July/August 2022 | Southeastern Peanut Farmer

A Look Inside July/August 2022 | Peanut Harvest Guidebook

IN THIS ISSUE

14 | PEANUT HARVEST GUIDEBOOK

The Peanut Harvest Guidebook provides key tips for 2022.

18 | FIELD DAYS

View dates of upcoming fi eld days for peanuts and additional row crops.

22 | MANA NUTRITION EXPANDS

MANA Nutrition expands to address malnutrition in the United States.

26 | PRECISION AGRICULTURE

UGA establishes Institute for Integrative Precision Agriculture.

28 | MYIPM APP EXPANDS

The MyIPM app for pest management expands to include row crops.

DEPARTMENTS

12 | CHECKOFF REPORT

32 | WASHINGTON OUTLOOK 34 | SOUTHERN PEANUT GROWERS UPDATE

Alabama Peanut Producers Association Florida Peanut Producers Association Georgia Peanut Commission Mississippi Peanut Growers Association

SEPF TEAM 8

UTILIZING DRONES IN CROP PRODUCTION

Agricultural drones are some of the new tools being developed for crop management. Learn more about the positives and potential issues of using a drone for spraying.

On The Cover Steve Li, Auburn University Extension weed science specialist, conducts multiple spray drone projects which help to generate insight into best practicies and fl ight parameters to apply agrochemicals. Photo by Abby Himburg Richardson.

Editor Joy Carter Crosby joycrosby@gapeanuts.com 229.386.3690

Director of Advertising

Jessie Bland jessie@gapeanuts.com 229.386.3472

Contributing Writing

Abby Himburg Richardson abby@alpeanuts.com 334.792.6482

Southeastern Peanut Farmer is published six times a year (Jan./Feb., March, April, May/June, July/Aug., and Oct./Nov.) by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation. The publisher is not responsible for copy omission, typographical errors, or any unintentional errors that may occur, other than to correct it in the following issue. Any erroneous refl ection which may occur in the columns of Southeastern Peanut Farmer will be corrected upon brought to the attention of the editor. (Phone 229-386-3690.)

Postmaster: Send address changes (Form 3579) to Southeastern Peanut Farmer, P.O. Box 706, Tifton, Georgia, 31793.

Circulation is free to qualifi ed peanut growers and others allied to the industry. Periodical postage paid at Tifton, Georgia and additional mailing offi ce.

Editorial Content: Editorial copy from sources outside of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation is sometimes presented for the information and interest of our members. Such material may, or may not, coincide with offi cial Southern Peanut Farmers Federation policies. Publication of material does not necessarily imply its endorsement by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation. For editorial concerns call 229-386-3690. No portion of this or past issues of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without the written consent of the editor. By-lined articles appearing in this publication represent views of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher.

Editor’s thoughts Events

A True Friend of the Farmer

We have lost a true friend of the farmer with the recent passing of retired Syngenta sales representative Frank Moore. I’ve known Frank for many years. In addition to him working for Syngenta, he was a friend. Recently, I talked to several farmers about Frank, and they all agree he was more than a salesman, he was a farmers' friend. You can read more about their view of Frank on page 10 in this issue.

I fi rst met Frank in 2000 at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference. Through the years of conferences, leadership programs with farmers, peanut trade shows and more, we quickly became friends.

I have many fond memories of Frank. I remember him buying tickets to a baseball game one time for a few of his farmers participating in the Peanut Leadership Academy (PLA) while they traveled to Texas for a leadership session. He loved the trips to Texas, but he really did not care for the trip one year to Palo Duro Canyon to watch the Texas outdoor musical. It could have been the long drive or the fact that the show carried on even while we sat in the seats getting rained on. Who knows the real reason for sure, but he never forgot the trip or took every opportunity to remind everyone that we should never visit Palo Duro Canyon again. No matter where we were for PLA sessions, Frank always made sure the farmers were having fun and were well taken care of. One of my favorite memories with Frank was the 2009 Southern Peanut Growers Conference when we had an The Syngenta team with peanut industry Oscars themed event. During staff members during the 2009 Southern Peanut Growers Conference. Frank Moore dressed up as Michael Jackson for the event. the planning of the event, we had an idea for some of the staff and Syngenta team to dress up as celebrities. We suggested Michael Jackson to Frank, and he never wavered one bit. He even asked if he needed to do the moon walk.

