POP E A N U T Q U A R T E R L Y

A Publication of the National Peanut Board for America’s Peanut Farmers | Issue 26

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

page 6Recipes from theFarm Contest

page 11The Future of America’s Farms

page 8Peanuts Take Gold:First Lady Makes Peanuts Integral to Olympics

page 7Energize Your WorldSweepstakes Results

ResearchFocusThe Peanut GenomeMapping Project

2839 Paces Ferry Road, Suite 210 • Atlanta, Georgia 30339 • toll-free tel: 866.825.7946 • tel: 678.424.5750 • fax: 678.424.5751email: peanuts@nationalpeanutboard.org • web: nationalpeanutboard.org

National Peanut Board SM

Dear Fellow Peanut Farmers:

It’s amazing that when we give to others, we often also get benefits in return. The National Peanut Board’s “Peanut Butter for Breakfast” campaign this year is a perfect example. We’ve talked about the campaign in PQs throughout the year so you’re probably familiar with the basics. One part of the promotion that I think has been especially effective is the virtual “donation jar” on our Facebook page that gets more and more people interested in adding peanut butter to their breakfast. The concept is that every time someone votes for his or her favorite peanut butter breakfast recipe on the page, $5 goes toward a donation to a non-profit organization that helps people in need. It’s a really worthwhile cause, and I’ve been impressed with the results.

We presented the second of two donations to La Cocina in San Francisco as part of a popular street food fair with more than 20,000 people. While I was there, I met a woman who received help from La Cocina to open a small food business just like her grandmother had done. She felt blessed to be able to continue her family’s legacy and be successful.

At the NPB booth at the street fair, attendees were very touched and excited about NPB’s donation to La Cocina and other nonprofits. The crowd was young and tech-savvy. They immediately saw the value in their support and used their smartphones to “like” our Facebook page and cast their recipe votes. They are now part of the 3,500+ fans on our Peanut Butter Fanatic page and will get messages several times a week promoting the nutritional benefits, great taste, versatility and affordability of peanuts and peanut butter. When fans share interesting peanut recipes and news with their friends, the messages have an even further reach for USA-grown peanuts and peanut butter. You can read more about La Cocina and the street food festival on page 10.

I was honored to promote peanuts on your behalf at this event. I hope you can see that this generous donation was powered by a well-planned strategy that both benefitted deserving organizations and also encouraged people to buy more peanuts. These types of strategies drive the Board’s efforts to put your dollars to work and impact USA-grown peanut and peanut butter demand and consumption.

Cindy BelchChairman, 2012

National Peanut Board2012 Officers and Members

Cindy Belch, ChairmanVic Jordan, Vice Chairman

Bob White, SecretaryJohn Harrell, Treasurer

AlabamaEd White

Tom Corcoran, Alternate

FloridaMichael Davis

Jeffery Pittman, Alternate

GeorgiaJohn Harrell

Andy Bell, Alternate

MississippiDonald Self

Mike Steede, Alternate

New MexicoLaura Robbins

Wayne Baker, Alternate

North CarolinaCindy Belch

Dan Ward, Alternate

OklahomaGayle White

Les Crall, Alternate

South CarolinaMonty Rast

Bud Bowers, Alternate

TexasRobert White

Peter Froese Jr., Alternate

VirginiaJohn Crumpler II

Paul Rogers, Alternate

Members-at-LargeVic Jordan

John Shackelford, Alternate

CONTACT INFORMATION2839 Paces Ferry Road, Suite 210

Atlanta, GA 30339tel: 678.424.5750 fax: 678.424.5751

toll-free: 866.825.7946email: peanuts@nationalpeanutboard.org

web: nationalpeanutboard.org

The National Peanut Board repre-sents all U.S. peanut farmers and

their families. Through research and marketing initiatives, the board is finding new ways to enhance pro-

duction and increase consumer de-mand by promoting the great taste, nutrition and culinary versatility of

USA-grown peanuts.

Raffaela Marie FennNPB President and Managing Director

Cindy BelCh

PQ Editorial Staff & Contributors

Editor: Lauren Highfill Williams

Sherry C. CollinsBob Coyle

Mark DvorakJewel HazeltonCathy Johnson

Ryan LepicierDavid McCanless

Lakeshia Poole Steve Saari

Hilary Stiefelmeyer

letter from the Chairman

After nearly a decade of upgrading to increasingly smarter Blackberry iterations, I switched to an iPhone. 

The iPhone has added a new level of sophistication to my life. Yes, smartphones have many more features, but what they really do is give me a much greater ability to

reach out to many more people in both my professional and personal life. With this one new tool, my efforts are multiplied many times over using telephone, texting, Facebook, Twitter, photo exchanges and emails to quickly facilitate communications with a constantly growing audience. When I meet face-to-face with someone, whether it is a colleague, consumer or family member, our personal interaction is enhanced because we can continue our interactions via technology

Our society now is steeped in these new technologies. At NPB, we are constantly upgrading the ways we relate to consumers through all the new social media. But just like relationships with family and co-workers, nothing takes the place of up close and personal. That’s why we believe in blending the best of technology and social media with the personal touch in all our consumer outreach efforts.

We just concluded a highly successful “Energize Your World” campaign, through which we interacted with 1.3 million people using every av-enue of communication available to us. We “talked” with consumers via our website, Facebook pages, banners ads and Twitter and, more than one mil-lion people responded by clicking an entry “liking” our message. In addi-tion, our advertising messages online and in print and NYC subways made an estimated 400 million impressions.

