SPFF News & Resources

Hot grilled PB&J’s are welcoming attendees once again to the conference. Thank you to the The Peanut Institute and the National Peanut Buying Points Association for grilling.

One of the master grillers is Larry Cunningham, pictured center. I asked what makes a great grilled PB&J. He says it’s just like a grilled cheese sandwich only 10 times better. He says to put some peanut butter and jelly between two slices of bread, brush on some margarine and slap it on the grill. It’s something you don’t want to miss out on.

Listen to my interview with Larry here:

Larry Cunningham Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

One of the associations that puts on the Southern Peanut Growers Conference is the Florida Peanut Producers Association. Ken Barton is Executive Director for FPPA and was welcoming people as they registered.

Ken provided me with an overview of the conference since it’s my first one. He says the content seems to get better each year. The registration room was very busy so it looks like attendance is off to a great start.

The program will include speakers talking about each segment of the peanut industry including research and promotion. Of course farmer attendees get some time to enjoy the beach with their families. Ken points out that the water is beautiful and clean.

I asked him about the status of the Florida peanut industry and he says it’s “very healthy.” Consumption is increasing and the crop is in good shape although some areas could use more rain.

Listen to my interview with Ken here:

Ken Barton Interview (MP3)

12th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Communicating the message of agriculture to the public has gotten much more personal with the help of social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and many agricultural groups, including peanut grower organizations, are already wetting their feet in the new media waters.

A panel discussion at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference Tuesday featured communications staff members from the Alabama Farmers Federation, Georgia Farm Bureau and Florida Farm Bureau, who talked about how they get their message out to the media and the public. I talked with Adam Basford with Florida Farm Bureau specifically about the exciting new opportunities presented to growers and organizations for “tweeting” their message out. “Getting the news out there quickly adds to your relevance. So if you are on the front end of getting messages out to people it really helps,” Adam says.

Listen to my interview with Adam here:

Adam Basford (3:00 min MP3)

Southern Peanut Growers 2009 Flickr Photo Album

This year is the 10th year for the Peanut Profitability Awards sponsored by Farm Press. Dr. Marshall Lamb and USDA’s National Peanut Research Laboratory, working with a national peanut advisory board, helped to bring in an outstanding amount of nominations this year – the most ever.

Dr. Lamb says the program is not just about the winners. “This program gives an education component to other growers around the community to they can benefit from what these winners have done,” he said.

Listen to an interview with Dr. Lamb here:

Dr. Marshall Lamb (4:30 min MP3)

Peanut growers heard from the dairy industry about how important it is to speak up for agriculture and be a good industry ambassador.

Cheryl Hayn with the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association was on the program at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference to talk about what they are doing to get producers comfortable with speaking to the media and the public about their business. “What that does is really put a face on the industry,” Cheryl says. “We spend a good bit of time in training to develop confidence and have follow up sessions to refresh skills.”

Cheryl says the program has helped the dairy industry to lay a foundation of credibility in times of crisis, but also to help promote public confidence in dairy products during good times, and she encourages peanut growers to get out and tell their story.

Listen to an interview with Cheryl here:

Cheryl Hayn (5:30 min MP3)

Southern Peanut Growers 2009 Flickr Photo Album

The National Peanut Board kicked off a new promotional campaign this year that focuses on all the great benefits of peanuts – Energy for the Good Life.

“It’s kind of self-explanatory,” says NPB Chairman Roger Neitsch, a producer from Texas. “I think it’s really a great slogan that will further the consumption of peanuts and peanut products.”

The new slogan was actually launched earlier this year in New York City, right in the middle of the salmonella situation. “We had to re-direct our program of work because it was already planned and it fell right in the time of crisis,” Roger says. “New York being the media capitol of the world, we got to visit and do a lot of media interviews there and it helped spread the word and it helped us help the consumers understand.”

Listen to an interview with Roger here:

Roger Neitsch (5:30 min MP3)

Southern Peanut Growers 2009 Flickr Photo Album