Georgia Peanut Tour attracts international visitors, PMIL collaborators
By Christy Fricks
University of Georgia, Peanut & Mycotoxin Innovation Lab
The annual Georgia Peanut Tour, held September 16th to 18th in southeast Georgia, is a major attraction for the nation's peanut industry, including a number of international visitors.
The event not only showcases the Georgia peanut industry, but also serves to educate consumers, growers and researchers.
This year, several of the attendees were affiliated with USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Peanut Productivity and Mycotoxin Control (PMIL), which is hosted by the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The tour opened this year with a focus on PMIL and presentations from PMIL Lead Scientist Peggy Ozias-Akins, Collaborator Bob Kemerait, and Assistant Director Jamie Rhoads
“It was interesting to see how research plays an important part in the process and development of the quality of peanuts we consume, and to see things from a grower standpoint,” said Allen Stripling, Business Manager for PMIL, who attended the event
Another PMIL Collaborator who attended the tour was Agnes Mwangwela, a native of Malawi.
Agnes is working with Lead Scientist Rick Brandenburg on PMIL’s Southern Africa Peanut Value Chain Intervention project.
She is here, along with Joelle Kajuga, a native of Rwanda, under the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program.
UGA's Office of Global Programs is hosting their visit.
Both are in the United States conducting research on aflatoxin, a mycotoxin that affects peanuts and many other crops.
Published October 02, 2014