Peanuts An Overview of the Peanut Industry in Georgia

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Peanuts An Overview of thePeanut Industryin
Georgia
Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum
Office Dr. Frank Flanders and Catrina
Kennedy September 2006
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Objectives

• Students will be able to
• Explain the importance of the Georgia peanut
  industry.
• Name 4 peanut products.
• State key facts.
• Name the top three peanut producing counties.
• Rank the peanut industry compared to other
  Georgia agricultural commodities.
• Rank Georgia with other states in peanut
  production.

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Why is the peanut industry important?

• It's the official state crop of Georgia.
• The peanut industry accounts for more than 50,000
  jobs in Georgia.
• Georgia produces nearly 50 of the United States
  peanuts.
• Georgia produced about 2 billion pounds of
  peanuts during 2004.
• Georgia has approximately 14,418 farms with
  peanuts and about 5,000 active farmers.
• Georgia has approximately 200 businesses related
  to peanuts.

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Peanut Products
Peanut Butter Gasoline Vanishing Cream Laxatives
Wall Boards Paints Shampoo Glue
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Peanut producing counties in Georgia.

• There are 80 counties in Georgia where peanuts
  are grown.
• The top counties are
• Decatur
• Early
• Mitchell
• Miller
• Worth
• Sylvester in Worth County is the Peanut Capital
  of the World.

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Georgias Commodity Value
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US Peanut Production

• Top peanut producing states

1. Georgia 2. Texas 3. Alabama 4. North
Carolina 5. Virginia
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Types of Peanuts

• There are four basic types grown in the United
  States today.
• They are Runner, Spanish, Valencia and
  Virginia.
• Runner peanuts are mainly grown in Alabama,
  Florida and Georgia, and over half of the runner
  peanuts grown in the United States are used to
  make peanut butter.

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Interesting Facts

• Peanuts are unusual plants because they flower
  above ground but fruit underground.
• The peanut is actually not a nut, it's a legume.
• About 75 of Georgia's peanuts are used to make
  peanut butter.
• Peanuts contribute more than 4 billion dollars to
  the U.S. economy.
• People eat more than 600 million pounds of
  peanuts a year and 700 million pounds of peanut
  butter.

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Assessment

• 1. Name 4 peanut products.
• 2. What percentage of peanuts grown in Georgia
  are made into peanut butter?
• 3. What are the top 5 peanut producing states in
  the U.S.?
• 4. Name one of the top producing counties in
  Georgia?
• 5. What is the official state crop of Georgia?

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Assessment Key

• 1. Peanut Butter, gas, paint, etc
• 2. 75
• 3. Georgia, Texas, Alabama, North Carolina,
  Virginia
• 4. Worth, Miller, Early, Mitchell, Decatur
• 5. Peanuts

Photo from FVSU
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References

• http//www.peanutsusa.com
• www.gapeanuts.com