While our online communications for the Energize Your World campaign was a major success, we didn’t stop there. We talked face-to-face with thousands of people, beginning in March in New York’s Grand Central Terminal and continuing throughout the summer at Six Flags parks

in Georgia, Texas and California. For consumers, there’s nothing like meeting and talking with a peanut farmer or getting free peanut product samples to drive home the message that peanuts and peanut butter taste great and are good for you.

The personal one-on-one touch with consumers reinforced and enhanced our online messages. And this convergence of online and face-to-face touch points resulted in more demand for peanut products.

This month, we kick off our “Energy 24/7” effort. Through this initiative, we will build on this past year’s message to “energize your world” by encouraging the consumption of peanuts and peanut butter as a source of energy around the clock.

With today’s technology, we are all on the go 24/7, checking emails, texting and multitasking between work and family. We know peanuts are a great fit when we’re looking for an energy boost to keep us going, and we are going to make sure that all of America knows it, too.

Over the next fiscal year, we need all the touch points possible—technological and personal—to ensure we encircle our families, friends and consumers with the beneficial attributes of peanuts.

Thank you for the opportunity to work for you.

Sincerely,

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Raffaela Marie Fenn NPB President and Managing Director

Graduating with a business degree, Jackie Warren didn’t expect to return to his family’s farm. Soon after, he was “hooked” and has been farming for 40-plus years with his wife, Jean, and their family in Lamesa, Texas.

with Jackie Warren, Lamesa, TX

Some children grow up knowing they want to farm, but for others like Jackie Warren, it just happened to turn out that way.

Warren, a peanut farmer from Lamesa, Texas, graduated from Baylor University with a degree in business and physical education, with aspirations to take on a career in fitness. Due to a family emergency, Warren was called back to his father’s farm after graduation to help out the operation for a short time.

“If you are raised on the farm, you may want to venture out and try something else,” said Warren. “I helped my father out temporarily, and I immediately became hooked.” Soon afterward, land became available in the area, and 43 years later, Warren is still farming in the Lamesa area.

On his farm, Warren currently produces Valencia and Spanish peanuts in addition to cotton. In previous years, Warren has also grown Virginia and Runner peanuts. When asked what he loves most about farming, Warren said, “I love the stress.” He also enjoys being his own boss, working at home and managing his own destiny.

Warren is currently a member of the National Cotton Council and Lamesa Cotton Growers, for which he previously served as the chap-ter president. Warren thinks it is important for farmers to get involved in organizations in their local community and also sees the importance of organizations like the National Peanut Board. “Organizations like the National Peanut Board are a strong voice, and through their ser-vices, people will hear about how good peanuts are for them and what a difference they can make in a hungry world,” said Warren.

Warren’s family includes his wife, Jean, and their two sons and four grandchildren. Both sons, Rob and David, farm peanuts and love farming as much as their father and wouldn’t want to do anything else.

In his spare time, Warren enjoys fly-fishing, entertaining and playing with his grandchildren.

2839 Paces Ferry Road, Suite 210 • Atlanta, Georgia 30339 • toll-free tel: 866.825.7946 • tel: 678.424.5750 • fax: 678.424.5751email: peanuts@nationalpeanutboard.org • web: nationalpeanutboard.org

National Peanut Board SM

letter from the Chairman

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allied,” said George Birdsong, member of The Peanut Foundation’s PGI. “The benefits are expected to impact every sector of the peanut industry, according to research information by the U.S. PGI.”

“When all the expected improvements are implemented, estimates indicate the industry will save more than $200 million each year in production and quality costs in addition to significantly shortening the time to get new varieties into the marketplace. I’m pleased that all three segments have stepped up to the plate,” he added.

Cindy Belch, NPB chairman and North Carolina delegate said, “Farmers and leaders in every industry segment realize one of the best ways to stay competitive is to develop peanut varieties to help resist disease and create better yields. We welcome the opportunity to participate with others in our industry. That’s why we voted at the August board meeting to invest $400,000 of our FY-13 budget toward the genomics project.”

n industry-wide initiative is under way to conduct peanut genomics research that will help reduce production costs, improve yields and varieties, and advance the

overall quality of the crop. This effort involves mapping the peanut genome to identify the peanut’s genes and DNA that control inherited traits and then use natural plant breeding to create new varieties in a far shorter time frame than in the past. However, it does not involve genetic modification (GMO).

The Peanut Genomics Initiative (PGI), coordinated by The Peanut Foundation, is expected to cost approximately $6 million over the next five years. Over the last five years, the U.S. peanut industry, including NPB, contributed more than $2.5 million to fund the earlier phase of this effort.

“The industry determined that the best way to fund this initiative was to divide the cost equally among the three industry segments—growers, shellers, buying points and manufacturers

ResearchFocusThe Peanut GenomeMapping Project

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What Is the Peanut Genome Initiative (PGI)?

The PGI was established to organize and coordinate peanut genomics research. It has grown since 2004 into a committed initiative embraced by the international research community. Today PGI is a coalition of scientists from the U.S., China, India and Brazil and with 135 members representing 79 institutions in 20 countries.

“This is a unique international collaboration,” said Howard Valentine, executive director of The Peanut Foundation. “The peanut genome is being sequenced and assembled in China, markers are coming from India, and all the information is being fed into a central resource in the United States. Without international collaboration, the results would take 20-plus years, instead of what we expect by 2016.”

Focus on Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS)

Moving forward, research will focus on providing breeders with genomic tools that speed up variety development. This technology is known as marker-assisted selection (MAS).

