SPFF News & Resources

A serious problem for growers is what to do about feral pigs. One of our presenters is working on a project to make that problem go away.

Steve Ditchkoff, Auburn University, is several years into a project to create the first species specific contraceptive that can be administered orally. He says there are no effective options at this point since they’re so impractical. He says you need something you can just set out for the animals to come to and that only impacts one species. He thinks there is a lot of promise with the project they’re working on. They really need more financial support and hope to have a product within a couple more years.

Listen to my interview with Steve here:

Steve Ditchkoff Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

We are not going hungry here at the conference thanks to our sponsors. Lunch today was sponsored by BASF and representing them is William Reed.

He would like to remind growers about using Headline fungicide as we hit the midterm for the crop for its plant protection qualities. He says peanuts was the first market for the product. He points to their Headline Advantage program which helps lower the cost.

Listen to my interview with William here:

William Reed Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

A very interesting session this morning was titled, “An Industry That Feeds The World.” On the stage were Jeff Johnson, Birdsong Peanut Company, Stephanie Grunenfelder, American Peanut Council and Sally Wells, Birdsong Peanut Company. I spoke to Jeff and Stephanie afterward.

Jeff spoke about Plumpy Nut, a peanut butter based product that has been called “miraculous” as a cure for severe malnutrition and featured on major media outlets like 60 Minutes. He says that the product doesn’t have to be mixed with water, a long shelf life, doesn’t have to be refrigerated, is portable and doesn’t have to be administered by a doctor. Top that off with the fact that kids love it and you’ve got a product to be proud of. The product has been used widely in Africa and has application in many other areas of the world too.

Listen to my interview with Jeff here:

Jeff Johnson Interview (MP3)

Stephanie focused her remarks on Africa and government feeding programs. She says the Peanut Butter For The Hungry project ties into her job of working on export marketing. She says that they started with hunger projects outside the U.S. but have also focused now on hunger domestically too.

Listen to my interview with Stephanie here:

Stephanie Grunenfelder Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

It’s always good to hear from our presenters and sponsors but what about our growers? Let’s find out what a peanut farmer thinks about the conference.

I spoke with Steve “Beaver” Yoder, Altha, FL. Steve brings his family as many peanut farmers do. They look forward to it as a “tradition” and it shows his children what he does and how he keeps himself informed as a farmer. He sees the conference as a great opportunity to combine some vacation time with a professional improvement conference. He says his peanut crop is off to a good start by the way. That’s what I’m hearing a lot in the hallways.

Listen to my interview with Steve here:

Steve Yoder Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

One of the newest peanut groups to participate in the conference is Mississippi Peanut Growers Association. Their president is Joe Morgan, M&M Farms. He says they have just hired a part time executive director.

Joe says growers felt there was a real need to create an organization to represent them and help promote Mississippi peanuts. He says things are going well. They’ve got over 25,000 acres of peanuts in the state now. Joe says the crop looks good right now after some early wet spots.

Listen to my interview with Joe here:

Joe Morgan Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Today’s conference agenda includes several different sessions with multiple presenters per session. I’m interviewing several of them and will get started with our first session.

Talking to attendees about marketing from the point of view of the manufacturer was Ben Smith, Lance, Inc. He spoke about “changing our culture on how we have marketed that product in past years.” That means being more sensitive and aware of the new procedures that manufacturers are using to meet market demands. He says this means doing it differently than the way it has always been done. This is especially important as it relates to allergens and keeping them separated from peanuts.

Listen to my interview with Ben here:

Ben Smith Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album