19 minute read
McGill’s Mission Field
Peanuts
McGill’s Mission Field
Afast walk, humorous stories and handwritten notes are a few of the things family and friends remember about J. Frank McGill, also known aff ectionately as Mr. Peanut. McGill, 95, passed away on March 3 in Tifton, Georgia.
McGill received many awards through the years for his work within the peanut industry from multiple organizations and the University of Georgia, and was the fi rst inductee into the Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame at the Georgia Peanut Commission in 1982.
The awards were great, but the memories and lives touched were the best part for McGill. He touched the lives of many within the peanut industry throughout Georgia, the U.S. and the world.
McGill was raised on a small family farm near Chula, Georgia, where he learned more about an honest living while being raised during the Depression. He gained honest work ethic on the family farm which led later to a 46 year career as a county Extension agriculture agent, Extension peanut specialist with the University of Georgia and peanut consultant with M&M Mars.
At one time in his life, McGill actually questioned whether God was calling him into ministry service. However, McGill’s mission was in the fi eld of peanuts and he fulfi lled that mission by serving farmers and teaching all who would listen about peanuts.
During McGill’s funeral, his daughter shared a story about how McGill would take family members out to the peanut fi eld and if they were lucky he would crack open a peanut and reveal the seeds inside. With genuine awe in his eyes, he would begin to talk about the power of that seed. McGill would discuss how once the seed was planted in the ground a miracle would occur which would bring new life, and the power to feed hungry people and provide a livelihood for the farmer. He treated his work as a sacred calling and his devotion to it a spiritual one.
McGill’s fi rst impressions of the University of Georgia happened at the young age of 8 when the university agreed to accept fresh produce and meat for his brother’s college tuition. So, as a young boy he helped his Dad load up two butchered hogs, sweet potatoes and syrup in the families Model T and made the 200mile trek to Athens, Georgia.
Those events made a lasting impression on McGill and helped him decide to learn more about UGA which led to his thirty-one year career with the UGA Extension Service.
During the time span of 1949 to 1978, peanut yields increased from 800 pounds per acre to more than 3,000 pounds per acre as technology continued to advance within the industry. McGill provided a team approach within the Extension Service which can also be attributed to the increased yield.
A quote excerpt within McGill’s book, “From the Mule to the Moon” sums up his love and acclaim for Georgia farmers.
The statement reads, “All of the ingredients contributing to this giant step of progress are too numerous, complicated and diverse for me to document adequately. However, the peanut growers of Georgia who consistently embraced a mentality for change during my forty-six years in the business are without a doubt the key ingredient to Georgia’s peanut success story.”
McGill also paved the way for an Extension ag engineer to join him at UGA. Initially, UGA wanted to hire a second peanut agronomist to assist McGill but he had other plans and knew the peanut industry really needed an ag engineer. McGill wrote the letter for the Georgia Peanut Commission to send to Athens requesting an ag engineer and the rest is history.
McGill continued to make an impact on former and current peanut agronomists at UGA such as John Beasley and Scott Monfort.
“I was fortunate and blessed in that Frank and I traveled together to several peanut meetings during my early years when he and I were invited to speak at the same meeting,” says John Beasley, former Extension peanut agronomist at UGA and current department head of crop, soil and environmental sciences at Auburn University. “We spent those road miles talking about family, faith and peanuts. I will always cherish those private moments, laughing at his stories and inspired by his faith and passion for serving people.”
Scott Monfort, UGA Extension peanut agronomist says, “Mr. Frank set the bar very high in supporting the needs of the peanut growers in Georgia as ‘the fi rst peanut specialist’. His level of enthusiasm and dedication to supporting the peanut growers in Georgia is something I continue to strive for each day.”
Don Koehler, executive director at the Georgia Peanut Commission, fi rst met McGill when he started working at GPC thirty-fi ve years ago. Since then, McGill provided Koehler with historical facts, advice and a life-long friendship.
