We are digging peanuts and if anything we could use a good inch of rain. Some places are getting pretty hard and growers will have a time trying to get these dug up. Peanuts that were bedded are having less trouble.
The good news is that so far grades are looking good. Most grades are in low 70s with very little LSK (loose shelled kernels). A high number here can dock growers on those loads. All of this means growers are pulling the trigger at the right time.
We are starting to see some vines declining in the field right now, and this should be considered when deciding to dig. Below is a picture of what these peanuts look like in the field. I checked these last week, and they were 10 days from digging. When you get to the field, we start to notice vines starting to yellow and get tough. Even in wet fields (from irrigation) some vines break when pulling up peanuts. We’re also seeing some pegs lose strength as well. These fields will probably not make it the point the board says dig.
I checked some 12Y this week, and they are looking real good. This peanut is supposed to go a little longer than 06G. Projections on all of my 12Y’s are in the upper 140s and looking right on the money. We still got lots of peanuts in the field planted 3 weeks after the late May-early June rains came through.
We’ve been talking about why we dig look at the maturity board so close and how much we can lose if we dig a week or two early or late. Here are the numbers shared by UGA Extension Peanut Agronomist Dr. Scott Monfort:
