PEANUT PRODUCERS MEET IN PANAMA CITY BEACH, FLORIDA

                The 23rd Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference is July 21-23, 2022, at the Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida. This year's conference offers farmers an opportunity to learn more about legislative issues, peanut promotions and production issues.

                The registration fee for peanut growers is only $195 which includes all conference events and meals. The registration deadline is June 30. The registration fee increases by $50 on July 1.

                The theme for this year's conference, "Together Towards Tomorrow," plans to focus on school nutrition, ag labor, carbon credits and more. During the Saturday morning general session, the keynote speaker is U.S. Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, Republican Leader of the House Committee on Agriculture.

                Register online at www.southernpeanutfarmers.org.  Officials said that there is no longer a block of rooms available at the Edgewater Beach Resort for the conference.  All rooms are available on a first come, first serve basis.  It is very important to reserve a room as soon as possible before the resort books up. 

 MANA TO SHIP PEANUT BUTTER TO UKRAINE

                     MANA Nutrition in Fitzgerald, GA is shipping one of the largest shipments of humanitarian supply rations in history and the largest ever by a private company in partnership with Samaritans Purse. MANA is sending nearly one million packages of its peanut based nutrition supplement to Ukraine in the initial shipment.  The three thousand cases of the supplement will be shipped by air.  The nutrition supplements usually go by ship, which is often very slow.  There is an added urgency for people in the war zones cut off from normal food supplies  Samaritan’s purse personnel will be the “boots on the ground” doing the actual distribution.

                    Plant Manager Allen Galbraith said that the first shipment will be shipped any day to Samaritan’s Purse for staging and air flight and others will follow  “This is not our typical package,” he said “It has more peanut paste, along with added protein, oil and other vitamins mix.  It’s about half the size of our regular packs and contains 275 calories. It’s intended to supplement other food staples which are in a very short supply in many parts of the country.”

                    The MANA production and warehouse facility is an 80,000 square foot state of the art factory producing about 121,000 pounds per day and employs 60 people.

GEORGIA PEANUT PRODUCERS INVEST IN PEANUT RESEARCH

                   The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) board of directors has approved $795,205 in research project funding for the 2022-23 research budget year. The research projects include 36 project proposals submitted from the University of Georgia, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Fort Valley State University and the USDA 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.”

                The research programs primarily focus on peanut breeding, conservation methods, irrigation and water management, as well as, pests, weed and disease management.GPC also manages funding for the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative which includes research funding of $1,019,686 for projects in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. These projects are funded through the National Peanut Board check-off dollars from farmers.

NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN PEANUT COUNCIL

                    The management agreement with APRES (American Peanut Research and Education Society) has been signed!  APRES will maintain its current identify, branding and board/governance structure.  Retiring executive officer Kim Cutchins will continue as a consultant through mid-July to ensure a smooth transition.  Farmers might be interested in attending the APRES Annual Meeting – July 12-14 in Dallas.

                    Registrations for the International Peanut Forum in Budapest were over 230 attendees from 20+ countries. That compares to about 325-350 attendees in previous years.  The Council coordinates the IPF and has been one of the world’s largest conferences of peanut people.

                    Membership is open to anyone in the peanut industry.  The American Peanut Council’s Annual Meeting is June 13-15, 2022 in Charleston, SC.

PEANUT BUTTER PRODUCT HELPS TO SAVE LIVES

                   MANA Nutrition, a Fitzgerald-based nonprofit that produces ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) to fight global malnutrition, broke ground Wednesday on a $36 million expansion of its Ben Hill County manufacturing facility. The 38,000-square-foot addition to the existing facility will allow MANA to produce 300 million pounds annually of its peanut-based nutrition supplement, compared to the 30 million currently. It will also create 10 new jobs, bringing the company’s employment in the county to 80.

                 "It’s great to see the amazing work done by hardworking Georgians in Ben Hill County," said Gov. Brian P. Kemp. "We are excited to watch MANA Nutrition serve communities in need worldwide with products from our state's No. 1 agriculture industry.”

                 The "RUTFs" are composed of peanut paste, milk, and a special mix of vitamins and minerals; they are distributed globally to fight malnutrition. MANA recently sent nearly 1 million packages of its nutrition supplement to war-torn Ukraine, said to be one of the largest shipments of humanitarian supply rations in history and the largest ever by a private company in partnership with Samaritans Purse.

                 “At MANA we are proud to harness two of Georgia’s greatest strengths – people and peanuts – to serve and feed the world. We are proud that our small, rural community is one of the world’s largest suppliers of Ready to Use Food for malnourished children,” said Mark Moore, co-founder and chief executive officer of MANA Nutrition.  “This upgrade to our facility will allow us to feed up to 3 million children a year. Hopefully, our effort is an inspiration to others who might not have much, but can do what they can with what they have to make our world a better place. Moore said plans call for a jar line to expand our reach and provide for domestic food banks.”

                Jason Dunn, director of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Development Authority, said that “feeding the world from rural Georgia is not a new concept; the manner in which MANA Nutrition is doing it is. Through the combination of Georgia-grown peanuts and the state-of-the-art production of life-saving therapeutic foods, MANA’s continued investment in Fitzgerald is not only strengthening, but also expanding the reach of Georgia’s ag legacy.”

