· Georgia Peanut Farm Show Award Winners ·

The Georgia Peanut Commission presented the following awards to individuals who have contributed to the advancement of the peanut industry. The awards were presented during the Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference awards luncheon on Jan. 19, 2023, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center.

Congratulations to the 2023 Georgia Peanut Farm Show Award winners!

Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame – The Honorable Sonny Perdue, Chancellor University System of Georgia

The Georgia Peanut Commission is honored to install our seventh recipient into the Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame since 1961. This award is the highest recognition given to an individual by the peanut farmers of Georgia and recognizes lifelong contributions to the state’s peanut industry, as well as the industry’s success due to the individual’s efforts and oversight.

Today, we are proud to induct the Honorable Sonny Perdue into the Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame. Perdue is the 14th chancellor of the University System of Georgia where he oversees 26 public colleges and universities with a $9.8 billion annual budget, 48,000 faculty and staff and more than 340,000 students.

Prior to becoming chancellor, Perdue was the 31st Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2017 to 2021. He also served two terms as the governor of Georgia, from 2003 to 2011, and was a member of the Georgia Senate from 1991 to 2001, where he chaired the Senate Higher Education Committee and eventually became Senate President Pro Tem. Wherever Perdue held an office, he always made sure the front door was open for farmers.

The portrait of Chancellor Perdue will be displayed in the Georgia Peanut Commission headquarters in Tifton, Ga.

Distinguished Service Award – The Honorable Gary Black

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to the Honorable Gary Black, former Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and is a member of the Homeland Security Board. For more than 38 years Black has championed sound state and federal policies impacting food safety, science-based environmental stewardship and agricultural marketing. Through his years of service Gary has remained committed to fostering growth in Georgia's number one industry - Agriculture. Black was first elected to serve as the Commissioner of Agriculture in November 2010. Under his leadership, the Department's food safety and animal health regulatory programs have received national acclaim and the Georgia Grown brand's economic impact can be seen in every corner of the state and beyond. His innovative vision to strengthen school nutrition has resulted in expanded markets for Georgia farmers and improved the quality of nutrition for Georgia students. In recognition of these successes, Commissioner Black was named Georgia Trend Magazine's Georgian of the Year in 2017.

Research and Education Award - University of Georgia Peanut Team

The Research and Education award is presented to the University of Georgia Peanut Team. The UGA Peanut Team is comprised of University of Georgia scientists who conduct research and extension programs on all aspects of peanut production. The majority of these scientists are located at the University of Georgia’s Tifton Campus and the remaining scientists are located at the UGA Griffin and Athens campus.

The UGA Peanut Team conducts research and extension based educational programs for farmers in the areas of peanut breeding, disease, weed, insect management, soil fertility, precision ag and economics which benefit farmers tremendously. For decades, the UGA Peanut Team has worked together in helping farmers find ways to manage Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus pressure and develop a plan in managing diseases. The UGA Peanut Team maintains a cooperative research program with scientists from USDA and additional colleges within the University of Georgia that will continue to benefit farmers for many years. As a team they are at the forefront when it comes to cutting edge research and helping farmers find new ways to produce the highest quality peanuts for today’s consumer.

Research and Education Award - Calvin Perry, University of Georgia Stripling Irrigation Research Park

The Research and Education award is presented to Calvin Perry, retired superintendent of the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park in Camilla, Georgia. From 2008 to December 1, 2022, Perry served as the superintendent of the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park, near Camilla, Georgia, while also continuing to serve as a public service faculty with the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. Perry always kept in mind the Stripling Park’s mission - to help our growers in Georgia, and beyond, to irrigate as effectively and efficiently as possible.

During that 14-year span, Perry conducted numerous research and extension projects related to advanced irrigation scheduling and variable-rate irrigation and worked with many scientists to host their projects at the Stripling Park. Each year, many of the projects involved peanut research and were related to irrigation timing, development of irrigation scheduling tools, crop response to irrigation, and chemigation.

Much of the research at the park was highly dependent upon the use of cutting-edge VRI controls on center pivots and lateral move systems – a control system that Perry devoted much of his career, dating back to 1999.

Innovator Award - Bill Branch, University of Georgia

The Georgia Peanut Innovator Award is presented to William D. Branch, peanut breeder with the University of Georgia. Branch first became interested in plant breeding while growing up on a farm in south central, Oklahoma. He obtained his masters and doctorate from Oklahoma State University and then started a postdoctoral position at Auburn University. The postdoctoral position was a temporary position and Branch soon moved to Tifton, Georgia, to begin working with the University of Georgia breeding program in 1978 at the Coastal Plains Experiment Station.

In the early years of Branch’s work, the Florunner peanut variety, released by the University of Florida, dominated the market until tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) began damaging fields across the Southeast. As a breeder, Branch worked to develop new varieties to help with the battle against TSWV but also have similar characteristics to Florunner. Through the past 44 years, Branch has developed more than 30 new peanut varieties with the consistent goal of increased yield and grade as well as resistance characteristics for the farmer, and better shelling characteristics and enhanced flavor and nutrition for the consumer.

As TSWV wreaked havoc on farms across the Southeast, Branch released a cross between Southern Runner and Sunbelt Runner, named Georgia Green. Georgia Green helped to set the industry back on track with their fight against TSWV. When yields began decreasing with Georgia Green, Branch released Georgia-06G, a cross between Georgia Green and C99R. Georgia-06G is now the number one, most planted peanut variety across the Southeast.

The new varieties Branch has developed has led to an overall increase of nearly 2,000 pounds per acre for farmers and an increase in $325 per acre since his first runner variety released in 1990. Branch has been recognized by multiple peanut industry organizations and in 2019 was named an endowed professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics from the Georgia Seed Development Commission.

Promotion Award - Bob Parker, National Peanut Board

The Promotion Award is presented to Bob Parker, president of the National Peanut Board. Parker joined the National Peanut Board, a farmer-funded research, marketing and promotion organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, as its president and CEO in 2012. At the National Peanut Board, he has focused on the mission of improving the economic condition of America’s peanut farmers and their families. Those efforts have centered around promoting the increased consumption of U.S.-grown peanuts domestically and internationally, addressing barriers to consumption such as peanut allergy and supporting production research to make peanut farmers more productive, efficient and sustainable.

The 2022 peanut crop is the 46th of Parker’s professional career, although he has been around peanuts his entire life. He has a broad range of experience in peanuts and agriculture, both domestically and internationally, from growing, processing, public policy and marketing.

Media Award - Peanut Farm Market News

The Georgia Peanut Media Award is presented to The Peanut Farm Market News which is edited and distributed by Tyron Spearman and the Spearman Agency. The one-page publication is published three times a week and provides information on peanut markets around the world plus all industry events and USDA peanut releases. The Peanut Farm Market News enters its 35th year in 2023 and more than 5,250 issues have been published and distributed to peanut friends around the world.

Special Award - Dr. Darlene Cowart, Birdsong Peanuts

The Georgia Peanut Special Award is presented to Darlene Cowart, vice president of Food Safety and Quality with Birdsong Peanuts, for her outstanding contributions towards peanut quality and promoting the health and nutritional benefits of peanuts. Cowart’s primary responsibility at Birdsong is the implementation and management of the food safety and quality systems for all regions. Cowart has spent her entire professional career in the peanut industry focusing on food safety and quality at all levels of the business. She is currently serving as chairman of the American Peanut Shellers Association Regulatory Compliance and Research Committee, chairman of the Research Committee of the Peanut Institute, board member for the Peanut Research Foundation of the American Peanut Council, and as a board member of the Peanut Standards Board appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture