Question:
I have had several growers pose the question of whether or not to dig peanuts ahead of the forecasted heavy rain. Do you have an opinion on what the best course of action would be?
Jordan:
Depends on how mature the peanuts are. Digging one week early sacrifices 5-7% of yield. Hard question to answer.
If the peanuts are just about mature, digging before the storm is a good idea. If they are more than 5 days from being mature it is best not to dig. Hopefully, next week will dry out and the peanuts will mature more and we will be able to dig. It is really early in the season to dig way early. This storm might dump 5 inches of rain but that should not be catastrophic. I always worry about the second storm in the fall. One in mid-September and then one in late September. One big challenge is that if they are dug and stay on the ground for 3 or 4 weeks the vines will go down hill very fast and that could be worse than pod shed in the soil. If people need to manage risk, they could dig some in front of the storm. But in most years I think we lose more by digging early than by digging late.