If there was anything done in the field this week, it has been digging and picking. We really got heavy digging last week, and many of those peanuts have already been picked. Our conditions have overall been good. If anything, we are worried about it getting a little dry for digging. Some irrigated peanuts have been watered to soften up dirt.
We had lots of rain in forecast this week, but we really didn’t get any. Early in the week, we were cloudy and this stalled picking a day or so as it took longer for peanuts to dry. We have been sunny for the past 3 days however, and growers are super busy now.
Peanut Maturity
So many of our o6G’s – especially irrigated – are coming out of the ground between 130 and 140 days. I’ve talked with other agents around us who are seeing the same thing. UGA Peanut Agronomist Dr. Scott Monfort has also reported peanuts ready at this time also. He says GA 09B may be a little earlier than 06G with many of the other High Oleic varieties running near 140-150 days. GA 14N may be 145 to 150 days.
For our dryland crop, we are seeing results from extreme drought and heat on the peanut boards. We will see peanuts with varying color, peanuts turning loose in the hull, and insect damage. In dryland situations, the Tropical Storm made plants look better, but no necessarily pods. Dr. Monfort says some fields will be on the early due to lack of blooming in latter part of growing season. With moisture running low for advance, we are starting to look at vine condition in the field.
Split Crop
When we see a “split crop” it is not easy to determine when to dig. Dr. Monfort says that typically, a profile that is split evenly, we make the decision to dig on the leading edge. But, if the leading edge is minimal compared to the fruit load behind the “split”, then the decision is more difficult.
**And last, do not take risk in contaminating good quality peanuts with non-irrigated peanuts that might have aflatoxin (dryland corners.) A few bad pods can cause a trailer load to move to SEG 2 or SEG 3.
Thomas County Ag 