PEANUT MARKETING NEWS – July 21, 2021 – Tyron Spearman, Editor (86)

PARKER TALKS PEANUTS & SUSTAINABILITY - Bob Parker, President & CEO of the National Peanut Board, presented at
the recent Peanut Congress on sustainability and regenerative agriculture and their importance, especially to younger Generation Z
and Millennial consumers. Research shows that sustainability is a factor in buying decisions for younger people, particularly those
who buy groceries online. Yet there is not a clear understanding of what sustainability means among consumers.
When it comes to regenerative agriculture, not only do consumers not know what it means, even academics and the food
industry vary in its definition. Although some equate it with organic practices, regenerative ag applies to conventional farming as
well and revolves around soil health and restoring organic matter. The peanut industry has an opportunity to define these terms
before someone else does it for us.
Peanuts are one of the most sustainable sources of plant protein on earth. They use a fraction of the water that other nuts
need; are a scavenger of nutrients and fix nitrogen naturally, requiring very low amounts of fertilizer; and are a zero-waste product.
The peanut industry has a great story to tell on sustainability and regenerative agriculture.

ARGENTINA UPDATE - USDA’s Annual Report issued on July 6, 2021, the peanut harvest was about 75% complete. By July 9,
JLA says 90%. USDA’s New Post peanut production estimate is at 1.3 MMT (in-shell basis), down100,000 MT, matching USDA.
Peanuts yet to be harvested are not thought to have been damaged by recent cold weather across most of the country and snow in
the chief peanut producing Province of Cordoba. Peanut-planted acreage is reduced 10,000 hectares to 340,000 hectares.
Peanut acreage is largely contracted in advance and peanut prices have not risen in concert with row crop prices over the
last year. This means that it will be more difficult for peanut processors to contract peanut production early in the season when
landlords are still optimistic about higher rents. Peanut exports are lowered to 880,000 (in-shell basis), 100,000 tons below USDA.
For MY 2021/2022 producers are facing substantial rent increases as landlords seek to benefit from higher crop prices.
Rents for row crops are already the highest in the country and their landlords are seeking increases of 5-10%. These rent increases
(if realized) will likely reduce profitability for farmers and encourage them to plant more corn, which under current price scenarios
offers higher expected returns, and has proven more drought tolerant in recent years. Another factor affecting farmer profitability
will be rising input costs, principally fertilizer, through agri-chemical prices have also risen.

SUNBELT AG EXPO FIELD DAY POSTPONED - Wet weather and saturated field conditions have forced the postponement
of Thursday’s Sunbelt Ag Expo’s annual field day (July 22) in Moultrie, Georgia.
“We really hate to postpone the field day coming up this week. We’re going to try to reschedule it in the next two to three
weeks before corn harvest gets kicked in,” Chip Blalock, SUNBELT CEO said. “But when you get 10 inches of rain in the last 19
days, it just makes for a big ol’ mess on the field roads. We have standing water everywhere. Hopefully, we catch a break where
we go without rain, get dried out and be able to have it sometime in August.” According to the University of Georgia Weather
Network, 15.82 inches of rain recorded in Moultrie, Georgia since June 1, compared to 8.81 in 2020 and 5.79 in 2019.

AMERICAN PEANUT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION SOCIETY MEETS - The 53rd Annual Meeting of the American
Peanut Research and Education Society (APRES) was held virtually July 12-16, 2021 due to continued COVID-19 restrictions.
APRES President Gary Schwarzlose (UFL) presided over the meeting and the Program Committee. The combined General
Session and Symposium theme of Complicated and Challenging World Created by Viruses moderated by Program Chair
David Jordan began with Dr. Timothy Widmer, National Program Leader for Crop Health and Protection, USDA-ARS speaking
on behalf of Secretary Vilsack. His presentation “Lessons Learned from Covid-19 Can be Applied to Plant Disease Epidemics”
compared how plant disease can spread quickly worldwide and have devastating effects. He called for better worldwide
monitoring, planning, preparedness and more resources to address issues as they are developing.
Dr. Stephanie Langel, Duke University School of Medicine, Medical Instructor, used her background in agriculture, veterinary
medicine and human medicine to give a short course in the anatomy of viruses and specifically “Coronaviruses and the Human
Body”. The session generated plenty of questions and anyone interested in more information can tune into her monthly podcast
“Immune”. Awards will be announced in the next PFMN.

LOSS OF PEANUT LEADER – We are saddened to report the death of William D. “Doug” Wingate, 87, of Albany, GA, He died
July 9. Doug was a successful entrepreneur having founded multiple transportation, real estate, farming, and exporting operations.
His businesses included Wingate Trucking, Great Southern Cotton Company, and Great Southern Peanut Company. He also
founded Custom Quality Blanching in Ashburn, GA. Memorials in memory of Mr. Wingate to the YMCA, Lee Branch, 316
Robert B. Lee Drive, Leesburg, GA, 31763 or contact www.mathewsfuneralhome.com.