As a breeding method, MAS relies on the use of DNA markers found in plants that have the desired trait before the hybrids are grown in the field. MAS gives breeders a time advantage in variety development. Sequencing the peanut genome is important and necessary to finding a larger inventory of useful DNA markers to move forward with MAS breeding. This technology also allows breeders to more easily build resistance to multiple diseases and/or traits in the same plant and in a shorter length of time.

To date, the PGI has seen several significant accomplishments in areas ranging from the development of gene markers to DNA sequencing to managing pests and diseases.

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One newly developed Runner variety, which uses new DNA markers and is considered a major breakthrough by researchers, is the release of high oleic Tifguard. With MAS, Tifguard was developed in about two years with an additional three years for seed increases and release. This demonstrates MAS could potentially cut eight to 10 years from the breeding cycle for new varieties, saving time and money in confronting diseases as they occur. The rapid development of high oleic Tifguard convinced most breeders to use MAS in the future.

PGI GoalsA major goal of this effort is to take eight to 10 years off the

normal 15-year time it takes to develop new varieties of peanut plants. Building on recent findings, researchers will be involved in genome sequencing and assembling, DNA marker discovery and phenotyping.

Increasing yield and developing plant variety is another main focus. Varieties need multiple resistances to diseases, especially TSWV, leaf spot, sclerotina or CBR, and resistance to pests such as nematodes. Resistance to diseases and pests should increase peanut yielding ability.

Other aims are drought tolerance and better water use, preserving natural resources. Developing early-maturing varieties should reduce growing time and production costs, while avoiding off-flavors. Other goals are to enhance oil quality and essential nutrients and aid resistance to pre-harvest aflatoxin.

Why Now?When The Peanut Foundation began to organize genomics

research efforts in 2004, the peanut industry was at least six to 10 years behind the scientific technology for improved variety development compared to other major crops.

“A challenge we face as peanut growers is the ability to keep peanuts competitive,” said Michael Davis, NPB Florida delegate and research committee chair. “Of course, we’re all naturally

focused on dollar value per acre. We have to maximize yield while minimizing inputs to sustain and complete with corn, wheat or soybeans. This can best be done through genomics.”

“Growers’ yield potential needs to keep pace with the increasing demand for USA-grown peanuts and peanut products. Our industry’s marketing efforts to promote the nutritional aspects of peanuts have paid off. For instance, peanut butter continues to dominate the nut spread market by carrying 95 percent of total sales,” said Don Self, NPB Mississippi delegate and promotions chair. “But as we increase market consumption, we must also increase how much we can produce to sustain our industry in the years to come.”

What Is the Return on Investment?“I see this as a win-win for everybody,” said Valentine. “I don’t

believe this will make our competitors in China, India or Brazil any ‘more’ competitive. With world populations increasing, the demand for USA-grown is too great. For instance, China is moving in the direction of being a net importer of U.S. peanuts because of their high demand.”

The return on investment and benefits to the entire agricultural community could be enormous, according to a white paper published in June by The Peanut Foundation.1 It is believed that as discoveries are made throughout the project, the results will be made available to all breeders regardless of the technologies they use. All breeding methods will be helped by the discovery of more useful DNA markers. For more information visit:http://www.peanutbioscience.com.

* The funding for this project is in addition to NPB’s annual research funding

distributed through states’ peanut producer organizations.

1: http://www.peanutbioscience.com/images/Genomic_White_Paper_June_17,2012.pdf

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We bet you have an amazing recipe using ingredients from the family peanut farm, and we would love to hear about it!

Submit your original favorite family peanut or peanut butter recipe in the sweet or savory category. You can even enter one recipe in the sweet category and another recipe in the savory cateory. Food tastes even better when there’s a story behind it, so make sure to share the inspiration for your recipe.

Each recipe must contain at least two ounces of peanuts, two tablespoons of peanut butter and/or ¼ cup of peanut flour.

All recipes must be submitted with high-quality images, recipe ingredients, preparation time and instructions on how to prepare your dish.

Showcase your family peanut and peanut butter recipes in the National Peanut Board Recipes from the Farm Contest.

Good recipes with farm-fresh ingredients can be staples for family and friends across generations. They can also bring some-thing brand new and just as delicious to the table today. The National Peanut Board is honoring those recipes and stories inspired by the family peanut farm with the Recipes from the Farm Contest.

You can enter recipes for favorites like your grandma’s famous peanut brittle, or your own blue ribbon-winning peanut butter pie. The kids may make a mean peanut noodle dish or something as unique as peanut butter cornbread that you would like to share.

enter yourfavorite peanutrecipe in the

PrizesOne grand prize winner will receive a peanut lover’s gift basket filled with peanut- and peanut butter-related goodies and a $50 Visa gift card. The grand prize winner and recipe will also be featured on our website. Two runner-up winners in each category will be featured on our blog and possibly our website.

Complete contest rules and details are available at www.nationalpeanutboard.org.

Deadline for submission is January 12, 2013.

*Your recipe should not contain any other nuts, nut butters or nut flours/meals**Your recipe cannot mention specific brand names.* As an example, instead of “Brand X® Peanut Butter Cups”, say “peanut butter chocolate candies”.How to Enter:

Review the contest rules and access the Official Recipe Submission Form online at http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/recipecontest.php. All online entries must be submitted via email to recipecontest@nationalpeanutboard.org; failure to do so will result in disqualification of entry. Online entries must be

received by 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific time on January 12, 2013. LIMIT ONE ENTRY, PER CATEGORY (must submit a different recipe for each category), PER PERSON AND PER EMAIL ADDRESS during the entry period, regardless of whether more than one person uses the same email address. In case of a dispute as to the identity of a winner who enters, entry will be declared by the registered user (meeting eligibility criteria) of the email account and, if a prize is won, will be awarded to that registered user. The use of robotic, repetitive, automatic, programmed or similar entry methods of agents (including but not limited to, sweepstakes entry services) are prohibited and will void all such entrant’s entries.