Frank defi nitely stole the show that night with his moon walk. However, let's be honest, Frank stole the show wherever he went with his smile and genuine love and care for the American farmer.

Frank was also joined at many of the conferences with his wife Nancy. Nancy quickly became part of the peanut family and joined in on our tours, dress up events at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference and more. Our prayers are with Nancy and the family during this diffi cult time.

As other farmers have said, Frank was more than a salesman. He was a true friend and will be missed by me and the rest of the peanut industry!  Joy Carter Crosby SEPF Editor

American Peanut Research & Education Society Annual Meeting

July 12-14, 2022, Omni Las Colinas Hotel, Dallas, Texas. For more information visit the APRES website at apresinc.com.

Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day

July 21, 2022, Moultrie, Ga. For more information call 229-985-1968 or visit the Expo's website at sunbeltexpo.com.

Southern Peanut Growers Conference

July 21-23, 2022, Edgewater Beach Resort, Panama City Beach, Fla. For more information call 229-386-3470 or visit southernpeanutfarmers.org.

American Peanut Shellers Association and National Peanut Buying Points Association Pre-Harvest Meeting

Aug. 9-10, 2022, Albany, Ga. For more information call 229-888-2508 or visit peanut-shellers.org.

Georgia Peanut Tour

Sept. 13-15, 2022, Tifton, Ga. For more information call 229-386-3470 or visit georgiapeanuttour.com.

Brooklet Peanut Festival

Sept. 17, 2022, Brooklet, Ga. For more information visit the festival's website at brookletpeanutfestival.com.

Plains Peanut Festival

Sept. 24, 2022, Plains, Ga. For more information visit the festival's website at friendsofjimmycarter.org.

Georgia Peanut Festival

Oct. 15, 2022, Sylvester, Ga. For more info call 229-776-6657 or visit the festival's website at gapeanutfestival.org.

Sunbelt Ag Expo

Oct. 18-20, 2022, Moultrie, Ga. For more info call 229-985-1968 or visit the Expo's website at sunbeltexpo.com.

National Peanut Festival

Nov. 4-13, 2022, Dothan, Ala. For more info call visit nationalpeanutfestival.com.

U.S. Senator Ossoff holds Ag tour in Georgia

The Georgia Peanut Commission hosted U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, at the farm of Ross Kendrick in Sycamore, Georgia, June 2, 2022, for an ag tour. Kendrick serves as a board member for GPC. During the event farmers and industry representatives from GPC, the National Peanut Buying Points Association and the American Peanut Shellers Association attended the event to share information on the importance of the peanut industry to the state of Georgia.

Senator Ossoff toured Kendrick’s farm in Turner County and was briefed on critical peanut issues including: • Importance of maintaining the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) Program in the 2023 Farm Bill. • Discussion of the increases in farm inputs in the last two years. • Problems with non-tariff trade barriers in the EU for U.S. imported peanuts. "I'm proud of the work farmers do. I encourage Georgia farmers to contact my offi ce to let me know how I can help," Senator Ossoff says. "As we take up the farm bill, I'll continue to champion Georgia agriculture. As we prepare for the farm bill, which we will take up next year, it is vital that we have this open dialogue." 

Above: Ross Kendrick (left), Georgia Peanut Commission board member from Sycamore, Ga., discusses key issues for farmers with U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., during an ag tour June, 2, 2022. Below: Agriculture industry leaders and farmers gathered at the Kendrick Farm to discuss key issues for the farm bill with Senator Jon Ossoff.

www.agrileadHER.com

Women in Agriculture Virtual Conference August 17 - 18, 2022

SPECIAL 15% OFF COUPON CODE GPC Good through 7-31-2022 REGISTER ONLINE OR CALL 706-521-9088

SOUTHERN REGION

Women in Agriculture CONFERENCE

Invest in yourself! The AgrileadHer™ conference is created for every woman passionate about agriculture and food, whether you are a university student studying agriculture, producer, entrepreneur, representative of a grower association, or corporate agribusiness. The conference will be held virtually Aug. 17-18, 2022.

Interested individuals can register online at www.agrileadHER.com or call 706-521-9088. There is a 15 percent off coupon code, GPC, when used before July 31, 2022.

