At the start of the Southern Peanut Growers Conference I get a chance to visit with each of the state peanut association executives. This year we have a new Executive Director at the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Libbie Johnson. Along with her are Ken Barton, Florida Peanut Producers Association, Don Koehler, Georgia Peanut Commission and Malcolm Broome, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association.
Topics and issues in the states are pretty similar to last year. Each executive director provides an outlook on the peanut crop in their state. The Farm Bill is of higher importance because we’re getting closer to possible new legislation by the end of the year. We’ll be hearing more about it during the conference. Input costs and other factors are making financial difficulties for peanut farmers. Relatively new on the program this year is a discussion on new non-edible uses for peanuts and newer precision agriculture technology. More stories can be found on the SPGC Blog.
Listen in and hear how things are going in each state.
2023 SPGC - Libbie Johnson, AL Peanut Producers Association (3:46)2023 SPGC - Ken Barton, FL Peanut Producers Association (4:31)
2023 SPGC - Don Koehler, GA Peanut Commission (6:57)
2023 SPGC - Malcolm Broome, MS Peanut Growers (5:04)