Everett Griner talks about how peanuts got their start in the South in today’s Agri View. Everett tells us some of the history of the peanut, and the battle to be king over cotton.
Peanuts. A major crop in the Southern states. A farm product used and enjoyed throughout the world. But, it didn’t start out that way. In the beginning cotton was the premier crop in the South. But, it had that destructive insect, the Boll Weevil. It was because of that insect that peanuts got their start.
It was when the Boll Weevil was at its worst when Southern educator and humanitarian, Dr. George Washington Carver, encouraged those who were suffering great cotton losses to plant peanuts. A few farmers took his advice. Now when the next planting season came around, they planted peanuts instead of cotton. Overall, it worked well. Those who took his advice had a successful crop with a ready market.
Of course, the rest is history, Peanuts soon became a major crop throughout the South. 100 years later, it still is.
That’s Agri View for today. I’m Everett Griner…