The first stop of the 2024 Georgia Peanut Tour was a stop at the 102 year old farm, Davis Farms, in Terrell County, Georgia. Davis Farms is owned and operated by Glenn and Riley Davis. They farm peanuts, cotton, corn, soybeans and pecans on approximately 4,500 acres. Riley is a fourth generation farmer and feels very fortunate that his father helped him get a start in farming once he finished college. Riley hopes to be able to pass the love of farming onto his three boys, Luke, Drew and Landon. Learn more about Riley and why he is proud to be a Georgia farmer from a WALB News Interview.
This stop highlighted the first step of harvesting peanuts which includes digging the peanuts up out of the ground. The field of the runner type of peanut, Georgia-12Y, was planted April 15 and is currently 152 days old. According to recent maturity tests of the field, the field has about 10 to 14 days until it reaches full maturity. Digging too early can cause a loss so farmers use the peanut maturity board and pod blasting to determine the optimum time for digging their peanuts.
The field was planted behind a cover crop of black oats and radish. Riley strip tilled the peanuts in at planting. Throughout the season, Riley has an issues with drought in the dry corners of the field where the irrigation does not apply water to the crop. He has also had issues with spider mites which thrive in dry conditions.
Terrell County, Georgia is in the heart of peanut production in the state. According to Seth McAllister, Terrell County Extension agent, the county has 60,000 acres of row crops. Many farmers in the county plant using a 3-year rotation of corn, cotton and peanuts.
To learn more about peanut production in the state of Georgia, click here.