University of Georgia Extension’s new peanut agronomist says Georgia’s crop shows potential despite a prolonged drought.

“The crop has looked good, up until the last three weeks. We’re dealing with very dry conditions, and we really, really need a rain,” said Scott Monfort, who arrived on the UGA Tifton Campus on Aug. 1.

Monfort says this year’s peanut crop is also experiencing insect issues as well, including lesser cornstalk borer and spider mites, which are related to the dry conditions. Despite the weeks of little to no precipitation, chances of a productive peanut season are still good, providing it rains during the last half of the growing season.

“Right now the crop looks good and has the potential of yielding very well, maybe just a little bit under that from last year,” Monfort said. “If the rains will come, we can look at a very, very good year.”

He estimates 590,000 acres of peanuts are planted this year with about half being irrigated.

Monfort’s role as Extension peanut agronomist is to work closely with UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ research agronomist Scott Tubbs to help implement new technology into peanut production statewide. He will also assist Georgia peanut farmers and keep them apprised of the latest developments regarding one of Georgia’s top row crops.

“I think this is one of the most important positions, just for the fact this position really works and coordinates with all the other peanut specialists. I will hopefully make the program run more efficiently and try to promote everything that’s being done in peanuts,” Monfort said. “I think it is a very out-front position that is here to promote everything that we do in the university.”

For more information about Georgia’s peanut crop, go to extension.uga.edu.

The twenty-eighth annual Georgia Peanut Tour will be held September 16-18, 2014, and located out of East Georgia at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Pooler, Georgia. The tour brings the latest information on peanuts while giving a first-hand view of industry    infrastructure from production and handling to processing and utilization. Tour stops will be made in several peanut producing counties including Bulloch, Burke, Screven and Toombs County.

Attendees can expect to see first-hand nearly every aspect of peanut production in the state. This year’s tour hosts many exciting stops including on-farm harvest demonstrations and clinics, peanut processing facilities, and several special highlights which include research at the University of Georgia Research & Education Center in Midville, Port Authority of Georgia in Savannah,  Birdsong Ogeechee Peanut Buying Point and Vidalia Valley.

One special interest of the tour has always been the Early Bird “Hot Topics” Seminar set for Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 3 p.m. This year’s Hot Topics Seminar, held at the Holiday Inn and Suites, will focus on the Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab (PMIL). The seminar topics include an update on the 2014 Georgia peanut crop, peanut program and market update, an overview of the USAID Peanut and Mycotoxin Innovation Lab, genomic-based breeding, technologies to improve peanut production and processing and PMIL’s experience in Haiti.

The Georgia Peanut Commission, University of Georgia-Tifton Campus and Griffin Campus, Southwest Research & Education Center, Attapulgus Research & Education Center, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service National Peanut Research Lab coordinate the tour.

Hotel accommodations can be made at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Pooler, Georgia, by calling 912-330-5100. Rooms are available at the rate of $89 for a single/double room and $109 for a suite. Visit www.georgiapeanuttour.com to register and view tour schedule. For more information, contact Hannah Jones at hannah@gapeanuts.com or call at       229-386-3470.