“Over time, he was sparing in his advice and when he did tell me something, I always knew it was very important,” Koehler says. “I remember in one of those rare bits of advice, he told me it would be foolish to predict a peanut crop on the Fourth of July and I never forgot that and thanks to him, I didn’t make a fool of myself doing so.”
McGill will leave a lasting legacy among the peanut industry with his humble attitude, humorous and educational stories, inquisitive nature and the team approach for the UGA Extension service. J. Frank McGill 1925-2021
Checkoff Report
Investments Made by Growers for the Future of the Peanut Industry.
Georgia Peanut Commission presents awards to school foodservice in “Not All Superheroes Wear Capes!” contest
Georgia’s peanut farmers recognize the critical eff ort school nutrition partners made to feed the state’s most food-vulnerable students when COVID-19 caused a necessary closure of schools. The Georgia Peanut Commission Houston County School System received the worked with the Georgia Peanut Butter Usage award and served nearly School Nutrition 1.5 million meals including thousands of cases of Smucker’s Uncrustables Peanut Butter & Jelly Association to seek entries Sandwiches. from school districts highlighting their eff orts in the areas of innovation, volume and community engagement. The winning districts include Coff ee County School System, Glynn County School District, Houston County School System and Tift County Public Schools.
The Coff ee County School System received the School/Community Engagement Award for their eff orts. Coff ee County’s school nutrition team formed a partnership with their full school system including teachers, para pros, custodians, administrative staff , maintenance and bus drivers to prepare and deliver nearly 570,000 meals to students homes. The Sheriff ’s Department even got involved having deputies escort buses on their routes and making special deliveries when a student missed a bus delivery.
Glynn County School District received the Most Creative Award. Glynn County’s school nutrition team pivoted quickly to continue serving meals using a drive-through model at various schools throughout the district. Nutrition staff made encouraging signs and dressed in costumes like fruits, vegetables and even superheroes as they served more than 830,000 meals.
Houston County School System and Tift County Public Schools received the Peanut Butter Usage Award. Houston County’s school nutrition team left on a Friday not knowing that it was the end of the in-person school year. The Houston County team provided seven days of meals per week to any child under the age of 18 at four drive-through locations where they served nearly 1.5 million meals including thousands of cases of Smucker’s Uncrustables Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches. Tift County’s school nutrition team activated nine drive-through feeding sites as well as eight buses to deliver meals on the fi rst day of the school closure. Nearly 250,000 Smucker’s Uncrustables Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches were served during that time.
Each winning district received a trophy, 123 cases of peanut butter to utilize in their feeding program.
Georgia Peanut Commission promotes peanuts through billboards and digital ads
In continuation of National Peanut Month promotions, the Georgia Peanut Commission sponsored digital advertising on billboards across the state and in some of the country’s busiest airports. Throughout Georgia, GPC’s “Greatest Snack on Earth” campaign was featured on boards in Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Albany, Alma, Douglas, Cordele, Waycross, Moultrie, Eastman, Tifton, Fitzgerald and Valdosta, garnering an estimated 13 million impressions for the month. In airports, the campaign was featured at Hartsfi eld Jackson, Chicago O’Hare, Newark, LaGuardia and Washington Reagan on concourses and baggage claims garnering an estimated 24 million impressions for the month.
The campaign also aired as digital banner ads through iHeart Media across the state of Georgia and in Washington, D.C. Final impressions will be available in the next issue.
Georgia Peanut Commission exhibits at Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Conference
The Georgia Peanut Commission attended the Georgia Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Virtual Conference on March 4, which hosted registered dietitians and nutritionists from across the state. GPC created a dedicated webpage for the meeting, which included a variety of nutrition content for attendees to browse and download. GPC also hosted a live chat session with attendees to answer questions and highlight the new dietary guidelines, which include nutrition guidance for infants and children under two years of age, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding moms. Highlighting these groups includes the early introduction of peanut foods and eating peanuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Reports from the: Alabama Peanut Producers Association Florida Peanut Producers Association Georgia Peanut Commission Mississippi Peanut Growers Association
APPA donates peanut butter to 4-H PB&J drive
APPA donates 20 cases of peanut butter to Covington County 4-H. Pictured left to right, Glen Walters, APPA board member and Katie Lee, Covington County 4-H agent.
