24 minute read
Checkoff Report
Investments Made by Growers for the Future of the Peanut Industry.
The Georgia Peanut Commission hosted a Kickoff to Planting – Peanut Palooza on Saturday, April 17, 2021, at their offi ce in Tifton. The event brought hundreds to the GPC headquarters where they could learn more about Attendees at the 2021 Peanut Palooza were able peanuts, plant their very to learn more about Georgia Peanuts, sample a own peanut seed, taste variety of peanut products and tour the Georgia Ag Experience Mobile Classroom. samples of peanut products and more.
The family-friendly event featured free samples of boiled peanuts from Hardy Farms, fried peanuts, grilled PB&Js, Wholly Rollies from Crazy Richard’s, peanut oil from Oliver Farms, peanut candy from The Hershey Company, cupcakes from Simply Sweet Celebrations and peanut butter shake samples from Tifton Takeover Nutrition.
The event also provided an opportunity for attendees to sit in a tractor from Perrin Farm Equipment and Atlantic & Southern, as well as visit educational booths from UGA Tifton Campus, ABAC, the Georgia Museum for Agriculture and Air Evac. Life Flight.
The event also included the new Georgia Ag Experience which is a STEM based mobile classroom that showcases Georgia’s diverse agriculture. This state-of-the-art agricultural learning experience is designed to give third through fi fth-grade students and the public a chance to learn more about Georgia agriculture. The 36-foot trailer includes colorful farm photos, interactive technology and displays of products made from the various ag commodities. The Georgia Ag Experience was displayed at the event by the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture.
FPPA announces scholarship money available
The Florida Peanut Producers Association announces the opening of their 2021 Scholarship Award Program. Two $1,200 scholarships will be awarded to deserving high school seniors and/or college students. The applicant or someone in the applicant’s family must be an actively producing peanut grower in Florida. It is the intent of the Scholarship Award Committee, however, that the award recipients attend a Florida junior college or four-year university.
For an application contact the FPPA offi ce at 850-526-2590 or visit the FPPA website at www.fl peanuts.com. The scholarship applications must be postmarked no later than July 1, 2021.
Georgia Peanut Commission partners with Family Features for food page on peanuts
The Georgia Peanut Commission partnered with Family Features for a “Power Family Meals with Protein-Packed Peanuts” food page, social media posts and video. The full color food page was made available to newspapers, magazines and bloggers across the United States from January to April.
The food page featured four recipes including Veggie Sammies with Peanut Butter Satay Sauce, Very Vegan Peanut Butter Jackfruit Chili, Peanut Granola Bars and Peanut Butter Chicken. The promotion also featured social media amplifi cation through Culinary.net. Lastly, the campaign featured a video for the Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies which had 251,863 views. The total program garnered more than 407 million impressions.
The promotion directed the audience to the GPC website for more recipes and information. During the time of the promotion, the GPC website received more than 24,000 news users and some of the most viewed web pages included the recipes from this campaign.
Georgia Peanut Commission promotes peanuts through digital ads with iHeart
The Georgia Peanut Commission sponsored digital targeted display ads across Georgia and in Washington, D.C. for National Peanut Month in March, along with podcast advertising through iHeart Media. The campaign featured the new “Greatest Snack on Earth” campaign.
The campaign targeted consumers based on a specifi c location and keyword searches on the Internet. The targeted display ads in Washington, D.C. reached 1,125,000 impressions. The podcast advertising and targeted display ads in March throughout the state of Georgia reached 1,500,178 impressions.
Reports from the: Alabama Peanut Producers Association Florida Peanut Producers Association Georgia Peanut Commission Mississippi Peanut Growers Association
The Alabama Peanut Producers Association participated in the 2021 Alabama School Nutrition Conference on April 13-15 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. APPA sponsored an industry educational session led by Sherry Coleman Collins from the National Peanut Board. There were 125 participants in the session who learned about managing food allergens in schools, and received literature on being “allergy aware” not “peanut free.”
APPA also exhibited during the industry show, and revealed their new School Nutrition Promotion Kit for school systems to use to promote peanuts and peanut butter in their lunchrooms. APPA received a grant from The Peanut Institute to attend and sponsor this meeting. NPB assisted with the development of the school nutrition promotion kit.
