This year’s peanut season in ENC looks a little different

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) -Knowing when to dig their peanuts is one of the most important decisions a farmer can make and this year’s peanut season looks a little different for ENC farmers.

For the first time in almost ten years, peanuts are ready to dig seven to ten days earlier due to the heat wave we experienced in June.

Various workshops are held throughout the month of September in order to determine if a peanut is ready to dig.

A scientific chart lets farmers know how mature a certain group of peanuts are. This process is called pod blasting and is essential to peanut farmers since digging too late or early can result in a loss of ten percent of the final yield of a crop.

“Those peanuts are blasted using a high-pressure sprayer with a turbo nozzle. It removes the outer shell and exposes the inner shell, which is called the mesocarp that is a reflection of the color maturity of the peanut,s” Mitch Smith, an Agricultural Extension agent at NC State explained.

The optimal maturity of peanuts this year has a large range, starting September 9th and going through October 13th, this is why Smith says the blasting process is so important.

Pitt County is 4th in the state in terms of peanut production, which brings in more than $16 million dollars every year.

With good weather this year, farmers are expecting a good crop to sell at local markets.

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