2023 Peanut Harvest Guidebook late Planting leads to later harvest

By Joy Crosby

Issues with seed vigor, weather conditions at planting, continued rains, colder temperatures and crop damage from deer or other wildlife have all caused a delay in the 2023 peanut crop. However, the crop is rebounding, according to peanut agronomists, but more than likely the Southeast will see a delayed harvest.

"In times like this, it is critical for farmers to begin checking their crop at 120 days even though we could be looking at 150 days maturity instead of the normal 140 days," says Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist.

Monfort is conducting a digging date study this year on multiple varieties to see if the maturity is still similar as previous years. If a farmer's main way of determining maturity is days after planting then this is not what a farmer will want to do this year, Monfort adds.

"Farmers need to be more dialed in this year with crop maturity especially with planting, blooming and accumulated heat units being behind," Monfort says.

Farmers are encouraged to take a sample representative of the entire field. Agronomists agree the sample needs to come from an area representative of the majority of the field and the soil type within the field. If the sample is not representative of the entire field, a farmer will wind up overestimating or underestimating the crop maturity.

Monfort recommends sampling two foot of row out of five different places within the field. He discourages a farmer from obtaining a sample right at the pivot point or the edge of the field.

The Extension offices across the

Southeast hold pod blasting clinics in county offices or regional areas for farmers to attend and bring samples. It is important for farmers to bring the entire sample, including the vines to the pod blasting clinic instead of pulling the peanuts off of the vine in advance.

"By allowing the Extension agents to see the entire vine, they can make a better decision to help farmers; especially if a farmer is having issues with disease and needs to go ahead and dig the crop up," Monfort says.

Hurricanes are also another consideration during harvest. If a farmer has peanuts ready to harvest and a hurricane is coming, Monfort recommends not digging too far before the hurricane. If a farmer digs peanuts too far ahead of the weather event and can't harvest them, then the vines will get brittle and a farmer will have more loss when trying to pick the peanuts. Monfort recommends digging a day or so before the hurricane so the vines do not get brittle. Of course, he says, a farmer will have to fluff the vines before picking.

"It is always better to have rain on freshly dug peanuts than peanuts that have already dried in the field, causing the vines to get brittle,"

Monfort says.

Research through the years has shown that by digging too early or too late, a farmer can risk losing 500 to 1,000 pounds per acre. Once past two weeks of maturity, if the crop has been impacted from disease, peg strength or other issues, a grower could see upwards of 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre.

Kris Balkcom, Auburn University Extension peanut specialist, encourages farmers to plan for increased picking capacity for the 2023 crop.

"The crop has been delayed this year and most likely we could see harvest going later into November, which means wetter weather patterns, cooler temperatures and shorter days," Balkcom says. "Farmers should consider additional pickers or ways to work together with other farmers to be able to get across that crop faster."

Even with the delays and unpredictability of the 2023 season, farmers can stay prepared and ahead of the game by monitoring their field, taking a representative sample of their field for pod blasting and making informed decisions when it comes to digging and picking. 