APPA exhibits at the Alabama Chapter - American Academy of Pediatrics Meeting
The Alabama Peanut Producers Association exhibited at the 2021 Spring Meeting of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in Sandestin, Florida on April 22-24. More than 70 pediatricians were in attendance and received peanut allergy and nutrition information. Abby Himburg, (pictured left) APPA communications coordinator, visited with pediatricians at the APPA booth during the meeting.
Targeted display ads for the Talladega NASCAR race
At the end of April, APPA promoted peanuts through a targeted geofence campaign centred around the NASCAR race in Talladega, Alabama. The geofence campaign reached more than 50,000 people from Thursday to Sunday. Smartphone users in the race proximity were served the image to the left when browsing the internet. The graphic linked viewers directly to the APPA blog. A second graphic focused on peanut allergies included a link to more information regarding peanut allergies.
FPPA exhibits at Florida State Fair in Tampa
The Florida State Fair is usually held in early February The Mississippi Peanut Growers each year in Tampa, Florida. This year the start of the state Association is continuing their promotion fair was delayed until the end of April because of COVID- at the state’s visitor centers by off ering 19 restrictions. Although the crowds did not appear to be as free peanuts. Visitor centers on I-55 large this year, it was still a successful event. South, I-20 East and I-59 North are proud Ken Barton, FPPA With COVID-19 safety precautions in place, Florida to tell tourists about peanuts and provide executive director, visits Peanut Producers Association staff were able to visit with samples. with attendees at the Florida State Fair. many attendees who were interested in increasing their knowledge of Florida agriculture. FPPA had live peanut The centers have been busy with increased travelers due to Spring break plants on display and a variety of information including recipe cards, health and and everyone feeling safe to travel again. nutritional brochures, grow your own peanut plant seed kits and roasted peanuts. The MPGA is also providing literature on
Attendees and exhibitors hope the Florida State Fair will return to the February peanut allergy myths and heart-healthy time frame in 2022 and crowds will show up to support Florida Agriculture. peanuts to the visitor centers.
Mississippi Peanut Growers Association and Southern Peanut Growers teamed up to sponsor Peanut Day at Mississippi State University’s Dudy Noble Field for a baseball game during Super Bulldog Weekend on April 18. More than 13,000 people were at the game to visit the Mississippi Peanut tent, get a free bag of Popcorn Flavor Roasted Peanuts and get their picture made with Buddy McNutty. Mississippi Peanuts were also featured on Mississippi the video board twice peanut trivia was displayed on during the game and the Jumbotron radio listeners heard throughout the a Mississippi Peanuts baseball game. advertisement. Alan Atkins, District 3 MPGA board member, talked peanuts with the play by play announcer on the MSU radio network for three innings. Visual trivia on peanuts was displayed on the Jumbotron throughout the game, plus the MPGA “Perfectly Powerful” peanut tent was setup giving out literature and complimentary peanuts.
Mississippi peanuts at the state welcome centers
22nd Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference
Mark your calendars for the 22nd Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference, July 15-17, 2021, at the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort, Panama City Beach, Florida. This year’s conference off ers farmers an opportunity to learn more about legislative issues, peanut promotions and production issues. The registration fee for growers is $145 which includes all conference events and meals. The registration deadline is June 30. The registration fee increases by $50 on July 1.