The 4-H clubs in several Southeast Alabama counties participated in a PB&J Drive to benefi t their local food banks. APPA donated a pallet of peanut butter (1,440 jars) to six of the 4-H clubs located in Coff ee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties. Each county received 240 jars for their PB&J drive.
APPA Board Members who assisted with the delivery of the peanut butter were Glen Walters in Covington County, Jerry Byrd in Dale County, Jesse Scott and Jimmy Royce Helms in Geneva County, Ed White in Houston County and George Jeff coat in Houston County.
The Alabama Peanut Producers Association produced a new TV commercial with Scenic Productions in Dothan, Alabama. It was titled “Peanuts and the Senses.” The commercial aired during National Peanut Month through Spectrum Cable in the Birmingham area. The commercial had potential to reach 336,642 households in March. The commercial can be viewed on the APPA Youtube page.
Alabama Peanut Producers unveil new checkoff stamp
The Alabama Peanut Producers Association is proud to roll out a new checkoff stamp for Alabama farmers to identify what their checkoff dollars are funding. Anytime Alabama farmers see the stamp, it means the project is a direct result of their checkoff dollars at work.
GPC promotes peanut menu items at Atlanta restaurants
During National Peanut Month, the Georgia Peanut Commission teamed up with Taste of Atlanta to promote peanut-menu items at Atlanta restaurants and encourage patrons to support restaurants with dine-in and pickup options. Throughout the month, eight restaurants and their peanut dishes were highlighted on social media and digital platforms. Two of the participating restaurants participated in PB&J Day at the Capitol and sampled their menu items. Participating restaurants and their peanut-menu items include:
Loyal Q & Brew: Boiled in the Shell Peanuts, Salty and Slightly Spicy
Just Bakery of Atlanta: Peanut Butter Curry Cookies
Blue Moon Pizza: Thai Chicken Pizza
South City Kitchen Vinings: Duck Leg Confi t with Toasted Peanuts
Creamalosa: Peanut Butter Fudge Gelato
Atkins Park – Smyrna: Chocolate Peanut Butter Biscuit Pudding with Caramel
Hawkers Asian Street Fare: Sichuyan Wontons with Peanut Chili Sauce
Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft: Mieng Kum
GPC Staff promotions
Georgia Peanut Commission staff have recently been promoted. Joy Crosby has been promoted to Assistant Executive Director and Jessie Bland has been promoted to Manager of Promotions & Marketing.
APPA sponsors Simply Southern TV cooking segment
Simply Southern TV is featuring a cooking segment in Season 7 with Southern Bite blogger, Stacey Little of Prattville, Alabama. In coordination with National Peanut Month, APPA sponsored two of the cooking segments featuring peanuts which aired in March.
The recipe segment is 3:30 - 4:00 minutes in length. Each segment airs twice with potential to reach over 2.1 million households in six TV markets: Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Dothan and Columbus, Georgia. The segment will also air on national cable network RFD-TV in 2021. In addition, there is Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and website mentions when the segment is posted to Simply Southern’s accounts. There is also cross-promotion with Southern Bite, which has a loyal following at www.southernbite.com and over 300,000 followers on Facebook.
The recipes featured in March were Chewy Peanut Butter Cookie Bars and No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Pie.
Stacey Little, of the food blog SouthernBite.com, prepares a peanut recipe for Simply Southern TV.
Florida Peanut Butter Challenge a success
Since 2012, the Florida Peanut Producers Association has partnered with the University of Florida IFAS Extension Northwest District agents to organize the “Peanut Butter Challenge.” The Challenge is an Extension-led food The Florida Peanut Producers Association collection drive of peanut donated 10,080 jars of peanut butter for butter from within each the Peanut Butter Challenge. Ken Barton, FPPA executive director, is pictured with of the 16 UF/IFAS some of the peanut butter collected during Extension Northwest the annual event. District Counties. “The Peanut Butter Challenge continues to raise awareness of the importance of the state peanut industry, and helps provide a healthy product to families who do not have easy access to nutritious food,” said Libbie Johnson, agricultural agent for UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County and co-organizer of the Challenge since its inception. “Our communities come through year after year with tremendous responses to our calls for peanut butter donations, and we thank them.”
