Carolina peanut expectations rise in 2023

North Carolina and South Carolina are anything but small potatoes when it comes to peanut production.

In fact, they are two of a handful of Southern states that produce the entire U.S. peanut crop.

The USDA reported that North Carolina growers harvested 116,00 acres of peanuts in 2022, compared with 68,000 acres harvested in South Carolina.

USDA numbers show the states with the most U.S. peanut production are Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the U.S. peanut crop in 2022 was estimated at 5.57 billion pounds.

This year, the USDA reported on April 30 that planting intentions in North Carolina totaled 130,000 acres, up 11% from 2022. For the entire U.S., the report said peanut planting intentions were 1.547 million acres, up 7% from 1.45 million acres in 2022.

The 2023 peanut crop will be harvested this fall from September through early November.

If peanut production is up, demand is up as well, said Eric Boonshaft, director of marketing for Hampton Farms, Severn, N.C.

Government reports indicate demand for in-shell peanuts produced primarily in the Carolinas is up 9.5% from August 2022 through March 2023, he said.

With a 100-year heritage, Hampton Farms has grown from a small family business to the leading roaster of in-shell peanuts, according to the company website.

Headquartered in Severn, and with additional plants in Edenton, N.C.; Franklin, Va.; Springfield, Mass.; Lubbock, Texas; and Portales, N.M., Hampton Farms roasts, packs and markets finished nut products direct to customers nationwide, the company said on its website.