Florida Peanut Federation Donates Plot Planter to UF/IFAS

Clint Thompson Florida, Peanuts

The Florida Peanut Federation donated a plot planter to UF/IFAS.

Florida Peanut Federation

LIVE OAK, FLORIDA, JUNE, 2020 — The Florida Peanut Federation holds fast to its mission “strive to improve and develop a thriving and sustainable peanut industry, ensuring all of Florida’s peanut producers and allied partners the greatest opportunity to be successful.”  Through a research partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the Florida Peanut Federation (FPF) is committed to strengthening the industry.  That begins with a viable and productive peanut being planted.

FPF Board of Directors took a tremendous step forward with the purchase of a research plot planter.  A very advanced and sophisticated planter, with the newest in technology and the best research team to use it, FPF purchased and donated a plot planter to UF/IFAS, North Florida Research Education Center.  The planter was presented at the Annual Meeting of the FPF earlier this spring and is now in use at UF/IFAS NFREC-Suwannee Valley.

Shad Mallady with Seed Research Equipment Solutions (SRES), leading manufacturer of custom seed research equipment, said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to build a custom designed research planter to enhance the development of peanut research in the area.  It has been a pleasure working with the FPF and UF on this special project.”  

This research plot planter is fashioned with the most advanced equipment available. Based on a two-row Monosem planter, it has advanced control modified seed covers that allow it to plant one seed variety after the last over and over without mixing the seeds between plots. It also has GPS controls that will help to improve the accuracy of planting plots and reduce the labor and time involved in field layout.

Upon request of a new planter, Barry Tillman emphasized the improved accuracy and efficiency in planting peanut research plots that the planter can contribute for the Peanut Breeding Program.  Tillman’s research and extension programs focus on developing improved peanut varieties. His breeding program emphasizes conventional breeding methods while conducting research to develop and incorporate more advanced genomic tools into the breeding effort. 

“The NFREC is grateful to the Florida Peanut Federation for their gift of a state of the art research plot planter. This new planter will significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of planting peanut research plots at the NFREC and help us to develop improved varieties for years to come. We at the NFREC appreciate the ongoing relationship with the Florida Peanut Federation and look forward to continued collaboration as we work together to keep peanut production sustainable,”  said Tillman, Assistant Director, Professor, Agronomy.

The Florida Peanut Federation is encouraged by the programs at NFREC and with the Peanut Breeding Program. 

“We look for great things to come from the progress that is made possible by this donation,” said Dwight Stansel, President of the Florida Peanut Federation.

The Florida Peanut Federation is a farmer-driven organization, whose purpose is to improve the business conditions of Florida’s peanut producers and to promote a healthy peanut market. FPF funds and promotes research projects based on real-time needs of producers in Florida’s peanut growing region. Florida Peanut Federation focuses on public relations and advertising to result in the further development, promotion, sale, and use of Florida grown peanuts.