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Kathleen Pagac, 55, from Waterford, Michigan, was another big winner in the sweepstakes. As a grandmother of two, Pagac entered the contest online and was excited to learn she won the Six Flags vacation for her family. She, too, is a peanut and peanut butter fan. “Peanuts are easy to carry, and peanut butter ‘sticks’ with you.”

The trip gave her family an opportunity to take a much-needed extended trip together to Six Flags Over Georgia in Atlanta.

The Peanuts Energize Your World promotion would not have been possible without the support from co-presenters Hampton Farms, Planters and Peanut Butter & Co. Through-out the sweepstakes, entrants were also eligible to win “instant prizes” that included peanut products, mp3 players and gift cards.

With nearly 1.3 million entries online and thousands of in-person entries, the campaign successfully connected with peanut and peanut butter fans nationwide. It captured more than 400 million media impressions. A truly integrated campaign, outreach included digital and print advertising, public relations and social media components.

A self-proclaimed peanut butter fan, Nicholas Disanto, 55, had a less-than-one-in-a-million chance to win the fuel-efficient Ford® Focus offered as the grand prize in the National Peanut Board’s Peanuts Energize Your World Sweepstakes.

The four-month promotion concluded in June with more than 1.3 million entries. By industry standards, the campaign performed above and beyond on every metric. The sweepstakes website, peanutsenergize.com, garnered nearly 12 million page views.

Yet Disanto won the grand prize. On September 13, he drove away with the car he had already been thinking of buying. After deciding to prioritize fuel efficiency and cost, Disanto considered purchasing the Ford Focus and had admired the car’s features.

“The biggest perk of the car is the fuel economy because I travel 55 miles to work, and it was an important consideration for me,” said Disanto, who lives in Boca Raton, Florida, and commutes to Miami every day.

For the energy needed to tackle traffic on his almost one-hour drive to work, Disanto puts the best fuel into himself. “I often choose peanut butter, and I put it on everything — crackers, smoothies. I eat a lot of peanut butter.”

Energize Your World SweepstakesReaches 400 Million and Top Winners Receive Car, Trip

Kathleen Pagac, a grandmother from Waterford, Michigan, was the lucky winner of a family trip to Six Flags Over Georgia. A Six Flags employee welcomed them to the theme park with a peanut gift basket from NPB.

For a children’s event held by First Lady Michelle Obama at the London Olympics, the National Peanut Board provided “Energy for the Good Life” peanut snack packs as well as facts about peanut and peanut butter nutrition for all ages. As part of her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity, more than 1,000 American and British schoolchildren received the peanuts and other nutritious American foods. 8

Co-presented by Hampton Farms, Peanut Butter & Co. and Planters, the sweepstakes’ grand prize enticed hundreds of thousands of consumers to learn more about peanuts. NPB Mississippi delegate and Promotions Com-mittee Chair Don Self (r) presented winner Nick Disanto (l) with the new car. Photo credit: Robin Roslund.

Peanuts Take GoldFirst Lady Makes Peanuts

Integral to Olympics

The nutritional benefits and delicious flavor of peanuts and peanut butter scored gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London at an event held by First Lady Michelle Obama.

The National Peanut Board provided “Energy for the Good Life” snack packs of wholesome USA-grown peanuts for a children’s event held by First Lady Obama as well as information about the nutritional benefits of peanuts and peanut butter for kids and adults. Part of her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity, the London event included more than 1,000 American and British schoolchildren who received the peanuts and other nutritious American foods.

A fuel-efficient 2012 Ford Focus, appearing for consumer-engagement events at Grand Central Station and three Six Flags theme parks, was the sought-after grand prize of the Energize Your World Sweepstakes.

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Sarah-Jane Bedwell, another member of the dietitian network, educates her readers about the protein and good fats in peanuts and peanut butter on her Shape magazine blog, which nets over 800,000 unique visitors per month. She also shares tips via several social networks in which she boasts 2,000 fans and followers. Recently she provided peanut butter for breakfast ideas on the Today Show, a top-tier morning news program that garners over four million viewers each day.

NPB continues to work with dietitians like Gidus and Bedwell to educate more consumers about the goodness of USA-grown peanuts and peanut butter at breakfast.

A critical component of the National Peanut Board’s year-long “Peanut Butter for Breakfast” program is NPB’s dietitian network, boasting some of the nation’s leading health media spokespeople. These professionals are already tapped by major news outlets to speak about the latest food trends and research.

NPB ramped up its network this year with targeted outreach promoting the benefits of peanuts and peanut butter. By providing key facts— such as peanuts have more protein than any nut, and peanuts have more than 30 essential vitamins and nutrients— as well as easy breakfast recipes and details on how peanut butter can help boost nutrition specifically at breakfast, the campaign was both promotional and educational. In turn, these influential dietitians share tips and recipe ideas with their audience via Facebook, Twitter, blogs and media interviews.

“As media dietitians, we love getting information from commodities and brands who speak directly to us as nutrition experts, highlighting the nutritional benefits of their foods,” said Tara Gidus, RD, also known as the Diet Diva. Gidus led a segment on the nationally syndicated morning TV show Daily Buzz and featured peanut butter and banana quesadillas from PB4Breakfast.com. As the healthy-eating expert on Healthline.com, she also showcased peanut butter as a good breakfast option for getting kids ready for the school day.

