By Kay Ledbetter
Texas peanut producers made careful planting choices in 2026, responding to both market signals and a dry outlook, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency peanut acreage report released Sept. 11 shows about 145,000 acres of peanuts planted this year in Texas, down from 2025.
Several factors drove the shift, said Emi Kimura Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Vernon and professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences. The biggest factor was an exceptional 2025 crop, which left a larger-than-normal supply of peanuts and put downward pressure on prices.
Two other considerations were more favorable prices on other commodities at planting time and the weather outlook, Kimura said. Peanuts require good moisture, and the state was entering a very dry period, so many producers chose to plant more drought-tolerant crops as a result.
Bob Whitney, Regents Fellow and AgriLife Extension organic specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville in the Department of Agricultural Economics, reported organic peanut acreage followed the same trend, falling 25% from 2025, as prices for organic peanuts dropped 25%.
Source : tamu.edu