The keynote speakers include Audra Mulkern, founder of The Female Farmer Project, Cherisse Jones-Branch, award winning author, and Meredith Bernard, This Farm Wife. Additional topics during the conference include stress management, the importance of building community, agritourism, improving soil health, farm budgeting and bookkeeping, estate planning and more.

The conference is hosted by The University of Georgia, The Georgia Department of Agriculture, and The University of Tennessee. Funding was made possible in part by the USDA's Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grants. 

utilizing drones in crop production

By Steve Li Auburn University

Agricultural drones are some of the new tools being developed for crop management. Steve Li, Auburn University Extension weed science specialist, conducts multiple spray drone projects which help to generate insight into best practices and fl ight parameters to apply agrochemicals.

Agricultural drones are some of the new tools being developed for crop management. The drones have evolved very fast in agriculture to allow farmers the ability to take advantage of these new technologies.

Several manufacturers produce multiple models of drones to compete in this market which also benefi ts end users. Two main uses of agricultural drones are remote sensing and aerial application.

Many growers are familiar with remote sensing because they can obtain free satellite images and NDVI from various farming apps and software. Remote sensing with drones works in a similar way as satellites, but with much higher resolution. One pixel in a satellite map usually represents several feet where one pixel in a drone-based map can be as precise as 0.25 inch.

Therefore, farmers can view more details from their crop fi elds with a drone based map. Also, satellites can be blocked by clouds which makes remote sensing impossible for certain time periods.

Drones can still be helpful since they fl y under the cloud. A drone pilot can also fl y in early morning or late afternoon to avoid clouds.

Agriculture spray drones have been tested widely in the last fi ve years and are now just being commercially used in production. The spray drones are perfect tools to spray fi eld crops, vegetables, orchard crops and natural areas.

Their unique abilities to perform low altitude aerial applications can provide end users with multiple benefi ts compared to traditional ground sprayers and airplanes. Spray drones can fl y when it is too wet for ground sprayers and cover small fi eld and odd-shape fi elds much better than a ground sprayer or airplane.

Also, spray drones can be transported easily to operate in remote areas such as food plots, mountain areas or wildlife refuges. Spray drones control drift better than an airplane which means the pilot can spray closer to homes and subdivisions.

Spray drones can also cover fi eld edges, areas around tree lines, powerlines and telephone poles better than a large ground sprayer or airplane.

Terrain radar allows the spray

Photo credit: Caleb Traugh.

Satellite NDVI showing GA-06G vs GA-12Y under leaf spot pressure. It is valuable information but resolution is low. NDVI maps generated with a drone. The north side of this peanut fi eld was injured by Valor and recovered during the season.

drone to move up and down along with the change of elevation, making them super useful to spray on terraces and hill sides. Traditional ground sprayers struggle in those areas due uneven surfaces.

A spray drone typically operates around one to three gallons per acre, which signifi cantly reduces water usage when compared to ground sprayers. There is not a need to have a separate water wagon anymore and spray drones increase droplet penetration due to its propeller wash and down pushing force.

One of the latest Auburn research studies suggests Agras T30 increased droplet retention on corn ear leaf and top leaf by 230 percent compared to an airplane application. In addition, spray drones are also a perfect fi t for spot spraying weeds in fi elds and spraying along fences and fi eld edges.

At this point, each handheld controller can fl y three spray drones, if they are the same make and model, simultaneously to increase effi ciency. In Auburn’s fi eld testing, DJI Agras T30 fi nished a four-acre block in eight minutes at two gallons per acre. If a farmer considers the tank refi ll and the time to change a battery takes one to one and a half minutes, therefore, it is possible to fi nish 25 acres in an hour with a single T30 unit. Flying three drones at the same time will triple operation effi ciency.

The next generation of spray drones will come with 40L or 10.6 gallon size tank, making it more effi cient to spray more acreage.

Spray drones operates with RTK and GPS signals and all fl ight passes are designed and controlled by software automatically. The pilot does not need to intervene a fl ight job unless there is an issue. The 360 degree radar will avoid possible collision and stop the drone before hitting an object on the ground. A mechanical spreader is also available if a pilot needs to spread fertilizer or cover crop seeds, which is an additional cost to the spray drone. The typical battery charging time ranges from 15-25 minutes depending on the charging voltage.

