Kamen Brown
The Influence of the Peanut:
Georgia Agriculture
(e peanutàhistoric role in Georgiaàagricultural history and identity.cGill, Frank. “Economic Importance of Peanuts.” In Peanut-Culture and Uses: A
Symposium, 1-14. Stillwater, OK: American Peanut Research and Education
Association, 1973. https://apresinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/PCUChapter-1.pdf.
This source is the definitive reference for all things related to peanuts and peanut
production. This particular chapter of the book, conomic Importance of
Peanuts,’ives a clear and concise history of both the rise in peanut production
in Georgia as well as the economic impact they provided the state and region.
The author outlines the early uses of the peanut for food sources as well as
livestock feed, transitioning to post Civil War production and the growing
importance of the crop economically. Referencing the cotton boll weevil
infestations of the early 1900s and the shift in acreage apportioned to the peanut
along with the growing need for peanut oil and the rise of peanut butterÊpopularity, the data all aligns directly with the proposed essay topic. The author,
Frank J. McGill, a Georgia native, longtime UGA researcher and Georgia
Agricultural Hall of Fame member was instrumental in bringing Georgiaàpeanut
production yields to over 3000 pounds per acre while emphasizing best practices
for land management. This source is well written and a comprehensive
compendium of Georgiaàpeanut industry.
Shurley, W. Donald. “Economic Significance of Peanut Production and Income to
Georgia Farms, Rural Communities.” Journal of Agribusiness 11, no. 345-201615456 (1993): 67-84. DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.62331.
In this Journal of Agribusiness scholarly article, the author details the critical
importance that the peanut plays in the economy of Georgia with detailed
analysis that supports my proposed essay topic. The research explains the rise
in production per acre verses peak acreage being farmed in peanuts, this
occurring in 1991, and the slow decline in planted acres since. This decrease is
the direct result of federal peanut allocations and quotas of which, Georgia
receives 41% of the nationàtotal which amounts to 1.27 billion pounds of
production. As yields continue to rise per acre the total number of acres
decreases while the quota is satisfied due to better and more efficient farming
techniques. The total participation of Georgia farmers in the peanut industry
spans 78 of 159 counties in the state generating 34% of all agricultural crop
value, over $2.45 billion dollars (inflation adjusted) in revenue and the
employment 19,000-25,000 rural inhabitants. The article also explains the USDA
subsidization programs and over-quota production pricing structures while
emphasizing the impact and importance of the peanut crop on Georgia farmers
and the agricultural infrastructure. Author W. Donald Shurley is an expert on
southern crops and farming techniques with numerous published articles on the
topic, he cites no conflict of interest or outside influences in the production of this
paper.
Shumaker, George A., John C. McKissick, and Nathan Smith. “Economics of Peanuts
for Biodiesel Production.” Center Reports, CR-07-04. University of Georgia
Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.
(2007). https://hdl.handle.net/10724/18764.
In this university published article, the authors outline the growing need for
alternative uses of the Georgia peanut as well as the suitability for the production
of biodiesel fuels from the crop. The researchers explore the economic feasibility
of the conversion to fuel through both a cold press method as well as a hexane
extraction process. The oil produced as well as the husks (used as cattle feed),
and the resulting peanut meal left over from the extraction process, all apply to
the net values and viability of the fuel conversion. Originally undertaken in 2007,
the team postulated the fuel costs at the pump for viability of processing required
a price point of $5.35 per gallon for the biodiesel, a number seen recently at the
pumps for diesel fuel. More interestingly, through improved oil extraction
methods, the food grade peanut oil, much sought after for its high temperature
resiliency and deep-frying benefits, proves to be a much more profitable avenue
for farmers and processors as pricing currently supports this use of the peanut.
The researchers of the study are agricultural economic development professors
from the University of Georgia and the study indicates no bias or conflicts of
interest.
Hammons, Ray O., Danielle Herman, and H. Thomas Stalker. “Origin and early history of the
peanut.” In Peanuts, pp. 1-26. AOCS Press, 2016.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-63067-038-2.00001-0
In this chapter from the book “Peanuts” by Ray O. Hammons, Danielle Herman, and H.
Thomas Stalker, the peanut’s history and place of origin are looked at. The scientists use
fossils and starch grains to indicate that the peanut originated in South America and
traveled into the ZaF alley in Northern Peru 8500 years ago. They also detail how
early Spanish and Portuguese explorers saw Indians growing peanuts in many West
Indian Islands, Mexico, Brazil’s northeast and east coasts, the warm Rio de la Plata
basin, and Peru. The peanut spread from these places to the coasts of Europe, Africa,
Asia, and the Pacific Islands. At some point, the peanut made its way to the colonial
seaboard of what is now the southeastern United States, but no one knows when or
where it got there. This source is helpful for subject because it tells a full history of the
peanut, from where it came from in South America to how it came to be grown in the
United States. The authors back up their claims with information from fossils and starch
grains, so this is a good source of information.

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