By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor With the 2012 crop still being shelled and a 2013 crop stored and ready for shelling, supply has caused a lull in any excitement. Other commodities seem to be experiencing the same problem. Farmers are hoping markets get better for all commodities before planting. Populations will double by 2050, but if a farmer can’t ... Read More »
By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor A pipeline of old and new crop peanuts and cheap prices from other commodities have dampened the hopes of a profitable 2014 for producers. The 2012 crop filled warehouses, and producers, knowing that production had to be reduced to allow supply and demand to keep prices high enough to make peanut growing profitable, reduced ... Read More »
By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor Despite a whopping supply from 2012, no Farm Bill, a sequester situation and a full-on government shutdown, the peanut market is going strong. Planting season was unusually cool and wet, and rains continued through the season affecting yield by possibly as much as 25 percent. Those who did not receive record rainfall will achieve ... Read More »
Phenomenal success has been achieved by working together and accepting change. By John Baldwin Retired Professor Emeritus Along with a few others, The Peanut Grower magazine, which is now celebrating its 25th anniversary in circulation, has been an avenue for distributing information to all facets of the peanut industry. Most of us are resistant to change, but in the following ... Read More »
USDA Announces New Program Manager Michael Schultz, Deputy Administrator of USDA Farm Programs has announced that DeAnn Allen will be the new Market Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments (MAL/LDP) Program Manager for peanuts. Allen was born and raised in northwestern North Dakota, is a University of North Dakota graduate, lived on a farm and worked in a county FSA ... Read More »
A lower-than-estimated planting report could bring markets to life By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor The 2013 U.S. peanut crop is off to a slow start. Producers faced a cold spring and markets that were just as disappointing. Many farmers wanted to plant corn, but after conditions were too cold and too wet, they waited to plant peanuts or cotton. ... Read More »
No contract offers to encourage peanut planting By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor Every peanut year is different. But 2013 is mounting to be the most unusual in the history of the peanut industry. Planting has begun in most regions without any signing of contracts, and never before has China been a prominent factor in the peanut market. Plus, it ... Read More »
Cool weather late affects early planting decisions, crop acreages By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor The U.S. peanut industry seems to be in a state of flux, waiting for markets to signal the next move. Farmers are poised to plant another peanut crop after Old Man Winter delivered water and filled reserves for a change, especially in the Southeast and ... Read More »
The peanut market: the good, the bad and the really big questions By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor Contracts for peanuts are normally offered by shellers before the start of the New Year, and peanut producers can start their planning for the new season. Not this year. The industry seems to be in a holding pattern, hoping and praying that ... Read More »
Could exports whittle carry-over down to a manageable amount? By J. Tyron Spearman Contributing Editor Trends in the peanut world are certain to change the future. A record crop in 2012 of more than 3,400,000 tons has resulted in low prices at home and abroad. A drought in India last year, plus changes in their regulations, have brought Chinese buyers ... Read More »
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