Drought. Chemical application changes. High interest rates. Farm bill uncertainties. 2024 was set up to be a challenging year already, so why not add a peanut trial to the mix?

Tanner Hogue, a Terry County, Texas, farmer, focuses on conserving water and improving soil quality in his farming operation. Planting a short-season Valencia is something he accidentally discovered in 2023. They paid out last year at 3,500 pounds, so he was curious if he could replicate those yields again this year.

Hogue planted June 15. The fast-maturing peanuts require 110 days to mature. He hired a custom harvest crew to dig them October 15.

Saving time and money

Planting a short-season variety allows him to reduce irrigation applications by 60 days, drastically reducing his electricity costs and water usage. He’s on the lookout for disease and treats as needed. So far, the crop affords fewer fertilizer and fungicide applications. This year, he made a single fertilizer application and two rounds of fungicides.

Tanner Hogue is trying out a fast-maturing peanut variety he accidentally discovered in 2023. They paid out last year but would they work again this season? (Photo by Laurie Martin)

“I do my fungicide applications through the pivot system, so I don’t have to stop the irrigation,” Hogue said. “Compared to cotton, they're pretty easy. I mean, you just kind of plant them and let them grow and keep the weeds out of them.”

He also hoed twice this year, which would be like a more traditional growing season. Hogue’s peanuts graded well and yielded about 3,300 pounds, which allowed him to cover his input costs and make a little profit.

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Committed to cotton

Hogue noted this late-planting method works because he is not one to truly push his peanuts. He doesn’t want to waste water, so he won’t split a circle between peanuts and cotton. He commits to one crop per circle to give each the best chance to survive (and hopefully thrive), which was hard with so many uncertainties this year.

“I’m a cotton guy,” Hogue admitted. “Peanuts have their value in the operation, but I don’t want to end up having to choose between the two. To me, if you start water on a crop and then you stop, you just waste it. And it hurts my feelings to do that to my cotton.”

Warmer temperatures in September through October gave his peanuts an extra boost to finish. However, those same temperatures, often exceeding 100 degrees, coupled with no moisture, did not benefit his cotton.

Hogue family, from left, Tanner, Erica, Hayden and Hunter. (Photo by Laurie Martin)

“So far, my cotton is yielding about half to three-quarters less than I was expecting,” he said. “To me, August is when cotton is mainly maturing, so my cotton is showing a lot of drought stress. In my case, I’ve had very short staples and high mics.”

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Hogue, not one to sugarcoat, admitted this year has been especially hard, due to economic and political uncertainties.

“Sixteen years ago, when I started farming, if I would have had made this crop that I have now, I would have been very happy,” he said. “I might not have made a lot of money, but I could have broken even. But the input costs are so high this year, I’m just not sure.”

Focusing on the future

Even with mixed emotions about this year’s harvest, he continues to care for his land and prep it for winter. He’s planting a wheat cover crop across all his acres.

On his peanut ground, Hogue spread wheat in front of the peanut digger so that the wheat is incorporated into the soil while the peanuts are being dug.

He immediately applies a half-inch of water to help the wheat get established.

Tanner Hogue kneels in his peanut field where the wheat is emerging and the peanuts are waiting to be thrashed. (Photo by Laurie Martin)

While this tacks on a few more days to harvest to allow the peanuts to dry, Hogue finds the benefit of establishing the cover crop outweighs the delay. Plus, it reduces trips across the field.

As for cotton, Hogue continues to partner with his father, Matt Hogue. They each have their own acres, but just as they helped each other plant, they’ll alternate between running the cotton baler, spraying, and planting wheat. The two are constantly communicating to instigate the best strategy for cotton harvest and prepping the land for winter.

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Ironically, the rainfall they needed in August has fallen in the last two weeks. They received anywhere from 3.5 to 4 inches. This has helped establish the wheat but delayed cotton harvest by at least two weeks.

As the challenges persist, the two patiently wait for the fields to dry so they can finish what they started.

“I’m still going to wake up and do what I need to do,” Hogue said. “Even if this year has been stressful, farming is still a good living.”

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