From a Georgia perspective, Dutch's environment is much different
micky b - 10/8/2008 07:35 Dutch, what is considered to be a good solid yield on peanuts? By the ton/acre I would assume? Dryland: 2500 to 4500 lbs per acre, pretty normal, with extreme lows around 1000 and extreme highs around 5000
Irrigated: 3500 to 5500 lbs per acre, pretty normal, with extreme lows around 3000 and extreme highs around 6000
How about price per # average vs. good? $350 to $550 per ton
Gross per acre vs. expense per acre? Variable costs run $350 to $550 per acre, plus land costs, interest, and depreciation. To get that $550, you will just about have to catch a sheller planning ahead, and ready to put out contracts for that. It is not that common.
Do they have disease and bug problems like everything else? Interesting, thank you. Mick We have leaf spot, white mold, limb rot, and tomato spotted wilt virus. Fungicide costs are a major component of our production expenses, with up to 7 fungicide applications per season. We have to scout for foliage feeding insects, as well as root feeding lesser cornstalk borers, plus leafhoppers and three-cornered alfalfa hoppers. In Texas, Dutch's disease pressure is much lighter with his low humidity environment.
They are legumes, so no nitrogen expense. They are very good at scavenging P & K, so little fertility in that area is ever required over here. Being a vine crop, and to get good seed "peg" attachment to the stems and vines, they are intense users of calcium, so we apply gypsum and lime to optimize those levels. We have some years that we get aflatoxin level problems in some, similar to what corn folks deal with. Those peanuts will go to oil or for seed.
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8 row peanut digger pics