The theme for this year’s conference, “Emerge - Bringing Vision to Peanuts,” plans to highlight the future value of peanuts, the future of grading, processor needs and farm automation in the future. During the Saturday morning general session, the keynote speaker is U.S. Senator John Boozman, R-Arkansas, chairman of the Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management and Trade for the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
To register and view the conference schedule visit southernpeanutfarmers.org.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, July 15
3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social and Conference Registration
6:30 p.m. Welcoming Reception
7:00 p.m. Welcoming Dinner Entertainment: Three on a String
Friday, July 16
7:00 a.m. Prayer Breakfast - Featuring Boyd Deal, My Struggle - His Glory
8:30 a.m. General Session I - Future Vision of
Peanut Value & Grading
Karl Zimmer, Premium Peanut T.E. Moye, Georgia Federal State Inspection Service Dr. Marshall Lamb, USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab
10:00 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:30 a.m. Spouse Program - The Art of Container Grown Herbs featuring Lucy Edwards, Alabama Extension
10:30 a.m. General Session II - Vision for Farm
Automation in the Future
Than Hartsock, Blue River Technology Dr. Wes Porter, University of Georgia Dr. Joby Czarnecki, Mississippi State University
Noon Luncheon - Peanuts: Vision to Feed the World - Featuring Mark Moore, MANA Nutrition Sponsored by BASF 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Fun on the Beach with Corteva Sponsored by Corteva
6:00 p.m. Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise Sponsored by FMC (limited tickets)
Evening on Your Own!
Saturday, July 17
7:00 a.m. Breakfast - Farm Press Peanut Effi ciency Awards Sponsored by Farm Press and National Peanut Board
9:00 a.m. General Session III - State of U.S. Peanut
Policy
U.S. Senator John Boozman, R-Arkansas Bob Redding, The Redding Firm Dr. Stanley Fletcher, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Peanut Policy Listening Session: Jacob Davis and Carl Sanders, Alabama Peanut Producers Association; Ken Barton and Michael Davis, Florida Peanut Producers Association; Don Koehler and Armond Morris, Georgia Peanut Commission and Malcolm Broome and Joe Morgan, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association
Noon Lunch on your own and afternoon free!
12:30 - 6 p.m. Golf Tournament, The Executive Course at Edgewater Beach & Golf Resort
7:00 p.m. Reception
7:30 p.m. Roaring ‘20s Dinner and Entertainment Featuring The American Flyers Sponsored by Syngenta
Selecting the Correct Sensor Threshold for Irrigating Peanuts
The standard recommended soil water tension trigger point for peanuts in sandy loam soil (most predominate soil type across southern Georgia), is 45 kPa. This value has been used in research for over the past six years and has aided in maximizing yields when compared to other irrigation scheduling methods.
However, there is evidence (such as primed acclimation) that suggests the trigger level of peanut could be adjusted to better match the water requirement. Thus, this article aims to provide information on varied irrigation trigger levels to aid in maximizing yield.
A two-year study was conducted at UGA’s Stripling Irrigation Research Park (SIRP) in Camilla, Georgia, under a variable rate lateral irrigation system with the main objectives of utilizing soil moisture information to determine the optimal timing or sensor reading for triggering irrigation on peanut on commonly planted varieties to Georgia and the surrounding region, in addition to evaluating the varied irrigation timing eff ects on fi nal crop yield.
During both the 2018 and 2019 production seasons, plots were established at UGA’s SIRP under a variable rate lateral irrigation system capable of independently controlling water applications within eight row wide by 42 ft. long plots.
The fi eld has a total of 27 plots, or enough area for nine treatments to have three replications each. Peanuts were planted during early to mid-May during both years, and soil water tension was monitored hourly.
Daily irrigation decisions were made from the data collected at 7:00 a.m. each morning. WaterMark soil water tension (SWT) sensors were used to trigger irrigation at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 kPa.
To bring this into perspective 20 is considered wet, 30, wetter than average, 40 is near optimal, 50 is near optimal, and 60 is dry. Yield was collected by harvesting the middle two rows from each plot.
While statistically there were not diff erences between the diff erences within years there was a numerical trend of increasing yield as the soil water tension increased up to 50 kPa. Once the soil was allowed to dry beyond 50 kPa yield was reduced in both years.
It should be noted that 32.7 and 19.7 inches of rain were received in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Independent of the total amount of rainfall the same trend of increasing yield up to the 50 kPa level then a reduction of yield once the SWT was kept drier was observed. This suggests that there is a penalty for irrigating peanuts too early with too much water and for delaying irrigation, or not irrigating the crop with enough irrigation.
The data strongly suggests adopting a soil moisture sensor, or more advanced irrigation scheduling method when scheduling irrigation on peanuts as both under and over watering them has shown yield reductions.