Current drawbacks related to spray drones are mainly centered around the limited tank volume, limited battery life, battery charging cycles, drone malfunctions, poor coverage/streaking, spray drift, and tank incompatibility. FAA regulation is also something to consider since it can take up to a year to obtain all the licenses required.

Moreover, drones belong to electronics because there are not many mechanical parts on them. This means that drones will become outdated in 3-5 years, similar to other consumer electronics such as cellphones, computers and televisions.

Recovering residual value as other farming equipment is mostly impossible unless selling them only after a few months. Liability insurance premium is largely unknown since insurance companies do not know how to set up proper rate to insure these new drones.

Last but not least, reliability of the spray drones still warrant further examination. There is not enough evidence showing how many acres they can fi nish before major repairs are expected.

Auburn University is currently conducting multiple spray drone projects to generate insights regarding best practices and fl ight parameters to apply agrochemicals and fl y spray drones in crop fi eld with funding provided by Alabama Peanut Producer Association, Alabama Cotton Commission and Alabama Wheat and Feed Grain Commission. More data and information will be available after the 2022 growing season. 

For more information contact: Steve Li Auburn University 334-707-7370 steveli@auburn.edu

More than a salesman

Syngenta Sales Representative Frank Moore Was A Friend of the Farmer

By Joy Crosby

Frank Moore, retired Syngenta sales representative, visits with farmers during state peanut annual meetings, travels with the Peanut Leadership Academy and at the annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference. Moore passed away June 11, 2022.

He was more than a sales representative is the common message from farmers who were shocked to hear about the recent passing of their beloved friend, Frank Moore. Moore passed away suddenly on June 11, 2022.

Moore began his agricultural career as a sale representative for Riverside Industries in Middle Tennessee. For two years, he worked with local farmers assisting them with their agronomic needs to grow the best crop possible.

As Moore learned the ins and outs of agronomy, he came to work with Syngenta on Sept. 1, 1980. He worked with the company through various mergers beginning with Cib-Geigy to Novartis and then Syngenta.

Through the years, Moore was responsible for areas in North Florida, the panhandle of Florida, lower Alabama and Mississippi. "My dad started working with Frank in 1985 and he became more than a sales representative, he was a friend," says Darrin Driskell of Grand Bay, Alabama. "He always checked on us following hurricanes and storms, and was willing to bring us a generator if needed."

Moore took pride in the fact that he was able to work with three generations of farmers building relationships with grandfather, then father and then sons/daughters.

Another long-time customer for 40 years from father, James, to son, Nick, includes Marshall Farms of Baker, Florida. Nick Marshall agrees with other farmers that Moore was more than just the Syngenta sales representative. "Frank was a friend to many farmers in this area. He was very good to us and always came by with new products to try," Nick Marshall says. "He was the sales guy that farmers look forward to seeing."

Moore was instrumental in the development of Syngenta’s peanut portfolio which is currently offered to peanut farmers across the Southeast. He also received multiple awards for his leadership and dedication to agriculture. "I worked with Frank for 25 years as a crop consultant for many farmers," says Trey Bullock of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. "He always had a smile on his face and was very positive. He took care of farmers and business while doing it with a smile."

Moore’s passion was working in the fi eld with people who loved agriculture and enjoyed the lifestyle that goes with it. Along with the growers, he enjoyed the tireless dedication required to produce food and fi ber for the world and loved the people he worked with who chose to do this work.

Moore dedicated many years to the Peanut Leadership Academy and the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference. He traveled many miles with young farmers as they learned more about the peanut industry and visited with congressional leaders about issues facing farmers. "His efforts were apparent as he saw these organizations as a vehicle to build the leadership skills of young farmers that would strengthen the future of agriculture," says Lyle Stewart, Key Account Lead with Syngenta.

One graduate of the Peanut Leadership Academy, Levi Findley of Jay, Florida, echoes the sentiment of the years of service noting that his dad was one of Moore's fi rst customers. "He would stop by the barn, regularly, just to check on us and to see if we needed anything," Findley says. "He was always able to brighten the room with his presence. He will be deeply missed, but defi nitely never forgotten."

Moore retired from Syngenta in January 2021 and enjoyed a year and a half of retirement before his passing. His love for agriculture, farmers and the peanut industry will live on through the many farmers he has helped through the years. 