been made to determine the best planting ... Read More »
Peanut Grower One Grower Publication