Georgia Agricultural Resources: Commodity Facts

Peanuts

Georgia and peanuts are synonymous for many reasons.

One of Georgia's largest cash crops is peanuts. Georgia peanut farmers provide almost half of the U.S. peanut crop each year — worth $390 million in 2001.

The most famous Georgia peanut farmer probably is Jimmy Carter, who ran the family peanut farm and businesses before being elected Georgia's governor in 1970 and U.S. president in 1976. He still lives in Plains, Ga.,in the heart of the peanut belt, with his wife Rosalynn.

Georgia has 6,000 farm families growing peanuts and another 37,000 Georgians working on peanut farms, in peanut-related agribusiness services, in shelling plants and in factories that roast peanuts or make candy or peanut butter.

Peanuts are unusual plants because they flower above ground but fruit underground. The shelled peanut is the seed, which is planted in April or May and grows into an oval-leafed plant about 18 inches tall. Peanuts are harvested in September or October.

The peanut is actually not a nut at all. It's a legume. Perhaps that's why boiling peanuts (in the shell, in salt water), a cooking method typical of other beans, is such a popular to do with peanuts in the South.

Like Carter, many Georgians have left their agricultural roots for other pursuits, but about 10,000 of them travel to Sylvester, Ga., each year for the Georgia Peanut Festival, with its parade, entertainment, arts, crafts and food.

About 75 percent of Georgia's peanuts are used to make peanut butter. Americans eat about 2 million pounds of peanut butter and 1.6 million pounds of roasted peanuts every day.

Peanut butter is convenient, affordable (about 12 cents per serving) and nutritious. Peanuts and peanut butter are high in protein and fiber and contain 13 essential vitamins and minerals. And they're naturally cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat.

Peanut butter is often thought of as children's food, but adults actually eat more of it than children. In fact, more than 60,000 people belong to the Adult Peanut Butter Lovers' Fan Club. The Atlanta-based group includes peanut butter lovers from all 50 states and many other countries — including Ireland, England, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Israel — and such honorary members as five-time gold medalist Bonnie Blair, actor Bill Cosby and President Bill Clinton.

 

Points of Interest

• Albany: M&M Mars Candy Plant and Tara Foods Peanut Butter Plant
• Ashburn: Lighted peanut monument visible from I-75
• Blakely: Peanut monument on the grounds of the county courthouse
• Plains: Farm and home of former President Jimmy Carter and Plains Peanut Festival
• Sylvester: Peter Pan Peanut Butter plant and Georgia Peanut Festival

 

More Information

• Georgia Peanut Producers Association
  Phone: 912/432-9001
• The Peanut Institute
  Phone: 1-888-8Peanut
• The Adult Peanutbutter Lovers Fan Club
• Skippy Peanut Butter
• American Peanut Shellers' Association
  Phone: 229/888-2508
• UGA Peanut Team
• UGA Peanut Website
• Peanut Production Information
• UGA Peanut Publications
• Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Peanuts
  Phone: 1-800-346-4993
• American Peanut Council
  Phone: 703/838-9500
• National Peanut Board
  E-mail: peanuts@nationalpeanutboard.org
• The Peanut Advisory Board

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