Peanuts An Overview of the Peanut Industry in

Peanuts An Overview of the Peanut Industry in Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Dr. Frank Flanders and Catrina Kennedy September 2006

Objectives Students will be able to: n Explain the importance of the Georgia peanut industry. n Name 4 peanut products. n State key facts. n Name the top three peanut producing counties. n Rank the peanut industry compared to other Georgia agricultural commodities. n Rank Georgia with other states in peanut production.

Why is the peanut industry important? • It's the official state crop of Georgia. • The peanut industry accounts for more than 50, 000 jobs in Georgia. • Georgia produces nearly 50% of the United States’ peanuts. • Georgia produced about 2 billion pounds of peanuts during 2004. • Georgia has approximately 14, 418 farms with peanuts and about 5, 000 active farmers. • Georgia has approximately 200 businesses related to peanuts.

Peanut Products Peanut Butter Gasoline Vanishing Cream Laxatives Wall Boards Paints Shampoo Glue

Peanut producing counties in Georgia. There are 80 counties in Georgia where peanuts are grown. The top counties are: Decatur Early Mitchell Miller Worth *Sylvester in Worth County is the Peanut Capital of the World.

Georgia’s Commodity Value Rank by sale Sales ($1000) Percent of total sales Poultry and eggs 1 2, 780, 214 56. 6 Vegetables, melons, and potatoes 2 383, 556 7. 8 Cotton and cotton seed 3 318, 013 6. 5 Nursery, greenhouse, floriculture 4 315, 324 6. 4 Other crops and hay 5 246, 936 5 Cattle and calves 6 240, 070 4. 9 Milk and other dairy products from cows 7 212, 720 4. 3 Fruits, tree nuts and berries 8 122, 151 2. 5 Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas 9 102, 464 2. 1 Tobacco 10 89, 058 1. 8 Item

US Peanut Production Top peanut producing states 1. Georgia 2. Texas 3. Alabama 4. North Carolina 5. Virginia

Types of Peanuts There are four basic types grown in the United States today. They are: Runner, Spanish, Valencia and Virginia. Runner peanuts are mainly grown in Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and over half of the runner peanuts grown in the United States are used to make peanut butter.

Interesting Facts n n n Peanuts are unusual plants because they flower above ground but fruit underground. The peanut is actually not a nut, it's a legume. About 75% of Georgia's peanuts are used to make peanut butter. Peanuts contribute more than 4 billion dollars to the U. S. economy. People eat more than 600 million pounds of peanuts a year and 700 million pounds of peanut butter.

Assessment 1. Name 4 peanut products. 2. What percentage of peanuts grown in Georgia are made into peanut butter? 3. What are the top 5 peanut producing states in the U. S. ? 4. Name one of the top producing counties in Georgia? 5. What is the official state crop of Georgia?

Assessment Key 1. Peanut Butter, gas, paint, etc 2. 75% 3. Georgia, Texas, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia 4. Worth, Miller, Early, Mitchell, Decatur 5. Peanuts Photo from FVSU

References http: //www. peanutsusa. com www. gapeanuts. com