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Domestic peanut consumption continues an upward trend; peanut exports are inching up; and growers are seeing good contracts this spring as they prepare for planting.
“The Oklahoma peanut industry is looking up,” said Ron Sholar, executive director of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission, Stillwater, Okla., in opening remarks at the Oklahoma Peanut Expo, a virtual event this year due to COVID-19 precautions.
Sholar, along with Bob Parker, president and CEO,
National Peanut Board, Atlanta, Ga., and Marshall Lamb, senior scientist,
National Peanut Research Laboratory, Dawson, Ga., discussed the opportunities and challenges for Oklahoma and U.S. peanuts.
Sholar said the industry faces challenges but also sees a lot of good news. “Peanut consumption is up,” he said. “The pandemic is part of the reason; peanuts provide a natural choice for nutrition during the shutdown.” He added that the popularity of peanut products, especially peanut butter, preceded the pandemic. “Peanut
Many growers say they didn’t realize just how efficiency their peanut operations were, and other growers found they might could do even better.
The Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Award is based on production efficiency. With it, we are honored to honor growers who produce the highest yields by using their way to use inputs the best way. The confidential program is setup to help the producer look at the entire peanut operation and not on individual farms or small plots.
We ve had outstanding winners during the program s more than two decades, including last year s winners. Kirk Jones said mentors and timeliness are key to his Virginia farm. Alabama s Mullek family delivered sustainable peanuts with their unique, no-till system. The Martin family have yielded generations of Texas efficiency winners. Van Hensarling, who has grown peanuts for 23 years on the south Mississippi farm, looked at every aspect rotation, fertility, weed control, the fungicide program, and harvest efficiency