Video: Monroe County Peanut Harvest

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Monroe County, Miss.[WCBI]-North Mississippi peanut farmers are harvesting their crop and the weather must be right for good maximum yield.

Last year’s peanut harvest in the state was phenomenal. This year’s crop… “better than average” is the assessment of one Monroe County farmer. For harvesting peanuts, wet weather is not what you want.

Monroe County Peanut Farmer Don Self, who happens to be a member of the National Peanut Board has a wealth of knowledge, especially when it comes to peanuts. Self is no nut, he knows the right time to harvest his crop.

“These peanuts were like 135 days here behind us on the 10th if I’m not mistaken. And normally they run a little longer but this year it seems like the weather has been very cooperative and we’re going to turn some this afternoon,” said Self.

Cool damp fall-like weather has kind of slowed down harvesting the nuts across the state, the crop must come to full maturity which adds up to a better grade and good yield, for a better bottom line.

“They’ll start to sprout and then they’ll kind of, you’ll lose your peanuts so to speak. The most material will sprout and you don’t really want that, because they are a lost cause when they do that. So you need to get the on out of the ground,” said Self.

Although some times often unpredictable, all-in-all there remains a steady growing market and profit margin for peanuts in Mississippi.

“I had a lot of people that didn’t plant this year because the price was down, uncertain. But I believe next year we’ll see a decent price for peanuts and that there will be a lot more people in Northeast Mississippi and surrounding areas that plant them,” said Self.

Last season in Mississippi 47,000 acres of peanuts were grown yielding an estimated value of 52 million dollars.”