Peanut Crop Appears To Be Good For Farmers
By: Megan Hunter
Updated: October 22, 2012
The peanuts are, for the most part, harvested and 2012 is shaping up to be a pretty good year for farmers. In fact, the year may show a record yield.
The USDA forecast this year's peanut crop to be 6.11 billion pounds, with the Southeast producing the largest crop in the nation. Of course, many of those peanuts are grown within a 50 mile radius of Dothan.
Just how much money farmers will pocket remains to be seen but, no doubt, there have been worst years. The news may also be good for consumers. "If the demand doesn't increase, you should see the price come down a bit," said Larry Wells, Director of the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center.
The peanut harvest should be over in the next few weeks, but farmers won't be getting any time off. Immediately after harvesting the peanut crop, it'll be time to begin thinking about next year's plans.
