Porter urges growers to be strategic with irrigation

With drought conditions lingering across the Southeast and aquifer levels and surface water sources already running below normal prior to the growing season, irrigation planning is taking on new urgency for peanut growers in 2026.

According to University of Georgia irrigation specialist Wes Porter, the current situation is unlike what many growers are accustomed to entering the 2026 season.

“We’re already below surface and subsurface levels compared to where they were both in 2007 and 2011 at the same time of year, and we haven’t reached peak demand for the season yet,” Porter says. “That’s what worries me. Once we start pumping during peak water requirements, we know what’s going to happen.”

Porter notes monitoring wells across Southwest Georgia that show groundwater levels significantly below average. While some winter recharge typically helps replenish groundwater supplies, this year has brought little relief.

“We’ve had no appreciable recharge because we really haven’t had significant rainfall since September,” he said. “We’re moving into the season already in a drought scenario.”

Despite the concerning outlook, Porter stressed that the message to growers is not panic, it is preparation.

“This doesn’t mean we’re going to run out of water,” he says. “But it does mean we have to have a good plan in place. If we go into this season like a normal year expecting rainfall to refill the profile, and it doesn’t happen, that’s where we get into trouble.”

Irrigation Timing Matters
One of Porter’s biggest concerns is a long-standing misconception about early-season peanut irrigation.

“Somewhere along the way, people were told not to irrigate peanuts during the first 40 days,” Porter says. “I get too many calls every year from growers asking if they’re allowed to irrigate yet.”

His recommendation is straightforward: irrigate as needed early in the season while avoiding overwatering. The UGA Peanut Checkbook method is a good way to document water requirements throughout the entire season. While water requirements are low during the first 40 days after planting, the plants still need soil moisture to ensure that they are supplied with adequate moisture appropriately during the season.

“We know over-irrigating peanuts can reduce yield,” he explains. “But we also know getting too dry reduces yield, too. There’s a fine line in the middle where we need to hit the target.”

Porter emphasized that maintaining adequate soil moisture late in the season may be just as important. Research conducted over the past several years has consistently shown yield reductions when irrigation is reduced too aggressively during the final 30 to 40 days before harvest.

“We’ve seen four- to five-hundred-pound yield losses when growers back off irrigation too much at the end of the season,” he says. “That’s a significant economic hit.”

At current peanut prices, Porter estimates those losses can equal roughly $80 per acre, while the irrigation required to protect that yield may only cost a fraction of that amount.

“You might spend $20 in irrigation to protect $60 to $80 worth of yield,” he says. “The return is there.”

Technology Can Help – But It Still Requires Judgment
Porter encourages growers to use available irrigation management tools, including soil moisture sensors and irrigation scheduling programs. Any of these irrigation scheduling aids will help farmers better manage their irrigation and target the water requirements so that water is not wasted.

Overall, he said Irrigator Pro continues to perform well, especially when paired with field sensors.

“When coupled with a sensor, Irrigator Pro does a very good job,” Porter says. “But really, using a sensor in general does a good job. There are a lot of good options on the market.”

He also mentions tools like the SmartIrrigation CropFit App, while cautioning growers against relying entirely on automated recommendations without field verification.

“You still have to take your own observations into account,” Porter says. “If you blindly follow a crop model without looking at what’s happening in the field, you can miss problems and not realize it until it’s too late.”

One example involved a center pivot system with incorrect sprinkler orifices that created uneven water application across a peanut field. This issue became obvious after aerial imagery revealed stressed bands running throughout the field.

“In a year like this, any irrigation problem is going to show up immediately,” Porter says. “A non-uniform pivot is going to cost you yield.”

Staying Ahead of Compliance Issues
Porter also encouraged growers to stay current with irrigation permits and water-use compliance requirements, particularly in Southwest Georgia with the new permit options.

He noted that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division is actively working with growers to resolve compliance issues and help operations remain in good standing.

“The important thing is to stay on top of it,” Porter says. “There are people willing to help growers get back into compliance.”

Preparing for an Uncertain Season
While weather conditions could still improve, Porter believes growers should plan conservatively until significant rainfall materializes.

“We need to go into this year assuming we are not going to get refilled,” he says. “And if we do get refilled, then great. But we can’t count on it.”

For peanut growers facing another potentially dry season, Porter said the key will be proactive management, careful irrigation scheduling and making full use of the tools already available.

“This is one of those years where attention to detail matters,” he says. “Monitoring, scheduling and staying ahead of issues will make a difference.”

By Joy Crosby

National Peanut Board Launches Bold New Branding Campaign for Industry

The National Peanut Board is ushering in a new era for the peanut industry with the rollout of its latest branding campaign, “It’s Not Nuts. It’s Peanuts.”

Set to officially launch on May 18, 2026, the campaign represents more than just a refreshed look. It’s a unified effort to elevate peanuts from a commodity to a recognizable and influential brand in today’s food culture.

“May 18 is the day our entire industry comes together as one,” says Ryan Lepicier, chief executive officer for the National Peanut Board. “This isn’t just a National Peanut Board brand. This is your brand. This is our brand as an industry.”

The new USA Peanuts logo is featured on the side of a Thompson Peanut Company warehouse in Headland, Alabama, highlighting the peanut industry’s unified effort to increase visibility for U.S.A.-grown peanuts through the new “It’s Not Nuts. It’s Peanuts.” campaign.

