The third general session at the 2021 Southern Peanut Growers Conference featured several speakers, including Bob Redding of The Redding Firm in Washington, D.C. Redding spoke on topics like the next Farm Bill, nutrition programs and USDA challenges, climate infrastructure, guest worker programs, and unfilled positions important to agriculture at the state and federal level.
BASF Continues Major Support for Peanut Growers
BASF Sales Representative William Reed continues to support the Southern Peanut Growers Conference as he finds it to be a valuable opportunity for growers to get together and talk about what’s happening on farms through the current growing season.
Reed said wet conditions have been challenging peanut growers in southern Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, and does not remember another year when things were this far behind. He is excited about the newest BASF fungicide for use in peanuts, called Provysol.
William Reed, BASF (3:09)
Vision for Automation in the Future
The second general session of the 2021 Southern Peanut Growers Conference provided a Vision for Farm Automation in the Future.
Three panelists spoke on that topic, including Chad Carney with Blue River Technology/John Deere. Carney said while innovation in agriculture used to be about getting bigger, faster, and stronger, the industry has seen a shift in last 20 years towards precision agriculture and getting smarter and more precise to make things easier for farmers.
Dr. Wes Porter from the University of Georgia shared the importance of defining on-farm automation and looking for opportunities to automate on the farm and at the processing level.
Dr. Joby Czarnecki from Mississippi State University believes it is important think about ways unmanned aerial vehicles can collaborate with ground-based autonomous vehicles to help with efficiency on the farm.
Listen to their comments and an interview with Czarnecki below.
Interview with Dr. Joby Czarnecki, MS State University (7:03)
General Session II – Vision for Farm Automation in the Future
Chad Carney, Blue River Technology (17:42)
HogEye is Your Feral Pig Solution
Feral hog damage costs $1.5 billion annually in the U.S. and farmers in the southeast know only too well the havoc these wild animals can cause on the land.
HogEye Cameras has a solution and they were happy to be part of the Southern Peanut Farmers Conference to spread the news. Jack Robertson says their company specializes in camera systems for trapping nuisance animals.
“The camera systems we make are live feed video,” said Robertson. “It makes it more efficient because the user is actually live watching so you can see the pigs in the trap and those still outside the trap so the landowner can make an informed decision on when to deploy the trap.”
The system comes with solar panels to provide the energy for the live feed camera 24/7.
Learn more in this interview.
Jack Robertson, Hogeye (10:28)
Future of Peanut Value and Grading
T.E. Moye, Karl Zimmer, Marshall Lamb
T.E. Moye joined the Georgia Federal State Inspection Service as President and CFO in 2011. As a farmer, he was the recipient of the 2009 Farm Press Profitability Award for the lower Southeast.
Karl Zimmer is president and CEO of Premium Peanut, a grower-owned peanut sheller processing nearly 10 percent of the U.S. peanut crop. He is also chairman of the American Peanut Shellers Association.
Dr. Marshall Lamb is research leader at the USDA ARS National Peanut Research Laboratory and is no stranger to the SPGC since he serves as the national program adviser for the Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Award.
Listen to their comments and an interview with Moye below.
Interview T.E. Moye, GA Federal-State Inspection Service (5:43)
General Session I – Future Vision of Peanut Value and Grading
Karl Zimmer, Premium Peanut (24:48)
T.E. Moye, GA Federal-State Inspection Service (27:39)
Dr. Marshall Lamb, USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab (17:42)
SPGC 2021 is a Wrap
The 22nd Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference is a wrap and we will be bringing you the highlights on the blog in the coming days. In the meantime, here are links to all of the photo and audio content for your viewing and listening pleasure!
Photos
2021 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album
Audio
Preview interview
2021 SPGC preview with Ken Barton, FPPA
State Peanut Grower Exec Interviews
Jacob Davis, AL Peanut Producers (4:38)
Malcolm Broome, MS Peanut Growers (4:08)
Ken Barton, FL Peanut Producers (4:09)
Don Koehler, GA Peanuts (4:23)
Program participant interviews
Valor Award by Valent winner Peanut Proud – Gregg Grimsley, Peanut Proud President
Gregg Grimsley, Peanut Proud (3:20)
T.E. Moye, GA Federal-State Inspection Service (5:43)
Dr. Joby Czarnecki, Mississippi State University (7:03)
Session Audio
General Session I – Future Vision of Peanut Value and Grading
Karl Zimmer, Premium Peanut (24:48)
T.E. Moye, GA Federal-State Inspection Service (27:39)
Dr. Marshall Lamb, USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab (17:42)
General Session II – Vision for Farm Automation in the Future
Chad Carney, Blue River Technology (17:42)
Dr. Wes Porter, University of Georgia (31:00)
General Session III – State of U.S. Peanut Policy
Remarks from Senator John Boozman (R-AR) (29:58)
Press gaggle with Sen. Boozman (R-AR) (6:50)
Conference Sponsor Interviews
William Reed, BASF (3:09)
Tony Brunson, Corteva (3:06)
Blaire Colvin, FMC (2:28)
Jack Robertson, Hogeye (10:28)
Wilson Faircloth, Syngenta (3:00)
Sen. John Boozman Provides U.S. Peanut Policy Remarks
During the general session, “State of U.S. Peanut Policy,” U.S. Senator John Boozman, (R-Arkansas), provided remarks with a focus on topics like infrastructure proposals, rural broadband and more. After his remarks he met with media representatives for a question and answers session and also discussed the current status of the WOTUS legislation as well as the farm bill and estate taxes.
Remarks from Senator John Boozman
Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Awards
This year the Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Awards breakfast was very special. Winners were honored for both 2020 and 2021 since last year’s conference was canceled.
Pictured first are the 2020 winners who attended the breakfast. The winners were: Mark, Tim and Michael Mullen, Lower Southeast Region; Kirk Jones, Upper Southeast Region; Van Hensarling, Mid-South Region and Aaron and Glen Martin, Southwest Region.
The 2021 winners were: Dan Ward, Upper Southeastern States; Armond Morris, Upper Southeast Region; Dan West, Mid-South Region and Tony Dill, Southwest Region. Tony passed away last fall due to complications from COVID19 and his family was in attendance to accept his award.
Peanut Proud Receives Valor Award
This year Peanut Proud received the Valor Award sponsored by Valent. Receiving the award is Gregg Grimsley, Birdsong Peanuts, and president of Peanut Proud, pictured on the right. Presenting is John Alton, Valent.
Peanut Proud was formed in 2009 and provides domestic hunger relief, emergency disaster relief and international hunger relief.
Through the past 11 years Peanut Proud had donated nearly 3 million jars of peanut butter across the U.S., the Bahamas and Haiti. The peanut butter has been delivered by naval ships, Carnival cruise lines, by Southern Ag Carriers, Early Trucking Company, individuals and more.
SPGC is Back on the Beach
Peanut growers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi are gathered together again live and in-person for their annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference at Panama City Beach, Florida. After having to cancel the popular event last year due to COVID, everyone is thrilled to be back on the beach.
As has been the tradition, we start off the conference by interviewing the executive directors of each state grower organization. From left to right in the photo, we have the new kid on the block Jacob Davis, Alabama Peanut Producers Association; Malcolm Broome, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association; Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association, and Don Koehler, Georgia Peanut Commission.
Each director discusses the current status of the peanut crop in their state, priorities for peanut growers, and how it feels to be back together.
Jacob Davis, AL Peanut Producers Association
Malcolm Broome, MS Peanut Growers Association
Ken Barton, FL Peanut Produces Association
We’ve got lots of photos from this year’s conference you are welcome to download and share. You can find them all here: 2021 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album