Clovis, New Mexico
February 22, 2007
While the national picture for
peanut production is not good, farmers in New Mexico are taking
advantage of an increasing demand for organically grown peanuts.
Peanut production across the nation fell 29 percent during 2006,
according to the American
Peanut Council's 2006 Crop Production Report, and the
planted area - 1.24 million acres - is the lowest in the United
States since 1915. But the economic factors that can sour the
prospects of producing a profitable peanut crop elsewhere are
not having much impact on the High Plains of eastern New Mexico.
Production of organic peanuts in this part of the state is so
strong that New Mexico is now the top producer in the United
States of the popular nuts.
"Consumer preference has changed and more and more people are
interested in buying organic products from the grocery stores,"
said Naveen Puppala, peanut breeder at
New Mexico State University's
Agricultural Science Center at Clovis. "In the United States,
only two percent of the food supply is grown using organic
methods. It is a niche market that favors environmentally
sustainable growing methods."
The reward for organic production can be high for those who make
the effort.
Valencia peanut growers earn about $1,000 per ton compared to
the conventional $550 per ton, Puppala said.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sales of
organic products are increasing 20 percent a year and it is the
fastest growing sector of agriculture. The demand for organic
peanuts is so high that every year it is very difficult to meet
the demand.
"A short growing season, low humidity and the sandy nature of
the soil makes perfect conditions in eastern New Mexico and West
Texas for growing organic peanuts," Puppala said. "Roosevelt
County ranks first in New Mexico in production of Valencia
peanuts. Some organic growers' yields are as good as or even
higher than those of conventional growers."
Most of the organic peanuts are processed for peanut butter,
with far fewer sold, whether in-shell or shelled, for candy
companies.
New Mexico, Texas and Georgia are the only states where organic
peanuts are grown on a commercial scale. New Mexico ranks number
one, producing 25 million pounds of organic peanuts on about
10,000 acres. Average organic yields are about 2,500 pounds per
acre, conservatively, but some growers produce 3,000 to 4,000
pounds per acre. The net profit for an average organic grower is
$600 to $700 per ton. Input costs range from $300 to $400 per
ton. The most expensive input cost is labor to hoe weeds.
To turn from conventional production to organic production, a
grower must meet the requirements to become certified.
"For organic peanut certification, a grower needs to plan at
least three years ahead before starting organic farming,"
Puppala said. "A grower needs to stop applying synthetic
chemicals to his farm at least three calendar years to achieve
certification."
To become certified, a grower needs an application form, a
registration fee and an inspection of the farm.
"Organic growers need to document all the operations they
perform and be able to maintain good records of their farms,
otherwise they can be turned down by an inspector," Puppala
said.
In Curry, Roosevelt and Lea counties, organic peanut producers
can supplement income by selling the forage from the peanuts to
an organic dairy at $60 a bale, Puppala said.
Puppala, who has been at the Clovis science center since 1999,
will continue his research this summer as the peanut breeding
program focuses on screening a promising germplasm from the U.S.
Valencia Core Collection. The germplasm produces plants with
early vigor, which suppresses weed growth; the plants have high
yield; and the peanuts have the sweet taste of Valencia, Puppala
said. |
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