Aggressive protection is needed as defoliation happens quickly. • By Amanda Huber • Have you ever watched an advanced level track event, such as the Olympic 100-meter dash? The athletes spend a lot of time warming up on the track, stretching, fixing the blocks, getting into their starting stance, and even at times standing up and starting the set-up process ... Read More »
NCSU Research And Extension Plant Pathologist A Voice Of Accuracy And Precision • By David Jordan • This fall, Dr. Barbara Shew will retire after many years of contributions to the peanut industry. Her work has encompassed the core components of the land-grant system — Extension, research and teaching — and in doing so, she has touched the lives of ... Read More »
Dig at optimum maturity with the aid of a profile board. • By Amanda Huber • Determining when to dig is always tough. The maturity profile board, developed in 1981 by E.J. Williams and J.S. Drexler, ushered in a new era of determining how close to ready a crop was without special equipment and the destruction of the pods. Auburn ... Read More »
Use the Peanut Risk Management Tool to see how various production practices affect pest response. Record management choices and outcomes in the Field Log. • By Amanda Huber • A practical, easy-to-use management tool for Virginia-type peanut growers is available through the North Carolina State University Extension peanut website under the menu selection “Peanut Risk Tool and Field Log.” Download ... Read More »
Think you have what it takes to be in the “Group of 60”? Consider entering the North Carolina Peanut Production Contest. For many years the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association, in cooperation with North Carolina State Extension, has supported a peanut production contest at county and state levels and a luncheon to recognize farmers producing an average of at least ... Read More »
Tillage systems, twin rows and seeding rates are topics to consider before next planting season. North Carolina Extension peanut specialist David Jordan answers planting-related questions producers may be thinking about over the winter. Q Should I transition my planting pattern to twin rows? A My standard answer is that single rows and twin rows will perform about the same on ... Read More »
Never before have two hurricanes caused such destruction and disruption in the peanut industry. • By Amanda Huber • Florence was a powerful storm that weakened before making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane. Michael continued to grow in strength even a little while after landfall. Florence dumped buckets of rain and freshwater flooding was the primary impact. Michael’s 155 mile ... Read More »
NCSU’s Tom Stalker recognized for service to humanity through collecting, evaluating or conserving the Earth’s genetic resources. Peanuts are not only among North Carolina’s top agricultural commodities, they also represent a key source of protein for people around the world. Making them even better has been Tom Stalker’s life work. A professor and former head of North Carolina State University’s ... Read More »
Make decisions on an individual field basis, weighing the cost against potential benefits. • By Amanda Huber • Plant growth regulators are used more extensively in other crops, such as cotton. But what about using a plant growth regulator in peanuts? Are there conditions in which a plant growth regulator could be used? What would be the effect? Read More »
The cover of the 2018 NCSU Peanut Information book shows an interesting chart of peanut acreage and pod yield in North Carolina from 1909 to 2016. The solid line of yield goes from a little more than 600 pounds per acre in 1909 to a high point of about 4,400 pounds per acre most recently. The dotted line of peanut ... Read More »
Peanut Grower One Grower Publication