Peanut Picking Time


During a stop at Glenn Heard Farms in Brinson, Georgia, Georgia Peanut Tour attendees had the opportunity to see first-hand the process of harvesting peanuts. Heard is a third-generation farmer who grows wheat, milo, corn, cotton, peanuts, sweet corn, and carrots. Heard farms right in the heart of peanut country in Decatur and Seminole counties.

Peanut harvesting is a multi-step process. Digging, which is first, is the process of removing the peanut from the ground, shaking off any excess soil, rotating the plant, and then leaving the plant in rows, allowing the peanut to release moisture before being picked from the vine once dry. Farmers must monitor the maturity of the peanut crop before commencing the important task of digging. If removed from the ground too early, the peanuts will not reach the necessary maturity to meet accepted standards for grading. To reach maturity, the peanut growing period is 140-150 days following planting.

After a few days left to dry, peanuts are ready to be picked. Peanuts are picked with a combine. The combine separates the peanuts form the vine, placing the peanuts in a hopper on the top of the machine and depositing the vines back into the field.

Learn more about Glenn Heard Farms by watching the 2021 Through the Eyes of a Farmer video he was featured in.

View the 2023 Georgia Peanut Tour Photo Album

 

2016 Georgia Peanut Tour set for Tifton area

2016_gptlogoThe thirtieth annual Georgia Peanut Tour will be held September 13-15, 2016, in Tifton, Georgia, and surrounding area. The tour brings the latest information on peanuts while giving a first-hand view of industry infrastructure from production and handling to  processing and utilization. Tour stops will be made in several peanut producing counties including Tift, Irwin, Coffee and Ben Hill County.

Hotel accommodations can be made at the Country Inn & Suites in Tifton by calling 229-382-8100 or the  Comfort Inn & Suites in Tifton by calling 229-382-8250. Rooms are available at the rate of $85.00 plus tax for a standard room. Be sure to ask for the Georgia Peanut Tour room block.

For more information, contact Hannah Jones at hannah@gapeanuts.com or call at 229-386-3475.

Tour Schedule
2016 Georgia Peanut Tour Maps & Driving Directions
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A Southern Staple

At this stop, tour attendees were able to see a different aspect of peanut farming c21480962042_95c13a0e0f_oompared to previous stops. Vic Fleet, owner of Rolling Hills Farm, Inc., located in Colquitt, Georgia, plants green peanuts for  boiling.  A boiled peanut, botanically, is like a regular peanut. However, boiled peanuts are harvested earlier when they are still immature, and they are then boiled and soaked in salt water. The handling of green peanuts is completely different than that of a commercial grown peanut. A green peanut is a perishable product, and if not dried or frozen, will start rotting from the moment it is harvested.

Once the green peanuts have been picked, they are taken to be washed, put into crates and then refrigerated until they are boiled, frozen or processed. Fleet has been in the green peanut business for about 10 years now. His peanuts are sold for $1.00 per pound and in 40 pound crates for $40.00. Vic begins to plant his green peanuts in April, which is earlier than commercial peanuts. On Fleet’s farm, he plants GA 11, which is a Virginia variety. This variety is a larger nut and is easier to get out of the shell. Fleet plants an average of 250 acres of peanuts, which he sells commercially. He uses 12 of those acres for his green boiling peanut business.

Of course, after all the talk about these delicious green boiled peanuts, tour attendees were treated with this wonderful southern staple. Many of the attendees had never tried boiled peanuts before.

Brock Ward, Miller County Extension agent, told the group that one quarter of everything that comes through Miller County is centered around peanuts.

View the 2015 Georgia Peanut Tour Album