The campaign centers around a new bold creative platform built to highlight the unexpected benefits of peanuts. Through the tagline, “It’s Not Nuts. It’s Peanuts.,” the campaign leans into surprising, attention-grabbing facts about peanuts while celebrating their versatility, nutrition and everyday appeal.

According to campaign leaders, the effort has been in development for more than a year and a half and was shaped through extensive consumer research and testing with audiences across multiple generations.

“We talked to so many people across the country, and we heard similar feedback,” says Chris Fitzgerald, director of brand and consumer marketing. “Consumers wanted messaging that was much crisper and more singular. They wanted us to focus on clear benefits and what makes peanuts unique.”

One of the campaign’s most unique features is its stop-motion creative series featuring miniature Gen Z-inspired characters interacting within immersive “peanut worlds.” The campaign was created in partnership with award-winning stop-motion studio Not to Scale, led by Anthony Farquhar-Smith, whose previous work includes collaborations with major brands and filmmakers.

More than 800 hand-painted miniature characters were created for the campaign, with every movement individually animated by hand without the use of artificial intelligence.

“We wanted to reveal a campaign that shows just how unexpected peanuts and their benefits can truly be,” Fitzgerald says. “Welcome to the tiny world of peanuts, where the smallest details are really telling the biggest stories.”

Alabama peanut farmer and National Peanut Board member Thomas Adams waves the new USA Peanuts flag. The flag is available for purchase as part of the merchandise collection released alongside the campaign launch.

The campaign includes 10 themed “worlds,” each designed to showcase peanuts in different everyday moments and lifestyles such as hiking, studying and baseball.

The campaign rollout includes a national media strategy featuring a YouTube takeover beginning May 18, paid digital advertising, influencer partnerships, public relations outreach, experiential activations and college campus tours.

Out-of-home advertising will play a major role in the campaign, with activations planned in major markets including Chicago, Atlanta and New York City. One of the campaign’s most visible placements will feature a Times Square billboard in partnership with the Georgia Peanut Commission, alongside branded Chicago “L” trains and digital kiosks throughout Atlanta.

The National Peanut Board also plans to expand grassroots outreach through street teams, collegiate activations and partnerships with state peanut organizations and industry groups.

“What’s most important is that we start building one voice for our industry,” Lepicier says. “No matter where you are, when people see USA Peanuts, they know exactly what it represents.”

Industry leaders say the campaign comes at an important time for peanut producers facing challenges such as drought, rising input costs and market uncertainty. By modernizing the industry’s voice and strengthening consumer awareness, the campaign aims to help build long-term demand for U.S.A.-grown peanuts and support the future of peanut farming families across the country.

“At the heart of this campaign are America’s peanut farmers whose hard work and dedication make this crop possible,” says Thomas Adams, Alabama peanut farmer and NPB board member.

By Peyton Woods

Lisa M. Renzi Hammond Institute of Gerontology | College of Public Health University of Georgia

Why nutrition advice—like crop decisions—should be based
on long-term research, not social media trends.

Are eggs good or bad? What about alcohol, dark chocolate or red meat? How much protein do you really need? When it comes to nutrition, how do you know what to believe?

As a nutritional neuroscientist, I study how what we eat shapes brain health. In my work, people ask me oddly specific questions: “Should I eat coconut oil?” “Is ‘fibermaxxing’ (whatever that is) a good idea?” I get far fewer questions about overall dietary patterns—the fruit, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and other foods someone should eat. When I ask about the sudden interest in coconut oil, the answer is usually the same: someone on social media “swears by it.”

Science has a lot to say about why we turn to non-expert influencers for nutrition help. Influencers are always available—no appointment needed—and a few curious clicks can lead to a feed full of advice. Influencers feel relatable and trustworthy, speaking in plain language from their kitchens rather than in technical terms from laboratories. Compared to that, scientific communication can feel out of touch and not “for us.”

As trust in influencers has grown, trust in science and medicine has declined. Instead of reading dense research papers, we rely on influencers and reporters to interpret findings. At the same time, scientists are sharing results more openly than ever—posting full datasets and “preprints,” or studies released before other scientists have scrutinized them—making it easier for early findings to become headline news.

This transparency is valuable—science only works if it is shared—but it also allows unverified results to spread quickly through social and mainstream media. Claims that chocolate is “good” or “bad” for you may be based on a single study in a single group of people who are different from you. One paper is just one data point; scientific truth emerges only when findings are repeatedly tested, scrutinized and confirmed over time.

Think about it this way: you wouldn’t choose a cultivar based on an influencer’s insistence that planting it would change your life. Instead, you would examine years of data across different conditions—soil pH, weather patterns, yield consistency—before deciding what works best. Nutrition science works the same way.

We feel frustrated when “science” tells us that something that was good for us one day is suddenly bad for us on another day, but it helps to remember that “science” isn’t telling us that. An influencer is. Social and mainstream media are powerful tools, but when it comes to what you put in your body, they shouldn’t be your main source.

And the eggs and dark chocolate? It turns out they are healthy foods for most people, especially when we don’t overdo them. Now, though, you know where to look to see if you agree.

By Lisa M. Renzi Hammond Institute of Gerontology | College of Public Health University of Georgia