The location is new this year but the 17th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference has the same great line up of information and entertainment for peanut farmers and industry partners from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi.
For the first time in 17 years, Georgia is the host state for the event that has always been held in Panama City Beach, Florida. The venue this year is Callaway Gardens, a 6400 acre resort located in Pine Mountain, Georgia where from hiking the cool mountain trails to lounging on the largest man-made beach in North America.
As I have for the past eight years of covering this event, I checked in with the executive directors for the states that make up the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation, starting with Ken Barton of the Florida Peanut Producers Association and Don Koehler with the Georgia Peanut Commission.
Don and Ken talk about the change of venue this year and how attendees will be making the decision on where future conferences will be held. They also comment on how the peanut crop in each of their states looks right now and some of the issues they are watching on a national level. Among the highlights of the conference this year will be appearances by Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden, a Georgia native, who will give the keynote address during the Friday luncheon sponsored by BASF, and Congressman Ted Yoho (R-FL) will speak to attendees on Saturday morning.
Listen to those interviews below and check out the SPGC Blog for complete coverage.
Interview with Don Koehler, Georgia Peanut Commission
Interview with Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association