Wednesday during the Georgia Peanut Tour attendees were able to visit with Chris Martin, a farmer in Pulaski County. Martin is trying his hand at growing organic peanuts on a small scale. He has been very successful in the past at growing low input conservation till peanuts so the next step for him to try is organic peanut production. The majority of organic peanuts are produced in Texas and New Mexico, but these states are unable to meet the growing demand. The Georgia climate is excellent for growing peanuts, but they have to be sprayed with pesticides to control insects, weeds and diseases due to the hot humid climate. Researchers have been successful in growing organic peanuts in small plots, but needed research at the farm level. Martin prepared the land and agreed to grow 5 acres of organic peanuts on his farm in 2007. He planted 4 acres of variety DP-1 and 1 acre of the variety Georganic. Martin plowed and irrigated the peanuts and did not apply pesticides during the growing season. The yields for the 2007 crop were 3,000 pounds per acre. “The peanuts in the test yielded just as good as my peanuts I sprayed with pesticides,” Martin says. So, now in 2008, he has decided to participate in a three-year Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) transition study from conventional to organic peanuts. Martin has received tremendous assistance with this project from his local county Extension agent Ronnie Barrentine and other researchers with the University of Georgia and USDA.

Martin currently grows green peanuts for Hardy Farms for boiled peanuts. There has been an interest in growing organic peanuts for the boiling market. Consumers are continuing to demand organic foods so several major food companies have made a commitment to buy organic peanuts. There is also a growing demand for organic peanut butter. This may be a great project to try since the price received for organic peanuts is likely to be three times the amount received for farmer stock peanuts.
View video of Chris Martin on the Georgia Peanut Tour.