Peanut crop looks good, concerns about cotton

WIREGRASS, AL (WSFA) - It's tiny in size, but it's a big money maker in the Wiregrass. Peanut Harvest season is underway. The first round of crops have been pulled and it's looking good for farmers.

"We've had yields around the Wiregrass anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 plus pounds. That's pretty good for dry land peanuts. We're excited about those kinds of yields," said Kris Balkcom, a peanut agronomist for Auburn University.

Quantity isn't the only thing that has farmers excited.

"The quality is good this time, so the taste will be just as normal," said Balkcom.

There are about six weeks left in harvest season and farmers hope they get just a little more rain to help the last crops of peanuts grow and keep the ground soft.

"It's easier for those plows to get into the ground. It's easier for those to dig and minimizes our loses out there. If it's hard to get into the ground, we typically plow them off," said Balkcom.

Although peanuts are looking good, what has farmers concerned is the cotton crop.

"We had some damage when the hurricane came by. We had a lot of wind that twisted up the cotton and knocked it down. Some of the cotton that was open we lost a little bit of it when it was knocked out of the burrs," said Balkcom.

Right now, it's too early to estimate how much cotton was lost.

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