SPFF News & Resources

Congressman Michael Cloud (R-Texas) shared thoughts on the state of U.S. peanut policy during the 2022 Southern Peanuts Growers Conference. He said the American agriculture industry continues to do a great job even amid policies that are sometimes restrictive.

“What we’ve seen over the last year is the American ag industry continues to have higher yields with less inputs. That’s an amazing story that needs to continue to be told,” Cloud said.

In the meantime, he recognized that farmers need solutions for supply chain breakdowns and high input costs rather than electric tractors.

You can learn more in our press conference interview: Interview with Congressman Michael Cloud” (3:12)

Full remarks by Congressman Cloud: Remarks from Congressman Michael Cloud” (22:17)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

It is important for peanut growers to be involved in the community and to establish themselves as a resource for school districts. That was the message shared by Judson Crane with the Florida School Nutrition Association during the Southern Peanut Growers Conference.

Crane said one school district’s experience with parents making unreasonable demands because of their son’s peanut allergy opened his eyes to the need for accurate research and an understanding of what legally can and cannot be expected of schools and families.

“Farmers need to be at the school board,” Crane said. “It would have been very helpful if I would have had somebody in the community on the board or active that I could have used as a resource.”

Crane said help from the National Peanut Board was key in the outcome of that particular situation, which ultimately resulted in removing peanuts from one school building, but not the entire district as originally requested.

“What happens is, this fear gets in and people do unreasonable things, like take peanuts off the menu,” he said.

Listen to Judson’s Remarks here: Judson Crane, School Nutrition Remarks” (15:10)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

The School District of Lee County in Florida brought peanuts back to school menus in 2022 after the product had been banned in the district’s school kitchens since 2004. While labor shortages and supply chain challenges were large factors in bringing peanut products back, Food and Nutrition Services Coordinator Amy Carroll said allergy management education is a more realistic and effective option than banning a single food item.

“While still recognizing that peanuts are a common food allergen, our district has developed a plan and official board approved policy that addresses all major allergens to ensure that all students are protected while remembering that the vast majority can eat peanut butter,” said Carroll. “Shift the focus more to allergy management and not the banning of particular foods. That’s not real life and it’s not teaching kids how to manage their allergies.” Amy works for the School District of Leon County Florida Food & Nutrition Services.

Listen to Amy’s Remarks here: Amy Carroll, School Nutrition Remarks” (21:50)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Today’s technology allows landowners to control feral hogs with a trap activated and monitored by their cell phones. But Chris Monhof with Jager Pro Hog Control Systems said education is also a big part of the company’s mission.

“We need to start conducting hog control on the farm fields just like you would do maintenance on your tractors,” Monhof said. “Most of your farmers would tell you that the hog problem is pretty substantial. It does vary in different geographical locations, but it is an ongoing problem and until we can teach everybody to get on the same sheet of music, we’re going to continue to have this problem. One landowner fighting the fight in their county is not going to fix that problem.”

Monhof said just after planting and harvest are some of the best times to focus on hog control in row crop fields.

You can learn more in our interview: Interview with Chris Monhof” (3:23)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Peanut growers across the southern states are in good spirits since timely rains have come to their fields this season. But that moisture also means timely applications of fungicide will be important, according to Syngenta Agronomy Service Representative Wilson Faircloth.

“Elatus and Miravis are two keystone products. We like to see them put together, but timely is the most important,” he said.

Faircloth also shared information about a new seed treatment called Trebuset that features five active ingredients and has looked very good in trials during a limited launch this year.

You can learn more in our interview.: Interview with Wilson Faircloth” (2:33)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

The work on equipment never really stops for the folks at Ag Technologies. As soon as planters are parked for the season, it’s time for annual inspections, maintenance and rebuilding as needed. And although availability has been volatile, Executive Vice President of Technology Travis Kelly said things are looking good for next season.

“Obviously, everything is on the rise cost-wise, but we’re trying to stay as safe as we can there with financing options and different things that we can do to help people make decisions now to make sure they have parts in time for the next growing season,” said Kelly.

You can learn more in our interview.: Interview with Travis Kelly” (3:51)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

Labor shortages are affecting most American industries, and agriculture is no exception. As many former farm workers have taken other jobs, farm owners struggle to find reliable employees for hard work that is often seasonal.

“It has exacerbated the problem on the farm to find workers who will come in, do the job for a season or even year-round, and then move on. It’s almost impossible,” said Dan Bremer, president of AgWorks.

Bremer has spent the past 24 years helping farmers to find employees, often through the H-2A and H-2B visa programs that can bring workers from foreign countries to fill jobs. Bremer said technology is also changing what is required of agricultural workers.

“We need people who are proficient, trained by technical schools, to operate equipment and do other aspects on farms,” he said.

And while technology and artificial intelligence will help to fill some of the void, Bremer doesn’t see things like the hand harvesting of fruits and vegetables changing anytime soon.

You can learn more in our interview: Interview with Dan Bremer” (4:31)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

During the Conference four peanut producers received the annual FarmPress Peanut Efficiency Awards presented at the Friday Saturday breakfast. Producers were praised and recognized for efficiently growing high-yielding peanuts.

The 2022 winners are:
Upper Southeast: Ben Cowin, Williamston, N.C.
Lower Southeast: Wayne Hobbs, Irwin County, Ga.
Delta: Mitchell Rogers, Covington County, Miss.
Southwest: Karl Stutzman, Weatherford, Okla.

Pictured are the three winners in attendance (l-r) Karl Stutzman, Wayne Hobbs and Ben Cowin. Mitchell Rogers, was not able to be there.

We asked each winner a couple questions about receiving the award and you can listen below. Key elements of their answers were to pay attention to detail and trust in God. All these winners made remarks about how important their faith is to them and their families.

Upper Southeast States Winner interview: Interview with Ben Cowin” (1:27)

Southwest States Winner interview: Interview with Karl Stutzman” (1:20)

Lower Southeast States Winner interview: Interview with Wayne Hobbs” (1:44)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

The first general session this year was titled, “School Nutrition, How Importance Is It?” Sherry Coleman Colling, dietician for the National Peanut Board has lots of reason.

I visited with her after the session to get a few of her takeaways. A main focus was on allergies with good information on how schools can and do have protocols to address this. She says school nutrition if essential for our children and our country and the industry. There is a lot of misinformation but research shows that even in schools that claim to be “peanut free” there are still just as many allergic reactions. This is because there are nine other allergens that are on the top of the list in our country and in schools there are food products that include some of them.

You can learn more in our interview.: Interview with Sherry Coleman Collins” (4:31)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album

The 2022 Valent Valor Award was presented to Armond Morris, a Georgia peanut grower. Making the presentation was John Alton, Valent.

Armond was very surprised and expressed his appreciation of the support for the peanut industry from Valent. Armond dedicated over 40 years of service to the Georgia Peanut Commission including being Chairman and serving on many committees. He has been a spokesperson and advocate for Georgia peanuts on the state, national and international level. He has a long list of awards and serving on various peanut organizations. You can hear why he received this award in the presentation.

You can listen to the presentation here: Valent Valor Award Presentation (5:46)

2022 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Photo Album