Peanut Leadership Academy Class XIV held their second session in Tifton, Ga. While in the area, participants learned more about the peanut industry through tours of the University of Georgia Tifton Campus, Premium Peanut, MANA Nutrition and others.
Participants of Class XIV of the Peanut Leadership Academy met March 9–11, in Tifton, Georgia, for the second session of the 18-month program. During this session, peanut growers and sheller representatives had the opportunity to learn more about the industry through speakers and tours, as well as discuss key issues the United States peanut industry faces.
On day one, Ryan Jenkins, PLA Class X graduate from Pace, Florida, spoke to the group about the importance of agricultural advocacy. Jenkins emphasized why telling the farm story in and outside of rural communities is critical and gave examples from his own life of how sharing his story has made a difference.
The group then heard from Miriam Crosby about the work The Peanut Institute is carrying out and the powerful nutrition message the peanut industry has to share. Finally, Courtney Dorsett with Premium Peanut gave the group an overview of food safety in the peanut supply chain and the role all segments play in providing the highest quality product for market.
Day two of the session was made up of area tours. The group began with a tour of Kelley Manufacturing Co.’s facility, where they received the most up-to-date information from KMC and learned about the equipment fabrication process. Upon leaving KMC, the group traveled to the University of Georgia Tifton Campus and heard from Nino Brown about the work being done in peanut breeding and the process it takes to bring a new variety to market.
The group then visited Premium Peanut in Douglas for a tour of its shelling facility, followed by a visit to MANA Nutrition. Here, PLA participants learned about MANA’s mission, expansion and how their product is saving lives worldwide.
The group’s final day together began with a tour of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s 4-D Farm. The PLA class learned about the latest precision agriculture technology being used to improve management practices on the farm. The class then traveled to Albany for a tour of Amadas Industries’ facility and Thrush Aircraft. Both Albany stops provided a behind the scenes look at how allied sectors of the industry are working to help farmers be as efficient as possible on the farm with eagerness to learn more about the challenges farmers face.
The Peanut Leadership Academy is coordinated by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation and sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection and the American Peanut Shellers Association. For more information on the Peanut Leadership Academy, visit
www.southernpeanutfarmers.org.
By Jessie Bland