(GPC/TIFTON, GA) — The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) board of directors has approved $791,639 in research project funding for the 2024-25 research budget year. This action was taken during the commission’s March board meeting. The research projects include 40 project proposals submitted from the University of Georgia, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.
“As a peanut grower, I’m proud to invest in the Georgia Peanut Commission and in the future of the peanut industry by supporting research that continues to demonstrate a return on our investment,” says Donald Chase, GPC Research Committee chairman. “We are proud of our partnership with research institutions and look forward to seeing the results which will benefit farmers in the state and enhance the sustainability of our crop.”
Georgia’s peanut growers invest $2 per ton annually toward GPC programs which includes research, promotion and education. Research primarily focuses on peanut breeding, conservation methods, irrigation and water management, as well as pest, weed and disease management.
The GPC board of directors approved additional projects focusing on non-food uses of peanuts. The projects aim to provide new opportunities for growth within the peanut industry. They will focus on utilizing high-oleic peanuts in poultry feed, converting peanut oil from a non-drying oil to a drying oil for timber oils and coatings, reviewing George Washington Carver’s peanut uses for application in today’s world and finding new non-food applications of peanuts and by-products.
Additionally, GPC manages funding for the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative which includes research funding of $1,557,580 for projects in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. These projects are funded through the National Peanut Board checkoff dollars from farmers.
For additional information and a complete list of the research projects funded by the Georgia Peanut Commission visit www.gapeanuts.com.