This year the Florida Peanut Producers Association provided 10,080 jars and the Extension District collected 11,877 jars for a total of 21,957 jars. Escambia County led the collection drive with 2,191 jars collected. All the peanut butter collected from each county plus the jars donated by the Florida Peanut Producers Association is donated to local food pantries in northwest Florida counties from Pensacola to Monticello.
“The Peanut Butter Challenge is a wonderful program that creates a friendly competition between county Extension offi ces and everyone involved, while providing local food pantries with much needed protein,” says Ken Barton, executive director of the Florida Peanut Producers Association. “We are happy to be a part of the Peanut Butter Challenge.”
Georgia Peanut Commission announces weekly podcast for farmers
The Georgia Peanut Commission has unveiled the “Georgia Peanuts Podcast.” The weekly show is hosted by Bryan Tucker, project coordinator for farm and fi eld services with the Georgia Peanut Commission.
The podcast Bryan Tucker (left), Georgia Peanut offi cially launched at Commission project coordinator for the end of March. The purpose of the podcast farm and fi eld services, interviews Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist, for the weekly is to bring up-to-date “Georgia Peanuts Podcast.” information about what is happening in the fi elds, research updates, industry and ag policy updates. Each week the podcast will feature a guest including Extension specialists, Extension agents, researchers, industry leaders and more. Guests on the podcast will bring continued education to farmers through an outlet where farmers can listen while in the tractor.
“I want this to be a resource farmers can use to get information about what is happening that week with peanuts. It could be new recommendations from peanut Extension specialists, what county agents are seeing in the fi eld at that time or new farm policy that could aff ect their farm,” Tucker says. “I hope delivering the show in a podcast allows farmers to listen on their schedule and while on the go.”
The “Georgia Peanuts Podcast” can be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, gapeanuts. com, and other podcast hosting platforms. If you have questions or comments about the “Georgia Peanuts Podcast,” or if you have topics you would like to be discussed, please send an email to Bryan Tucker at bryan@gapeanuts.com or call 229-386-3999.
Richard Barber, FPPA Charter Member, retires
Fourth-generation Marion County farmer, Thomas Richard Barber Jr, retires after 57 years of farming. Barber has a rich history of working for the agricultural industry off the farm by taking leadership roles in many organizations and boards. Barber led the eff ort to create the Florida Peanut Checkoff and was a charter member of the Florida Peanut Producers Association, serving as the association’s second president.
He also served on the Marion County Farm Bureau Board of Directors from 1970 to 1983 and then later from 1993 to 2007; serving as county president from 1973 to 1975 and from 1993 to 1995. Other organizations Barber served on include Florida Watermelon Grower’s Association, Florida Peanut Advisory Council, National Peanut Board and Farm Credit of Florida.
Barber was recognized as Florida Farmer of the Year and later as Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. He was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2004, and in 2018 received the highest award Florida Farm Bureau awards it’s members, The Distinguished Service Award.
Barber is quick to give thanks and praise to the University of Florida for their great contribution to the peanut industry through their peanut breeding program and peanut production research in general.
“It has been wonderful to be involved in agriculture for so many years and I will continue to support the ag industry, UF/IFAS and other land grant institutions as they continue to research ways to keep farming profi table,” Barber says.
