2017 Conference | Southern Peanut Farmers

Vantage Southeast (formally Ag Technologies) got its start helping provide precision agriculture solutions for peanut growers and they remain a priority for the company. “We’ve always tried to stay true to the ones the brought us to the dance,” said company representative Travis Kelly who enjoys coming back every year to see farmer customers and being part of the Southern ... Read More

For Curry Parker of Headland, Alabama, hard work and sharp eyes are his most important assets when it comes to being an efficient farmer and winner of this year’s Farm Press Peanut Efficiency Award for the lower Southeast region. “I did it by not being lazy, do whatever the crop needs, and use my eyes to see what’s going on,” ... Read More

It’s always wonderful to meet a new addition to the Southern Peanut Growers family and this year we had the pleasure of meeting Alexis Benge-Bromley with UPI, a global crop protection product company based in Pennsylvania. Being a Mississippi native, Alexis felt right at home and will definitely be back again next year. “I’ve had a chance to meet with ... Read More

The annual Peanut Efficiency Awards were presented at the 2017 Southern Peanut Growers Conference. The annual awards presented by Farm Press are based on production proficiency, honoring growers who produce the highest yields by using inputs wisely and effectively based on a their entire farm operation. This year’s winners are: Lower SE Region – Curry Parker of Headland, AL Upper ... Read More

Georgia peanut farmers have one of their own in the Trump administration as Secretary of Agriculture. Don Koehler with the Georgia Peanut Commission says he got to know Sonny Perdue when he was a farmer. “He actually grew peanuts on his farm,” Don says. “He’s a man with a heart for agriculture.” As a real farmer who understands peanuts, Perdue ... Read More

Helping farmers make informed decisions about their crops is the goal of Informed Ag, an Ag Leader dealer based in Auburn, Alabama. Lead engineer Rees Bridges brought his professional engineering career back to the farm to start a consulting business. “Peanuts in the area where I grew up (in south Georgia) were kind of the blood of life,” said Bridges. ... Read More

Every farm bill gets a little more difficult to pass with an increasingly urban Congress, which is why the peanut industry needs an advocate like Bob Redding in Washington, D.C. Redding has already been involved in early farm bill preparations, such as the first listening session held recently in Gainesville, Florida. This week he will be at the Senate Agriculture ... Read More

The Nuts vs the Sprouts in a Battle of the Generations Nut Show made for a fun night of entertainment at the welcoming dinner sponsored by Bayer. Welcome reception sponsors Birdsong Peanuts and Kelley Manufacturing chose teams for the older generation versus the younger generation and Jimmy Laska’s team of old timers could name that tune from Motown to Uptown ... Read More

The Alabama peanut crop is looking good, according to Alabama Peanut Producers Association Executive Director Caleb Bristow, and farmers are definitely interested in learning more about the navigating the market place for their crop. “Really it’s a complete 180 from where we were last year,” Bristow said of the market for peanuts this year. As far as what Alabama farmers ... Read More

U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Austin Scott (R-GA) both shared their perspectives on the new administration, gridlock in Congress, and the outlook for a 2018 farm bill at the 2017 Southern Peanut Growers Conference Saturday. “It’s going to be a tough fight, I don’t want anybody to fool themselves,” said Rep. Rogers about getting the next farm bill passed ... Read More