Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What does the future of peanut farming look like? Ray D'Alessio heads to Panama City Beach for the 2026 Southern Peanut Growers Conference to find out — spending two days with the researchers, specialists, advocates, and fifth-generation farmers who are shaping one of Georgia's most important agricultural industries.
The progress is real and measurable. USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Laboratory's Marshall Lamb walks through the remarkable yield improvements the industry has achieved since 2012 — with the U.S. now averaging right around 4,000 pounds per acre, a number that would have seemed impossible just decades ago. Auburn University Precision Ag Specialist Simer Virk adds that autonomous machinery and precision technology are poised to transform peanut farming even further over the next three to five years, with the potential to bring younger generations back to the farm.
But the conference wasn't just about production and technology. This year's keynote speaker, Florida farmer and mental health advocate Marshal Sewell of the Mind Your Melon Foundation, delivered a powerful reminder that during tough times, taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of the farm. His message — that it's okay not to be okay, and that farmers need to check in on one another — resonated deeply in a room full of people who understand the weight of agricultural stress firsthand.
And threading through it all is the human story. Mitchell County's Adam Curles, a fifth-generation Georgia peanut farmer, speaks with quiet conviction about the debt he feels to the generations before him — and the faith that carries him through every new challenge each season brings.
The future of peanut farming won't be built by any single breakthrough. It'll be built by farmers who are willing to learn, adapt, and keep moving forward.
What does the future of peanut farming look like? Ray D'Alessio heads to Panama City Beach for the 2026 Southern Peanut Growers Conference to find out — spending two days with the researchers, specialists, advocates, and fifth-generation farmers who are shaping one of Georgia's most important agricultural industries.
The progress is real and measurable. USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Laboratory's Marshall Lamb walks through the remarkable yield improvements the industry has achieved since 2012 — with the U.S. now averaging right around 4,000 pounds per acre, a number that would have seemed impossible just decades ago. Auburn University Precision Ag Specialist Simer Virk adds that autonomous machinery and precision technology are poised to transform peanut farming even further over the next three to five years, with the potential to bring younger generations back to the farm.
But the conference wasn't just about production and technology. This year's keynote speaker, Florida farmer and mental health advocate Marshal Sewell of the Mind Your Melon Foundation, delivered a powerful reminder that during tough times, taking care of yourself is just as important as taking care of the farm. His message — that it's okay not to be okay, and that farmers need to check in on one another — resonated deeply in a room full of people who understand the weight of agricultural stress firsthand.
And threading through it all is the human story. Mitchell County's Adam Curles, a fifth-generation Georgia peanut farmer, speaks with quiet conviction about the debt he feels to the generations before him — and the faith that carries him through every new challenge each season brings.
The future of peanut farming won't be built by any single breakthrough. It'll be built by farmers who are willing to learn, adapt, and keep moving forward.