While on the topic of over irrigating peanuts, another critical topic to discuss is the utilization of the Checkbook method. If followed without considering current environmental conditions the UGA Checkbook method can miss the irrigation target. This can happen by over- or under- irrigating depending on current environmental conditions.
However, typically the Checkbook method tends to over-irrigate. This can be seen during both 2018 and 2019, where the Checkbook method applied approximately double the amount of irrigation as the overall applied average. In both years the yield was lower than treatments with much less water applied.
Higher amounts of irrigation with lower yields directly translates to decreases in Irrigation Water Use Effi ciency (IWUE), which translates to reduction in profi tability in most cases. Current environmental conditions such as rainfall, temperature, sunlight (solar radiation), and humidity should be considered when determining how much irrigation to apply via the Checkbook method in a given week.
A week with cooler and cloudier weather will require less irrigation, while a week with lots of sunshine, high temperatures, and low humidity will require a higher than average amount of irrigation. The Checkbook method is meant as a guide, and was developed based on a long-term (15-year) average evapotranspiration value. Thus, these averages can miss the target if consideration to current conditions are not considered.
2018 2019
Irrigation Applied (inches) Yield (lb/ac) α = 0.05
20 kPa 6.25 5847ab 15.2 6567ab 30 kPa 5.5 5729ab 11.4 6743ab 40 kPa 4 5900ab 6.9 6775a 50 kPa 4.75 6047a 9.2 6846a 60 kPa 4.75 5862ab 5.4 6492ab Checkbook 9.25 5650ab 15.8 6596ab IrrigatorPro 4 5625b 9.9 6316b Rainfed 2.5 5491ab 2.5 5874c
The Importance of Pivot Uniformity and How to Interpret Mobile Irrigation Data
by David Hall, UGA Extension Water Educator and Wesley M. Porter, Ph.D. Associate Professor and Extension Precision Ag and Irrigation Specialist
Assuming a center pivot is installed to the correct specifi cations, the effi ciency and uniformity of this system will only deteriorate from installation forward. Flowing pressurized water over time will wear away orifi ce openings and splash plates. Proof is provided in the 10-year-old rotator plates in fi gure 1 below.
As an UGA Extension Water Educator, I have seen and uncovered some brain puzzling issues with center pivot irrigation systems. Sometimes it is very obvious to the eye (Figure 2) and sometimes it takes a fl ow meter along with in fi eld measurements to identify a problem.
Farming is an occupation that has very little, if any, downtime. Taking for granted that center pivot irrigation systems will be effi cient and apply water uniformly from year to year can be very costly. Many times, issues are not discovered until harvest season. Sadly, at harvest, after yield has been lost it is too late for correction. Mobile Irrigation Labs (MIL) are not anything new to the Southeast. Several agencies can perform one and programs to aid producers in allowing them to audit pivots on their own can be provided. The University of Georgia Agricultural and Natural Resources Extension Service has been working to assist producers with audits for years now.
Irrigation audits require a little time to perform and the weather must be conducive to complete the test, such as wind and temperature. Catch cans are measured off equally, usually every 20 feet, in a straight line from the center pivot point. The pivot is then operated applying 0.2 inches of irrigation across the buckets as you can see below.
The fl ow rate is measured in gallons per minute, pressure noted, visual inspection of the whole system is observed which includes the end gun arc movement and noting any obvious leaks or abnormalities with any nozzles.
I like to review the irrigation design of the system for comparisons to make sure the length, number of nozzles and data I am gathering matches the original design. Many times, an incorrect design due to improperly matching up the available fl ow, has led to blindly underwatering a crop.
Simple rain gauges spaced along several spans can help verify if you are applying what the percent timer or controller is supposed to be applying. Surprisingly, I still see the old permanent black magic marker with an arrow pointing to a percentage saying “run here” or “.5” as in fi gure 4.
By conducting an audit, a new application chart can be supplied for the pivot providing the farmer with the corresponding rates for each timer setting. The simple fact is that pumps and nozzles wear with time and decreased fl ow rates are inevitable. Charts need to be updated to ensure correct irrigation amounts are being applied.