“The outreach the National Peanut Board has done helps to keep them top of mind, and we then bring the information to utilize our own network of dietitians to get the word out via all of our media channels,” said Gidus.

“By providing nutrition

key facts, as well as easy

breakfast recipes and

details on how peanut

butter can help boost

nutrition specifically at

breakfast, the campaign

was both promotional

and educational.”

Through print and online publications, almost 100 million readers received messages about peanut nutrition at breakfast along with an easy and nutritious recipe for Peanut Butter Power Muffins.

Dietitians Talk Peanut Butter for

BreakfastNutritional Value of Peanuts

Resonates with Media

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Offline Buzz for Peanut Butter for Breakfast

Continues

While the Peanut Butter for Breakfast campaign is driven by digital outreach, local community newspapers are a key media outlet for spreading the message. The National Peanut Board’s article on making breakfast better with peanut butter showcases the nutritional value and versatility of peanut butter.

It included a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Power Muffins that are full of flavor and provide protein to give consumers the energy to get their day off to a great start.

To date, the article has generated nearly 2,056 news articles in 49 different states and a readership of 18.9 million. The article appeared on websites that were viewed by more than 76 million unique visitors per month.

As part of the Peanut Butter for Breakfast donation to La Cocina, NPB participated in the annual San Francisco Street Food Festival which attracted 20,000 attendees.

Peanut Butter for Breakfast Donation to La Cocina

Highlights PeanutsFollowing up on the first “Peanut Butter for Breakfast” campaign donation earlier this year, the National Peanut Board presented the second campaign donation in August to San Francisco-based nonprofit La Cocina.

La Cocina cultivates low-income food entrepreneurs from minority and immigrant communities as they formalize and grow their businesses by providing affordable commercial kitchen space, technical assistance, and access to market and capital opportunities. The group aims to help entrepreneurs contribute to a vibrant economy by doing what they love to do.

“We were happy to provide La Cocina and the people they serve our support,” said Cindy Belch, NPB chairman and North Carolina board member. “USA peanut farmers believe that it’s critical we support the communities we serve. Peanut butter is an affordable source of protein to those who need it most, and this is a great opportunity to help people thrive.”

“The National Peanut Board has been an important supporter of both La Cocina and the San Francisco Street Food Festival for the last two years,” said Caleb Zigas, executive director of La Cocina. “Like many of our clients, the farmers that the National Peanut Board represents epitomize the best in food—folks who are hardworking, sincere and make a living doing something that they love to do.”

Preceding the donation presentation, NPB shared peanut messaging and promotional items at the San Francisco Street Food Festival, which attracted 20,000 attendees and also benefitted La Cocina.

As the average age of farmers in the U.S. continues to rise, America’s farms are turning gray.

Demographics published by the Environmental Protection Agency state about 40 percent of the farmers in America are 55 years and older.1 Along with that, other reports note a 20 percent drop in farmers under the age of 25. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has expressed concern about the issue. 2

Despite the statistics, the future of farming has bright spots, and the National Peanut Board spoke with three young peanut growers about their roles in agriculture today and their views about the future of farming in America.

Daniel Parrish is a 31-year-old farmer from Tchula, Mississippi. Like many young farmers these days, Parrish didn’t plan on a future in farming. He earned a degree from Mississippi State in engineering with dreams and aspirations to work in the automobile industry.

“I worked in the automotive industry for a few years and found out that it wasn’t what I wanted to do. So in 2008, I came back to

From Gray to Growing, Young Farmers Share Their Thoughts About

The Future of America’s Farmsfarming,” said Parrish. Parrish now runs his third-generation family farm, where they grow peanuts, cotton, corn and soybeans.

To keep up to date and remain relevant in the agriculture industry, Parrish stays involved within his local community, including serving on the board of the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association and attending state agricultural meetings.

In addition to community involvement, Parrish sees the importance of remaining innovative on his farm. Currently he is testing several new technologies, such as auto-steer GPS systems and zone sampling.

“Farmers are still going to have to provide food in the future for the world,” said Parrish. “If new people don’t get involved in farming, it has to be passed on through the kids of families who are in agriculture today. As the current generation of farmers gets older, we need new people to step up to produce food for the country.”

Today there is a great need for young farmers in the peanut industry to step up and take over their family’s farm business or for new people to enter farming. In a February 2012 article from Reuters,3

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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed his goal of creating 100,000 new farmers in the next few years. The Department of Agriculture has rolled out an action plan to recruit and encourage young people to join the industry.

Like Parrish, Antron Williams, a 29-year-old farmer from Rowesville, South Carolina, went away to school (Clemson University) and returned home to take over his sixth-generation family farm after receiving a degree in agricultural business and management. Williams currently grows Runner peanuts, corn, cotton, soybeans and wheat.

Williams is actively involved in several agricultural organizations, including the National Peanut Board’s Diversity Advisory Council. “I go to all of the industry meetings I can and stay involved in agriculture organizations. I read a lot of books and magazines, and watch a lot of agriculture programs on TV,” said Williams.

When asked what he loved most about farming and why he thinks more young people should get involved in the industry, Williams said, “I love being able to see the fruits of my labor grow and develop all year long. The average age of a farmer is around the age of 57 in this country, so we need young people to get involved in farming. It’s a great industry to be in if they can handle the stress and the ups and downs. You have freedom to set your own schedule, and it’s a great way of life.”

