The 2016 peanut planting season will start rolling big this week across much of the Peanut Belt. Margins are tighter and the financial risk is greater. There are some things you can do to make every input and strategy hit this year to make a profit.

Peanut fungicides: When is it OK to skip late-season applications?

Each year as harvest approaches, one of the toughest decisions peanut growers make is whether to terminate their fungicide programs. Stop fungicide applications too early and peanut yield and quality suffer. On the other hand, is the peanut crop worth another fungicide application or two if yields will not suffer? It depends.

Calcium more important in large-seeded peanuts

When producing large-seeded peanuts, you don’t necessarily need more calcium more often, but calcium does take on a new significance. Without it you end up with pops and black heart or other problems.

Your tractor speed might be what’s wrong with your weed control

I could not help but wonder how tractor speed might be influencing the performance of herbicides or any other pesticide for that matter? I am especially troubled since almost all my weed control research (and many other weed scientists) is conducted using speeds of 3.5 MPH and a 20-inch boom height. I am certain that I have never seen that in a commercial field!!!!!

Equipment sharing has a real per-acre value especially now

How can I manage my equipment costs? With profit margins tight, one recommendation is to delay major equipment purchases, but that could put a producer in a bind if equipment breaks down or he doesn’t have the capacity to do the job. So, how can a producer work around that situation?

The cost of a shorter peanut rotation

Some peanut farmers will be tempted, because of economic reasons, to skew their rotations this year, but they need to know at what cost they do.

2016 peanut crop could overwhelm warehouse space

If peanut farmers produce as many peanuts in 2016 as they did in 2015, there will not be enough room in federally licensed warehouses to store the crop, according to a white paper released Feb. 23 by the National Center for Peanut Competitiveness. The concern over warehouse capacity began brewing last year when the peanut industry realized just how large the surplus of peanuts might be going into the 2016 peanut season.

EU’s new view on peanuts puts pressure on US fungicide options

The fungicide propiconazole, sold under tradenames Tilt, PropiMax and Bumper, has been used to fight leaf spot diseases in peanuts for years. Unfortunately, use of propiconazole and products containing propiconazole, including Tilt/Bravo, Echo-PropiMax, Stratego and Artisan, is in doubt for 2016.

Growing better peanuts in South Carolina

Peanuts are growing in popularity and Clemson University has several tools that can help South Carolina peanut producers grow a profitable 2016 crop.