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 »
The peanut stage is set. Producers across America have studied the 2014 Farm Bill, selected their coverage options and worked to establish the facts they’ll work by. Federal Crop Insurance has been improved for peanuts, and agents have worked to sell their plans to farmers. Seed has been ordered, and Mother Nature has supplied mostly good winter rains and offered ... Read More »
Make sure your seed are certified and properly handled The American peanut industry is poised for growth and expansion. Analysts are predicting a 20 to 25 percent increase in acreage for the 2015 season. Since farmers learned more about Price Loss Coverage (PLC) in the new Farm Bill and hear predictions of a $100 per-acre payment in October after the ... Read More »
The real peanut market has been quiet as industry players strive to determine their future in the U.S. peanut business. Farmers have been studying the new Market Assistance Loan program and the new rules that were issued from the 2014 Farm Bill. USDA has done an excellent job in interpreting the new Farm Bill and smoothing out the explanations so ... Read More »
The U.S. peanut industry is poised for disaster if farmers plant wall to wall peanuts. All the talk is that peanut acreage will be back to 2012 levels or above, a 25 to 30 percent increase. Peanut prices are already dropping from $400 per ton in the Southeast to a floor of $380 per ton with limits on poundage per ... Read More »
It was an odd year in row-crop agriculture, especially in the Southeast. Some producers had two months of too much rain, then two months with little or no rain and two months of unusual harvest conditions ripe with various problems. Prices have fallen so low, the farmer may have to extend payback of loans to next year. In thinking about ... Read More »
The U.S. peanut market wants to grow and expand, but the market's dynamics seem to have adjusted to one step forward and two steps back. The industry tries to minimize risks, but many unknowns have all segments nervous, and answers are needed so a true, fair market can prevail. Lots of questions remain to be answered on the 2014 crop. How has drought impacted quantity and quality in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina where 80 percent of the peanuts are grown? How bad will aflatoxin be? Can U.S. peanuts meet European Union quality requirements and keep that momentum? Blanching capacity is maxed out and on-time delivery may be a problem. The logistics of keeping good quality irrigated peanuts separate from dryland peanuts is a challenge at the buying point and sheller. Another unknown is farmer-stock contracts. Today, peanut contracts are a mystifying dilemma. The shellers are trying to find a balance...buy a reasonable supply of peanuts at a reasonable price for their customers while keeping the farmer profitable. Read More »
Uncertainty in the peanut market created by the Farm Bill and the lack of profitable alternatives has peanut farmers worried about the future and where the industry is headed. USDA further doomed market potential by estimating that U.S. peanut acreage would rebound by 29 percent this year, up 309,000 acres, to nearly 1.4 million acres. Most states held acreage to ... Read More »
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