The first stop of the 2025 Georgia Peanut Tour highlighted the beginning of the peanut harvesting process—digging. Digging takes place approximately 120 to 150 days after planting. When conditions are just right, farmers take a digger up and down the rows. The digger gently pulls up the plants, shakes off the excess soil, and lays the plants back down with the peanuts facing the sun. This allows the peanuts to dry for a few days before the combine comes back through.
Danny Swilley of Swilley Farms spoke about the legacy of his family’s farm. For over 100 years, the Swilley family has been working the land in Lowndes County. With over 3,000 acres in peanuts and cotton, Danny, his two brothers, and his father work hard to preserve the land for future farming generations.
Lowndes County is a diverse county when it comes to agriculture. Farmers there grow peanuts, cotton, corn, soybeans, and citrus. With roughly 5,000 acres in peanuts, county Extension agent Joshua Dawson, with Fort Valley State University, works closely with the county’s peanut farmers—like the Swilley family—to ensure a bountiful crop each season.