Like Williams and Parrish, Casey Weger, a 28-year-old farmer from Hendrix, Oklahoma, also sees the importance of young people getting involved in farming. Instead of going away to school, Weger had an interest in farming at a young age. Weger began farming right out of high school.

“I think it is very important for young people like me to be involved in farming. Agriculture feeds the world, and there will always be a demand for food. I hope that there will be more young people who will want to stay involved in agriculture,” said Weger.

With more and more farmers expected to retire in the next 10 years, today’s growers like Williams, Parrish and Weger are inspiring the next generation to get involved in their communities to sustain the future of family farms in America.

1 www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.html

2 http://www.npr.org/2011/02/27/134103432/Americas-Future-Farmers-Already-Dropping-Away

3 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/06/mon-8-am-farm-usa-idUSL2E8CU9I420120206

ABOVE: NPB Diversity Advisory Council member Antron Williams of Rowesville, S.C., takes pride in his sixth-generation family farm and thinks farming can appeal to more young people. “It’s a great industry to be in if they can handle the stress and the ups and downs,” he said, “It’s a great way of life.”

BOTTOM LEFT: Hendrix, Okla. farmer Casey Weger has pursued his pas-sion for farming from an early age. He believes more young people need to realize that “agriculture feeds the world and there will always be a demand for food.”

TOP LEFT: Young peanut farmer Daniel Parrish of Tchula, Miss., em-braces innovation and new technology to support a viable future for farming. “As the current generation of farmers gets older, we need new people to step up to produce food for the country,” he said.

“I think it is very important for young

people like me to be involved in

farming. Agriculture feeds the world,

and there will always be a demand

for food. I hope that there will be more

young people who will want to stay

involved in agriculture,” said Weger.

Managing the Mystery

NPB Provides Education and Outreach on Managing Food Allergies Nationwide

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Mystery: Correcting Myths and Sharing Best Practices in Food Allergy Management,” was well-attended by both conference participants and School Nutrition Association staff. In addition to the session, NPB co-exhibited at the conference with The Peanut Institute. This provided great opportunities for one-to-one conversations and feedback. Many foodservice directors and vendors requested additional information about food allergies and peanut nutrition, as well as recipes for creative ways to use peanuts and peanut butter in their programs. One broker said that the work that had been done by NPB with a district in Georgia was singularly responsible for maintaining and increasing the peanut butter products he was able to sell.

What is the best way to prevent food allergies? Should we serve potential allergens in our cafeteria, hospital or home? How do we prevent an allergic reaction for someone with a food allergy? Ask any group of health professionals for basic advice on managing food allergies, and you could get a litany of different recommendations. Unfortunately, we’ve come to expect hype and misinformation about food allergies from the media and those outside the field of healthcare, but there is a surprising lack of knowledge about the basics of food allergies and best practices among healthcare professionals, including school nurses, nutrition professionals and physicians. The National Peanut Board proactively addresses misinformation and myths regarding food allergies by providing science-based education and training nationwide. The NPB team travels far and wide to help dispel myths and correct misinformation by sharing accurate, evidence-based recommendations on how to keep people with food allergies safe, while continuing to make available peanuts and other favorite foods for those without food allergies. Whether at trade shows, professional conferences or special events, the team provides resources, information and training, and referrals to other experts if needed.

School Nutrition Professionals: A Key Audience

The school nutrition community continues to be an important part of NPB’s efforts to help provide reliable resources and information so that they can feel confident serving peanuts and peanut butter. While the big news in schools this year is the new meal pattern, which will increase fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as cost of school meals; high-profile legislation about epinephrine and food allergy fatalities drives schools to look for ways to effectively manage this issue, too. And learning to do so, while avoiding unnecessary blanket bans, is essential. Through annual state school nutrition association meetings in Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, California, Virginia and Mississippi, Sherry Coleman Collins, a registered dietitian and senior manager of marketing and communications, addressed hundreds of school nutrition staff and foodservice directors to provide solutions.

In July, Collins co-presented a food allergy management session with Sally Vandenbos, a school nurse from Georgia, at the School Nutrition Association’s annual nutrition conference. The meeting brought together thousands of school nutrition professionals from around the country. The food allergy session, called “Managing the

“One broker said that the work that had

been done by NPB with a district in

Georgia was singularly responsible for

maintaining and increasing the peanut

butter products he was able to sell.”

School Nurses: High PriorityRecognizing that food allergy management doesn’t stop at the

cafeteria door, NPB makes reaching school nurses a priority. As on-site health professionals, school nurses are challenged with managing food allergy reactions in schools. Collins spoke with hundreds of school nurses through presentations at the annual meetings for school nurses in Louisiana and Georgia. These audiences proved to be some of the most interested in this important topic. In fact, when Collins and NPB Marketing & Communications Associate Lauren Highfill Williams attended the National Association of School Nurses’ annual meeting earlier this year, they had valuable conversations with school nurses from around the country. These professionals are an important piece of the puzzle in helping create safe environments for kids with food allergies, while ensuring that nutritious peanuts and peanut butter are available for students without allergies.

Dietitians Reach All SegmentsOutside of schools, NPB reaches out to registered dietitians by

providing educational opportunities for them as well. Dietitians work in schools, healthcare facilities and foodservice, making them an influential group of food and nutrition experts. Collins provided food allergy training at the Mississippi Dietetic Association annual meeting, where the Mississippi Peanut Producers were a sponsor. At the local level, she presented this training for dietitians at the Memphis Dietetic Association’s annual nutrition symposium. By teaming with NPB’s public relations team at the firm Golin Harris, NPB provided media training in September, focusing on key nutrition and food allergy messages, to a group of high-profile registered dietitians in Atlanta. This special group of influencers can help spread peanut facts within the healthcare community and to consumers.