PEANUTS & CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE

                The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new $1 billion Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program will fund pilot agricultural projects that implement climate conservation growing techniques.

                The program aims to increase climate-smart agriculture and demand for its products as well as promote inclusion of small or historically underserved producers. Projects considered for funding could be scaled up for wider use by agricultural producers and must verify that they capture methane or reduce carbon emissions.

                USDA expects to grant 30 to 50 awards, depending on the number of proposals received, and will use funding from the federally operated Commodity Credit Corporation.

                Program applicants must plan to use conservation methods that can be measured for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or carbon sequestration.

                Both for-profit and nonprofit entities — including state, local and tribal governments — can apply for climate-smart commodity grants, but they must have prior experience working with producers and landowners.

                Individual farmers, ranchers and forest owners can partner on projects with these entities.

                Projects can be between one and five years in duration with expected start dates in summer 2022. They must demonstrate results within one year of implementation.  One example is plant grasses or legumes after crop harvests and before next plantings to improve soil quality, reduce compaction and erosion.  Another example would be keeping soil surface and previous crop residue intact before planting new crops to improve soil structure, reduce erosion.  Peanuts may qualify for this program. 

PEANUT INDUSTRY SUPPORTS USO

The Virginia- Carolina promotions team has been working with major USO center’s affiliated with major airports and bases in the Virginia Carolinas region to build a partnership.

They have partnered with over 15 centers and donated a box full of Virginia Carolinas grown peanuts each month.  This promotion started in Virginia by donating peanuts to over 10 centers then came down to North Carolina and ending in Columbia, South Carolina.

The military holds such a large presence in the region and the V-C team reports, “We feel it is our job to give back. We also feel it is important to educate our military on how and where peanuts are grown.”  The leaders said that their snack is a great source of protein and makes for the perfect snack to have while traveling. We’ve received such positive feedback from all the centers, commenting on how great they taste and many centers order more than one box a month.”

           Marianne Catalano, Executive Director Virginia Carolinas Peanut Promotions, said, “We will continue to support our troops and give back to each USO center at major airports in our region and hope they enjoy our snack as much as our farmers love to grow them.”

Calendar of Events

June 13- June16, 2022 – USA PEANUT CONGRESS - The American Peanut Council and the American Peanut                 Shellers Association will host the 26th Annual Meeting of the Congress on June 13-16, 2022 at      Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina.  Book your rooms at (800)831-3490 and referencing               USA Peanut Congress.   Registration forms are at www.peanut-shellers.org.

July 12-14, 2022 – American Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) Omni Las Colinas Hotel, Dallas,                 Texas.  For info, call 229-329-2021 or www.apresinc.com.

July 15, 2022 – DEADLINE to report to Farm Service Agency (FSA) final acreage planted to crops for 2022.

July 21,2022 – Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day, Moultrie, GA  Info at 229-985-1968

July 21-23, 2022 – 23rd Annual SOUTHERN PEANUT GROWERS CONFERENCE, Edgewater Beach                   Resort, Panama City Beach, FL. Hosted by Georgia Peanut Commission and Grower’s Association in           Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi.  The 3 days cover legislation, production, marketing and promotion plus a ladies program and golf tournament.  For info, see www.southernpeanutfarmers.org.

SOUTHWEST GEORGIA FARM CREDIT PARTNERS WITH USDA ON GUARANTEED LOANS

Southwest Georgia Farm Credit based in BINBRIDGE, GA is pleased to announce that it will work with eligible borrowers throughout the food supply chain, to provide loans through the USDA’s new Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program. The program, which makes available nearly $1 billion in loan guarantees, will back private investment in processing and food supply infrastructure—all designed to strengthen the food supply chain.

                Paxton Poitevint, CEO, Southwest Georgia Farm Credit.  “These guaranteed loans offer the prospect for significant expansion in our area for warehouses, storage, shelling facilities,buying points, meat processing plants, as well as transporting, wholesaling, or distributing food, and more.”

                Through this program, USDA will partner with lenders, like Southwest Georgia Farm Credit, to guarantee loans of up to $40 million. There are no guarantee or annual fees, only reasonable and customary fees between the borrower and the lender. Loan terms must not exceed 40 years

MESSAGE OF PEANUT ALLERGIE PREVENTION

                  New parents are bombarded with so many messages in the first several months of a baby’s life. Among those most important messages about vaccinations, sleep, and feeding is the important message of peanut allergy prevention. The conversations have to start early to ensure that parents are ready to begin infant feeding as early as 4-6 months, depending on the baby’s individual risk.  That’s a message from Sherry Coleman Collins, MS, RDN, L, from the National Peanut Board.

                  She has teamed with Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN, registered dietitian and infant nutrition expert to talk about the why and the how of early infant feeding. These are five key things that we believe RDNs need to know about the critical window of time to help prevent food allergies in early infant feeding.  See TIPS at https://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/news/

                These five tips, when consistently shared with parents and other healthcare professionals, have the potential to make a big difference in reducing peanut allergies in future generations with a simple nutrition intervention.

                 "As food and nutrition experts, dietitians have an amazing opportunity to help ease parental stress around the process of starting solids. My hope is that as more caregivers feel confident and positive about the what, how and when of offering complementary, top allergenic foods during infancy, the more they'll feel empowered to feed their babies in such a way that the likelihood of food allergies is reduced,” says Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN