Back- to- back seasons of drought continue to impact planted peanut acres making it another tough year for Texas peanut growers, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Emi Kimura, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension state peanut specialist, Vernon, said producers who were able to keep their crop under irrigation throughout the drought were able to maintain growth and produce average yields per acre.
However, for those who were not able to keep up with moisture demands during a second season of drought and extreme heat suffered another rough season.
Harvested acres were up compared to 205,000 acres last year, according to an October U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Statistics Service report. The USDA report also forecasted 107% higher production in Texas than last year – 677 million pounds, compared to 328 million pounds in 2022. Peanut yields this season were up 500 pounds per acre over 2022 production and expected to reach 3,300 pounds per acre.
But Kimura said the USDA report does not depict the 2023 peanut growing season. She said 13,000-14,000 acres of the 230,000 peanut acres in Texas were lost to dry, hot conditions.
“It was the second drought season in a row, and that makes it harder,” Kimura said. “Peanuts need even more water, and lower yields in back-to-back seasons makes it hard for growers.”
Peanut growers face tough conditions The lack of rain and soil moisture in the ground throughout the season left most peanut growers solely reliant on irrigation, Kimura said. That means a farm’s irrigation capacity greatly influenced individual grower outcomes.
The evaporative effect of another arid growing season took its toll on growers’ ability to meet water demands for good pod and peanut development, she said.
Drought delayed crop progress, but there were also weather-related delays at harvest, Kimura said.
“Producers waited a week or two longer than normal to harvest their crop since the rain we received in May and June pushed back planting,” said Kimura. “The drought also slowed down production, so waiting to harvest allowed the crop to mature.”
Progressing peanut prices
Pancho Abello, AgriLife Extension economist, Vernon, released the High Plains Ag Week – Peanut Market update Oct. 18. Peanut prices reached the highest level in the last decade – $545 per ton on average. Abello said demand for peanuts in the U.S. has shifted.
He reported a 9% consumption decrease for peanut candy, snacks and other peanut products, while peanut butter and in-shell peanut consumption increased 6%. “Even though producers’ yields improved on average, many still struggled to bring in a crop,” Kimura said.