Georgia's Peanut Crop Could Be Worst In 20 Years

ATLANTA -- A combination of drought, disease and an economic shift to other crops could make Georgia’s peanut harvest one of the smallest in more than two decades and increase the price of peanut products.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that in a normal year, Georgia produces about 1 million tons of peanuts, or roughly half the country’s total harvest. This year’s production totals will not be known until the harvest has finished. But a good harvest would likely produce 650,000 to 700,000 tons of peanuts, said Don Koehler, head of the Georgia Peanut Commission.

The latest forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts nationwide production will be down roughly 17 percent this year, said Scott Sanford of the U.S. Farm Service Agency.