Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Extension peanut agronomist, reviews research plots with Kaelyn Morgan, UGA Tifton Campus graduate student. Funds from UGA’s Peanut Team Research and Extension Endowment have supported Mogan’s graduate research projects with Monfort.
UGA’s Peanut Team Research and Extension Endowment provides lasting support for research, graduate education and the discovery of solutions to emerging challenges facing Georgia peanut growers.
The University of Georgia’s Peanut Team Research and Extension Endowment continues to provide support for research, education and extension outreach that directly benefits Georgia peanut growers.
Established in 2013 with an initial $100,000 contribution from the Georgia Federal-State Inspection Service, the endowment was created to provide a permanent source of funding for the UGA Peanut Team. Since then, the endowment has grown thanks to the additional contributions from the Georgia Peanut Commission and other private donors.
The endowment allows donors to support UGA peanut research while preserving the original principal gift. Only the interest earned is used to fund needed research, education and Extension activities for the Peanut Team.
Unlike traditional types of research grants, which are often tied to specific projects and timelines, this endowment provides flexible funding that can be used when new challenges face the peanut industry.
“In peanut production, there are things that come up all the time,” says UGA Extension Peanut Agronomist and Peanut Team Leader Scott Monfort. “This endowment provides those consistent funds that the team knows are there so it can solve these everyday problems that come up at the spur of the moment.”
Research is crucial to Georgia’s peanut industry and this endowment allows the peanut team to address issues that may not fall under traditional funding opportunities.
“Applied research is something one can’t get funding for unless one goes through the commodity commissions,” Monfort says. “Although these granting agencies fund a majority of the research and extension efforts of the peanut team, there are still additional resources needed to ensure the peanut team can continue to serve the peanut industry effectively in the future.”
One issue that currently needs attention is research on peanut seed quality. However, this type of research requires additional resources that the Peanut Team cannot afford at this time.
“Right now, the team doesn’t have the resources or equipment available to do research on seed quality, which is one of the most important things that needs to be worked on right now,” Monfort says.
In addition to supporting peanut research projects, the endowment also helps fund graduate student assistantships. Master’s and doctoral students are waiting for opportunities in agricultural research and Extension to gain hands-on experience, and this endowment would offer excellent chance for those students to learn and become active participants in peanut research.
Monfort believes that investing in students today will ensure the future success of agricultural research in Georgia.
“The graduate student side of this is big for the team and even the industry,” Monfort says. “It would help the peanut team train the next people to do these jobs.”
Funds from the endowment have supported graduate research projects, field day equipment, educational programs and Extension initiatives. Recently, this funding has helped support graduate student Kaelyn Morgan’s research on agronomic practices while also improving communication efforts.
“The peanut team needs to be finding those people that are going into their undergraduate and getting closer to making that dedicated leap into the graduate program,” Monfort says. “Georgia is, by far, one of the most effective Extension groups in the country.”
Although the endowment currently provides some annual support for the peanut team, Monfort hopes to see the funds rise in the coming years. His long-term vision is to create a lasting source of funding that supports and expands research, graduate education, communication efforts and programs that will directly benefit Georgia peanut growers.
“The goal is to make sure that the team has consistent funding that’s coming in and that it can depend on,” Monfort says.
Individuals and organizations interested in learning more about the Peanut Team Research and Extension Endowment or supporting its mission can contact Scott Monfort for additional information via email at smonfort@uga.edu or by phone at 229-392-5457.
By Ashlyn Thompson