By Nick McGhee
Peanut Harvest is just now beginning to get started in the area and I expect most growers to be picking peanuts in the next week to ten days, weather permitting. Most of the reports that I have heard so far have been from dryland fields and have been very hit or miss in both yield and grades. Fields that received more rain seem to have made a respectable crop and so far have been grading decent. Those fields that have not had rain for the better part of the year have had poor yields and many of the grades have not been good.
I have not heard any reports from irrigated peanut fields yet but I expect these fields to be much better in terms of yield and grade.
Here is a picture of a local irrigated peanut field that has been dug and will be picked in the next day or so:
Most of the fields that I have been checking maturity on lately are set to mature at 140-145 days after planting, but growers still need to consider having hull scrape samples run on every field and not digging based on calendar days. As we begin to cool off in the fall, the later peanut crop may begin to slow down and the crop may take longer to reach full maturity.
Also, Growers need to be sure that they segregate their dryland corners from their irrigate crop as they begin picking and loading their peanuts into wagons. Not taking the time to do this can severely hurt the grade of a load of peanuts.
If you have any questions about peanut harvest, contact your local extension agent for more information.
Source : uda.edu