Looking at audits from a water conservation angle, a map showing potential water savings with end gun shut
Figure 1. Rotator plates from a 10-year-old pivot with around 9,000 hours. The left plate is near the end of the pivot where fl ow is higher and the right one is near the fi rst span where the fl ow is much lower. Notice the raised cut out on the heavy fl ow nozzle (circled in red) compared to the lower fl ow rate nozzle which will aff ect spray pattern. Figure 2. Obvious drought stressed peanuts from lack of suffi cient irrigation revealing visible “rings” in parallel circles from nozzles applying more water while other nozzles are applying less.
Figure 4. An example of a “marked” pivot for estimating approximately how much to apply and how long it will take.
off on non-crop areas can be produced for an “average year” (Figure 5). Once an end gun shuts off , two things can be observed immediately. The pressure will increase and the fl ow will decrease.
Pumps are designed to pump a specifi c fl ow rate at a given pressure. If the fl ow is restricted and pressure is increased, the pumps ability to perform at peak performance is restricted, leading to lower fl ow. All pumps have a pump curve that show gallons pumped at a specifi c pressure. By not irrigating non-crop areas, water conservation of millions of gallons begins to add up rapidly.
When UGA Extension performs a mobile irrigation lab audit, the graph in Figure 6 represents part of what is provided back to the producer.
Figure 6 provides a foot by foot assessment of how uniformly a pivot is applying water down the length of the system. The X-axis is the measured application rate down the actual length of the pivot plus the water being applied by the end gun to the wetted perimeter. The Y-axis represents the amount of water caught at a given percent speed or in an amount of inches applied.
Keep in mind, this graph is representing a line segment of a the entire application circle. As the pivot rotates in a circle, each area that is applying too much or too little water is doing that all the way around the circle. This directly relates to acres aff ected. The further down the length of the pivot you are from the center, the greater the eff ect.
As you can see in the graph below, a simple end gun adjustment on the end of this system (which aff ects the highest number of acres), cleaning out partially stopped up nozzles and replacing nozzles that have malfunctioned could greatly improve the uniformity and distribution of water on this pivot. It is diffi cult to visually see a nozzle that is partially clogged, but the catch can data shows it very easily. The life span of nozzles depends greatly on use and water quality, but a good rule of thumb is to plan to change nozzles at least every 10 to 15 years.
So why is this important and what needs to be done next? The pumping cost to the producer will be the same whether they apply it uniformly or not. The main point here is the return on investment. If irrigation is applied non-uniformly in areas across the fi eld, the crop will not yield well and areas over watered can lead to crop lodging, boll rot, disease, stuck pivots and possible erosion, while areas that are under-irrigated will most likely lead directly to yield loss.
All leading to decreased revenue or “money left on the table.” Acres that can be aff ected vary greatly depending on where your issues may appear along the system in conjunction with the system length. On a typical 100-acre irrigated fi eld that may have 10 percent or less uniformity issues, this would equate to approximately 10 acres aff ected. Remember, your inputs are the same but your income from potential yield loss can be reduced by half on those 10 acres.
Pivot uniformity is extremely critical if a farmer is planning to fertigate or chemigate too.
Water is one of our most important natural resources and farmers, along with UGA Extension, strive to be effi cient and wise with our water through all kinds of technology. Moisture sensors, irrigation scheduling methods, remote monitoring, and last but not least regular maintenance on irrigation systems are just a few methods! Take the time to perform a uniformity test on aged pivots and address issues that can be addressed.
There are times when an audit can reveal some very interesting information. Everything from incorrectly installed nozzle packages, wrong nozzle packages, lack of fl ow rate needed and not to mention those pesky partially blocked nozzles that may be applying half the rate not noticed by the naked eye. If uniformity is in the 70 percent range with variations all along the pivot, it may be time for a retro fi t kit.
Always make it a point not to leave money on the table as mentioned before. Inspect and audit pivots to ensure every gallon of water pumped and applied is applied as uniformly as possible. Do not let poorly applied water from a center pivot be a limiting factor in your yields and profi t.