With more than 30 vitamins and minerals, peanuts are a superfood. Wanida Lewis, a PhD candidate at North Carolina State University and the 2012 winner of the National Peanut Board’s George Washington Carver Award, studies the composition of peanut skins, where antioxidants are highly concentrated, and how they may lead to making peanuts and peanut butter even more nutritious.

NPB Chairman and North Carolina delegate Cindy Belch presented the award to Lewis at the 2012 meeting of the American Peanut Research and Education Society. “The National Peanut Board is honored to give this year’s award to a brilliant and dedicated research student such as Wanida Lewis,” said Belch. “This kind of research shows creativity and can help raise nutritional awareness of peanut products.”

In addition to Lewis’ research, she demonstrates outstanding service to her community, promoting diabetes awareness and helping develop nutrition programs for those living in poverty. Recently, she helped start a local youth organization that promotes running, particularly for young African-American women.

NPB’s Carver Award recognizes excellence in peanut research and community involvement, honoring Dr. Carver’s iconic contributions to peanut research and society. Lewis received a $1,000 prize and her home school also received $1,000 as part of NPB’s ongoing commitment to peanut research.

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NPB Chairman and NC delegate Cindy Belch (l) presented the 2012 award to NC State PhD student Wanida Lewis (r) at the annual APRES meeting.

NPB reaches school health gatekeepers at conferences like NASN, sharing information about food allergy manage-ment, correcting misinformation and promoting the nutritional benefits, popular flavor and value of peanuts and peanut butter. Credit: National Associa-tion of School Nurses.

School nutrition leaders interacted with NPB and The Peanut Institute at the SNA conference. Attendees gained in-depth knowledge about managing food allergies through a session lead by NPB and a school nurse. (l-r) TPI’s Miriam Crosby; NPB’s Sherry Coleman Collins, MS, RD, LD; and TPI’s Ashley Hammond.

NPB teamed with public relations firm Golin Harris to provide media training focusing on key nutrition and food allergy messages to a group of high-profile registered dietitians in Atlanta.

Carver Award Winner Active in Peanut Nutrition Research and Community

NPB’s approach shares trusted guidelines and recommendations on food allergy management, while combatting misinformation and myths. Follow-up continues as the NPB team works with school districts and professionals across the country. At every opportunity, NPB continues to increase its reputation and availability as a go-to source for food allergy management.

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When it comes to buying foods for themselves and their families, women primarily make the purchasing decisions. These shoppers are most often looking for meals and snacks that provide what peanuts and peanut products deliver: great taste, nutrition and value. One of the ways the National Peanut Board reaches this audience is through targeted media that have a broad reach at a negotiated price.

“Advertising and promotions help move our crop,” said Don Self, NPB Mississippi delegate and promotions chair. “It creates awareness about the nutritional benefits of peanuts, gives people ideas about cooking with peanuts and motivates people to buy more peanut products.”

Women between the ages of 18 and 64 are usually the ones shopping for groceries and who have healthy and nutritious meals and snacks top-of-mind for themselves and their families. Since consumers recognize that USA-grown peanuts are a great value and they’re also preferred for their flavor, NPB’s advertising and messaging has sought to focus and drive home the nutritional benefits of both peanuts and peanut butter. Two consumer advertising campaign strategies effectively reached this target audience during the spring and summer of 2012.

The “Peanuts Energize Your World” sweepstakes ad reached more than 50 million magazine readers in March and April alone. The full-page color ad, encouraging entries in the sweepstakes to win a Ford Focus, a family trip to Six Flags and other prizes, ran in Cooking Light, Fitness, Food Network Magazine, O—The Oprah Magazine and Women’s Health.

National online advertising promoting the sweepstakes ran on Facebook, throughout ad networks and on mobile devices during the course of the sweepstakes, generating close to 50 million consumer impressions. NYC transit ads also reached more than 9 million consumers. Entries into the sweepstakes, both online and at Grand Central Station and three Six Flags venues, totaled 1.3 million. (See page 7 for details about our sweepstakes winners.)

In addition to the time-sensitive sweepstakes ads, NPB reached more than 58 million consumers in women’s magazines with its brand advertising campaign, “Peanuts: Energy for the Good Life.” From May through August, readers were inspired and informed by ads promoting the energizing power of peanuts. For instance, one ad shows a mom claiming, “Peanuts have more protein than any nut. Good thing, because parenthood is an endurance sport.” Another ad features a female cyclist saying, “As it happens, I have an extra gear and it runs on peanut butter.” These and similar ads ran in Food Network Magazine, Cooking Light, Gluten-Free Living, Whole Living, Women’s Health and O—The Oprah Magazine and other national media.

Through engagement with NPB’s ads, NPB is getting more people to say, “Peanuts have always been a great-tasting food. Now I know I should be eating them more often.”

“I’d say that’s a winner,” said Self.

Advertising TargetsNutrition-Minded Consumer

Peanut Country Featured on TV’s

Cooking Channel

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Chef G. Garvin, host of the Cooking Channel’s hit television series Road Trip with G. Garvin took more than 14 million viewers to a fourth-generation farm in southeastern Virginia. There, owners and operators Jeffrey and Stephanie Pope grow peanuts on Cedar Views Farm and sell their products through a family-run business, Royal Oak Peanuts.