Richard Barber
Georgia Peanut Commission hosts a variety of National Peanut Month events
The Georgia Peanut Commission promoted peanuts throughout the month of March through a variety of promotions. To kick off National Peanut Month, GPC hosted a Twitter party with Foodiechats that had an estimated 772,454 impressions. The Twitter party also included new peanut recipes from food infl uencers in Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois who created recipes ranging from Georgia Peanuts Crusted Shrimp to Georgia Peanut Butter Blondies with Sprinkles. The annual Georgia PB&J Day was held March 1, 2021, at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. Exhibitors from the peanut industry served grilled PB&Js, country-fried peanuts, peanut candy and more. During the special program, Sen. Larry Walker and Rep. Robert Dickey presented resolutions The Georgia Peanut Commission donated highlighting the importance of 10,080 jars of peanut butter to the Atlanta peanuts to Georgia’s economy. Community Food Bank for National Also, GPC and Peanut Proud Peanut Month. donated 10,080 jars of peanut butter to the Atlanta Community Food Bank to celebrate National Peanut Month during the annual PB&J Day.
The Georgia Peanut Commission also donated 10,080 jars of Peanut Proud peanut butter to DC Central Kitchen. The peanut butter donation is enough to make more than 141,000 sandwiches. DC Central Kitchen is an iconic nonprofi t and social enterprise that combats hunger and poverty through job training and job creation. The organization provides hands-on culinary job training for individuals facing high barriers to employment while creating living wage jobs and bringing nutritious, dignifi ed food where it is most needed. DCCK’s social ventures include serving scratch-cooked farm-to-school meals in DC schools, delivering fresh, aff ordable produce to corner stores in neighborhoods without supermarkets and operating a fast-casual café.
GPC sponsored a special series, “Proud to be a Georgia Farmer,” with WTOC-TV in Savannah and WALB-TV in Albany. The program highlighted farmers in the viewing area during the evening news in March and featured a special 30-minute show about the Georgia peanut industry including information on production, research, peanut nutrition and more.
GPC teamed up with Parker Wallace, an Atlanta-based food enthusiast and chef, for a March - National Peanut Month media campaign in Georgia. Wallace, creator of Parker’s Plate, demonstrated a variety of peanut inspired recipes featuring Brussels Sprouts with Peanut Chipotle Vinaigrette, Thai Chicken Pizza and Gluten Free Monster Peanut Butter Cookies. The recipe videos are available on the GPC website and aired on television stations in Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah.
GPC provided peanuts and recipes to the state’s 11 welcome centers for tourists and provided television media news teams throughout Georgia with a gift basket of Georgia peanut products. Throughout the month, GPC promoted peanuts through television and radio ads with the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
The Georgia Peanut Commission promoted peanuts throughout the NASCAR race in Atlanta, March 20-21. For the fi rst time ever, GPC sponsored driver Anthony Alfredo as he unveiled the Georgia Peanuts-designed Ford Mustang in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Alfredo, known as “Fast Pasta” became known as “Fast Peanut” for the one-race partnership.
The week leading up to the race, Alfredo made several social media announcements on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram regarding the promotion, as well as participated in a podcast interview with Casey Campbell. News regarding the promotion was picked up by several NASCAR news sources including Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Motor Sports News, 247Sports. com and Speedway Digest.
The race was televised on Fox and Georgia Peanuts gained additional exposure during a pit row incident. The moment was replayed multiple times and made the race highlights reel by NASCAR on Fox and the Atlanta Motor Speedway, which reached more than 3.6 million consumers.
As part of the partnership, GPC and the Be Your Own Hero Foundation partnered with Front Row Motorsports’ NASCAR Cup Series driver Anthony Alfredo to give back The Georgia Peanut Commission and NASCAR Cup Series driver Anthony Alfredo donated 1,440 jars of Peanut to the local Proud peanut butter to Canine Assistants. community by donating 1,440 jars of peanut butter to Canine Assistants.
Canine Assistants, a non-profi t organization, helps train service dogs which are placed with people who have diffi culty with mobility, epilepsy/seizure disorders, or Type 1 Diabetes as well as dogs in pediatric hospitals and similar facilities.
Georgia Peanut Commission staff also exhibited in the Fan Zone at the Atlanta Motor Speedway and promoted peanuts through a billboard at the race track. During the two-day event more than 9,000 bags of Georgia Peanuts were given away to race fans.
April 2021 Southeastern Peanut Farmer 11
