Peanuts at the End of the Rainbow

Cindy Zimmerman2013 ConferenceLeave a Comment

The last day of the 2013 Southern Peanut Growers Conference started with a rainbow over stormy Gulf waters and ended with the annual dinner and entertainment sponsored by Syngenta. The weather was unpredictable enough that the golf tournament had to be canceled but there was sunshine on the beach much of the day. The rainbow in the morning was a … Read More

Sustaining Farm Policy for Peanuts

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, Audio, VideoLeave a Comment

A policy update on the farm bill, or lack of one, was given by Congressman Mike Conaway (R-TX) and peanut industry lobbyist Bob Redding (left) during the final session of the 2013 SPGC. Rep. Conaway, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, says there has been no shortage of controversy in this farm bill. “Convention wisdom was that you needed … Read More

Peanuts Up for ARMS

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, AudioLeave a Comment

The last time peanuts were the subject of a USDA Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) was 2004 but soon those outdated figures for peanut farmers financial and crop production practices will be updated. “This is a crucial time for us to get the information from the peanut industry because there’s been a lot of changes since 2004,” said Shiela Corley, … Read More

2013 Farm Press Profitability Winners

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Three regional winners of the 14th annual Farm Press Peanut Profitability Awards were honored Saturday morning at the SPGC, but one was unable to be there to accept this year. Southwest Region winner Murray Phillips of Pearsall, Texas had to stay back home on the farm, but you can read all about him and the other two winners in the … Read More

Changes Coming for the UGA Peanut Team

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, AudioLeave a Comment

Most folks in the peanut industry know the guy in the suit pictured here with a few other members of the University of Georgia Peanut Team. But as of the end of this year, Dr. John Beasley will be retiring from UGA after 30 years to become head of the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences at Auburn University … Read More

Peanut Production Sustainability

Chuck Zimmerman2013 Conference, AudioLeave a Comment

Production techniques and disease management were among the topics explored during a session on Production Sustainability at the 2013 SPGC. Kip Balkcom with USDA/ARS at Auburn University discussed some of the sustainable production techniques farmers are using now and could be using in the future. He says sustainable production boils down to three things, “minimize surface tillage, utilize cover crops … Read More

BASF Acquisition Opens New Grower Options

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, Audio, Conference SponsorsLeave a Comment

BASF has been a big supporter of the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and so has Becker Underwood – but this year the two are a single team together. “With the acquisition of Becker Underwood, VAULT as a peanut inoculant is a very important product we’re looking forward to launching from the BASF platform,” said southeast BASF rep Chris Maurer (left). … Read More

Peanut Genomics Project Update

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, AudioLeave a Comment

The peanut industry is working toward an important goal that will ultimately serve to make peanut production more sustainable than ever. That is the mapping of the peanut genome. “What we’re looking for is traits that will be resistant to diseases, nematode, leaf spot, or will have traits we want like high oil or improved protein content,” said George Birdsong, … Read More

Farm Bill Insight from Informa

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, Audio1 Comment

The farm bill saga we’ve seen this year has left farm policy veterans like Jim Wiesemeyer of Informa Economics just shaking their heads in amazement. “It’s been the most bewildering, frustrating bill I’ve seen in over 36 years of watching,” Jim says. He gave a policy and general ag economics outlook for the peanut industry during lunch at the SPGC, … Read More

Energy Innovations for Sustainability

Cindy Zimmerman2013 Conference, AudioLeave a Comment

Improving energy efficiency on farming operations is one of the keys to a sustainable future and there are more options today than ever before. Take propane, for example. It’s common for propane to be used for peanut drying and on-farm heating use, but new opportunities for farming operations now include fleet vehicle conversions and irrigation. “With diesel running $3.50-3.60 a … Read More