Contact your local UGA Extension offi ce for more information on how to perform an audit on your farm, or arrange to have a UGA Extension representative conduct a Mobile Irrigation Lab free of charge.
Figure 5. An end gun map showing potential water savings on this fi eld of peanuts using an end gun shut off . Figure 7. A mobile irrigation lab being conducted with visible plugged nozzles.
2021 IRRIGATION GUIDEBOOK
Reinke and CropX Install Technology at Sunbelt Ag Expo
Two leaders in precision agriculture, Reinke Manufacturing and CropX, have put down additional ‘roots’ in the research fi elds around the Sunbelt Ag Expo. During a recent training session for Reinke dealers, CropX illustrated how easy their fi eld sensors were to install. Those sensors will now allow growers attending the expo in Moultrie, Georgia, an opportunity to see how they work with Reinke’s irrigation system to provide the world’s fi nest irrigation scheduling.
Chip Blalock, executive director of the Sunbelt Ag Expo, says they are excited to try this new technology on their research farm and be able to showcase it to their farmers to use on their own operations.
“Our partnership with CropX and Reinke enables us to demonstrate the latest technology in soil moisture sensing,” says Chip Blalock, executive director of the Sunbelt Ag Expo. “CropX’s new soil moisture sensors and the data that we derive from them further enhance our environmental sustainability by helping us put the right amount of water on a particular crop at the right time. This in turn optimizes our irrigation input costs while striving for maximum yields. All the while, allowing us to conserve our precious water resources.”
Each day, Reinke dealers work along-side growers to optimize yields with precision irrigation application to help them save time and money. The partnership with CropX has given those dealers another tool to improve water application decisions.
“This is a very important product for growers right now,” says Rob Mercer, Coney Irrigation in Cordele, Georgia. “It allows them to accurately monitor their soil moisture and apply only the water they need. That will ultimately save them money by eliminating unnecessary watering and improving yields.”
Working together with Reinke’s ReinCloud software platform, CropX soil monitoring sensors puts next-level crop control into growers’ hands. Each sensor leverages thousands of data points above and below ground – including soil health, crop behavior, precise weather patterns, topography maps and more – to maximize the performance of the Reinke irrigation system.
“I’m so glad that we could help make these sensors available to the Sunbelt Ag Expo to let the growers in the area see how well they work with our pivots,” says Mike Mills, Reinke Southeast territory manager. “At Reinke, we know how important it is to provide growers with technology that will have an immediate and lasting impact on their operation, helping them control their irrigation with power and precision.”
During the installation, Jeff Burton, CropX Southeast territory manager, talked with dealers and answered questions about how CropX sensor worked with diff erent crops, including corn, cotton and peanuts.
“CropX makes irrigation management simple for the growers and their trusted advisors,” Burton says. ”Our hardware and software platform combined with our world-class agronomy team put everything you need in the palm of your hand to reduce irrigation costs and maximize yields by providing the crop with the optimal irrigation practices.”
For more information on how Reinke and CropX work together to help growers improve their irrigation application, go to www.reinke.com/cropx.
Reinke Manufacturing and CropX install fi eld sensors to work with irrigation scheduling in research fi elds at Sunbelt Ag Expo. Pictured left to right: Mike Mills, Reinke Southeast territory manager, Jeff Burton, CropX Southeast territory manager, and Chip Blalock, Sunbelt Ag Expo executive director.
Valley 2021 Upgrade Program - Offer ends December 31
Valley is excited to continue off ering a trade-in allowance for any unit or competitive device toward the purchase of a new Valley unit of the same type. This trade-in discount applies to webconnected remote irrigation management devices that have been active in the last 12 months. The Upgrade Program provides a very economical way for growers to upgrade their irrigation management devices and enjoy the features, benefi ts and functionality of the latest Valley technology – as well as the security of a full two-year warranty on new units.
All devices include the new LTE modems. The 3G modems will continue to connect through 2021, but will eventually need to be switched to LTE. In anticipation of that, Valley is pleased to add ‘Modem Card Replacement’ to their trade-in program. Not only does this upgrade ensure connectivity for years to come, but also much faster command speeds and broader connectivity.
