The second farm visit on the tour is at the home of Neil Lee from Bronwood, Ga. Neil farms with his dad and two brothers. The family farms as a partnership growing 7,000 acres of peanuts, cotton, corn and wheat. There are 1,200 acres of the farm planted in peanuts and some are irrigated while others are dryland peanuts. Neil grows Georgia 06-G peanut variety and has already picked all of the dryland peanuts which he says does not look that promising. During the 2012 season, Neil and his family struggled with the drought on their 150 acres of dryland peanuts like many farmers across the U.S. The Georgia Peanut Tour attendees visited an irrigated field Neil recently dug. Since digging the peanuts, it has rained in the area so he has to use a “fluffer” in the field prior to picking. The “fluffer” lifts the peanut vine so that air goes under the vine and helps dry them so that the vine is not sticking to the ground. Then the Lee family will be able to pick their peanuts and deliver them to the local buying point. The family also owns and operates a cotton gin, McCleskey Cotton, where they gin approximately 70,000 bales of cotton each year.
