PEANUTS

BY: DANIEL LEONARD

Basic peanut facts- Botanically a legume, but used as a nut

- Grown best in sandy/well drained soils (hot climates)

- Native to South America

Products ´ Peanuts

- Shelled, unshelled, salted, chocolate covered… etc. ´ Peanut butter

- Accounts for half of the United State’s edible peanut use´ Peanut oil ´ Candy bars or treats ´ Non-food uses

- Livestock feed (shells), soaps.. Etc.

Economic importance- Peanuts have good nutritional benefits

(protein)

- Cheaper than many other nuts

- Can be a good rotation crop with corn (fixes nitrogen)

- Every part of the plant can be used

Major and minor U.S. commercial production states

- #1 state is Georgia who produces 42% of U.S. peanut crop

- NC is in the top 10

- Acreage and production increasing over the last 5 years

- These gains have led to a rise in U.S. exports

U.S. Production (Cont.)

World Leaders - Together, China and India produce over half of the

worlds peanut supply

- U.S. holds 3% of the world’s acreage, but produces 10% of the world’s crop of peanuts (bc of higher yields)

Rank Country Annual peanut harvest in metric tons

1 China 13,336,8602 India 7,156,4483 Nigeria 2,755,6494 United States 1,837,519

U.S. imports and exports

- Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe account for over 80% of the United State’s peanut exports.

- Mexico, China, and Argentina are the countries who sell the most peanuts to the U.S.

References

´ http://www.peanut-institute.org/peanut-facts/

´ https://www.whitleyspeanut.com/funfacts

´ https://www.peanutsusa.com/about-peanuts/the-peanut-industry3/18-u-s-peanut-supply.html

´ https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/top-peanut-groundnut-producing-countries.html

´ https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=84539