By Clint Thompson
Georgia’s peanut crop has experienced a “roller coaster” of a ride during the first couple of months of production. The up-and-down weather trends have challenged production.
But the crop still has potential, says Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist. It just needs more consistent rainfall.
“Things look good right this minute, but we need the rains to continue. I know the predictions are that the rains are going to continue, but we’re living in South Georgia. We know that doesn’t hold true always,” Monfort said. “The people that have received rain, they’ve gotten good amounts of rain, but there are pockets out there that still has not received any rain in the last four weeks.
“I think we’re a good average crop. Time will tell how better that gets or how much better that gets. I think we have some room to improve, that’s for certain, because we’ve got a ways to go. A majority of our crop is only 55 and 70 days. With that in mind, we are just now ramping up our blooming, pegging and setting. We’re getting rains, and temperatures have come down. All of that speaks well to putting on a crop.”
Weather Challenges
The crop was impacted by consistent rainfall in May. According to the UGA Weather Network, Tifton, Georgia, received 7.66 inches of rain in May, compared to 3.03 inches in 2023. Moultrie, Georgia, received 13.02 inches in May, compared to 3.82 in 2023. The rains delayed plantings across South Georgia.
“It’s been a roller coaster. We had a great start, and by the time we got really up and running, we got slammed to the ground with weather. It took us a long time to get started again,” Monfort said. “Those peanuts planted early look wonderful. They did go through some pretty bad, hot and dry conditions, but they were young. When we come out of that wet weather going into that hot weather, we were trying to finish planting the majority of our peanuts. A lot of those got hit by conditions that were not quite perfect, so that hurt us in trying to get stands.”
Hot and dry conditions in June followed the rainy spring. Rains have more consistent in recent weeks but only in certain areas. Pests are becoming more prevalent for some producers.
“We are still having some problems with dry weather pests like lesser cornstalk borers. They’re not going away, because we haven’t had consistent rains to alleviate that,” Monfort said. “Disease is starting to come along. Growers have to be on their P’s and Q’s about getting stuff done on time. I think as long as we do that, we still have a good shot at a good, average yield.”