Garvin began the episode with Jeffrey outside in the fields to talk about planting, drying and harvesting this year’s crop. Then Garvin joined Stephanie inside their manufacturing facility to make one of Royal Oak’s flavored peanut varieties called Southern Heat. Stephanie demonstrated the process of starting with raw, home-grown Virginia peanuts, followed by blanching, roasting in peanut oil, adding spices, packaging, labeling and finally getting the product ready to ship. “Peanuts have a special place in my heart now,” said Garvin.

“We leveraged our advertising relationship with Cooking Channel to help get the messages about the farm-to-table qualities, nutritional benefits and culinary versatility of peanuts and peanut products included as part of their regular programming.”

The Cooking Channel’s profile of USA-grown peanuts, along with NPB advertising during the program, reached more than 14 million viewers with key messages about sustainability and nutrition.

Then it was time to take the cameras into the Pope’s home kitchen, where Stephanie showed “just how versatile peanut butter can be for breakfast.” She and the chef created a Blueberry Peanut Butter Smoothie and Stuffed Banana Strawberry Peanut Butter French Toast. “Incredibly delicious,” said Garvin. “It’s really fun,” added Stephanie.

“We leveraged our advertising relationship with Cooking Channel to help get the messages about the farm-to-table qualities, nutritional benefits and culinary versatility of peanuts and peanut products included as part of their regular programming,” said NPB Vice President of Marketing and Communications Ryan Lepicier. “In addition to the program integration, NPB also had branded ‘Peanuts: Energy for the Good Life’ commercials, targeted program sponsorships and cut down short forms of Road Trip airing throughout the network, which created a virtually seamless message for viewers.”

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The National Peanut Board has set a Fiscal Year 13 Program of Work and budget of $8.7 million, with $400,000 slated toward an industry-wide genomics research project in conjunction with The Peanut Foundation. The Program of Work for FY-13 is designed to have a great impact on increasing consumer demand for peanuts and peanut products, as well as meeting NPB’s goals of production research.

“Our board developed and adopted a new highly targeted and long-term strategic plan designed to have a positive impact on consumer attitudes. This FY-13 Program of Work and associated budget implements strong advertising and promotion initiatives, business development, production research funding, and nutrition and allergy education and research aimed at fulfilling that long-term strategy,” said Cindy Belch, Board chairman and North Carolina delegate.

The Board allocated funding for the Peanut Genome Project, an industry-wide initiative under way to develop new and improved peanut varieties through marker-assisted breeding.

“Farmers recognized the enormous potential of peanut genomics for all segments of the industry since the industry-wide research efforts began several years ago,” said Michael Davis, research committee chairman and Florida delegate. “Our investments, coupled with funding from other industry segments, will help everyone get involved on equal footing as we continue to support this vital effort focused on ensuring the future of U.S. peanut farming.”

For FY-13, NPB’s marketing and promotional strategies build on the success of NPB’s brand platform, “Peanuts: Energy for the Good Life” with a focus on “24/7 Energy.”

“Research is critical for the grower, but without the consistent and comprehensive promotion and business-building effort, Americans would not be as aware of the agriculture that sustains them,” said Don Self, promotions committee chairman and Mississippi delegate. “It’s a very competitive marketplace and without NPB’s multilayered marketing, advertising and promotions programs, I know consumers and decision-makers in foodservice, retail and manufacturing would choose other products. NPB’s programs keep our peanut’s versatility, value and nutritional benefits front and center. We must remain proactive about spreading our messages.”

Consumer Impact & Research Initiatives

Focus of 2013 NPB Budget

“NPB’s programs keep our peanut’s

versatility, value and nutritional

benefits front and center,” said

Mississippi delegate Don Self.

Market research shows that NPB’s business-building strategies are on target with consumer behavior and attitudes. Trends point to a continued focus on plant-based diets, as well as toward fitness and healthier consumer eating behavior.

The “24/7 Energy” brand initiatives will be implemented through social engagement programs, competitive contests, advertising and public relations, business and foodservice development and nutrition education throughout the year.

Miss. delegate and Chair of the Promotions Committee, Don Self believes sharing the benefits of peanuts and peanut butter with consumers directly helps increase demand. Self and his wife, Lisa, engaged with visitors at Six Flags Magic Mountain this summer.

Fla. delegate and the chair of the research, and export and international trade commit-tees Michael Davis has promoted peanuts in Amsterdam and Japan in recent years. Pictured here, Davis also lends support for domestic promotions and volunteered at the “Energize Your World” event in New York City in March.

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Avid outdoorswoman, wife and mom Amelia Mayer needs all the energy she can get. Peanuts and peanut butter are staples in her house, on the trail and on her blog at TalesofaMountainMama.com. A version of Mayer’s story and recipe appeared on the National Peanut Board blog at energyforthegoodlife.org.

Here, Mayer offers insights about the importance of getting outdoors as a family, ways to handle kids’ meltdown modes and why peanuts are the best fuel for a strong finish when trekking outdoors. Her warm personality and sense of humor shine through.

“We’re an active family. We bike, run, ski, hike, explore and spend the rest of the day chasing our two toddlers. As a mom, I easily clock six-plus miles a day just around the house (and yep, I am dorky enough to actually have calculated that, thanks to pedometers plus a GPS just to check twice).

At home we go through peanut butter like crazy. It’s a staple for this family. As with any “good American family,” much of that consumption is in the form of PB & J, but we get a little fancier on the trail. More often than not, the freezer (because I kid myself that they will actually be around long enough to warrant being frozen) is stocked with homemade granola bars made of peanut butter, honey, oats and plenty of chocolate. They are a treat reserved for only the energy exerted in the great outdoors. Quite honestly, I don’t think those granola bars taste nearly as good at home as they do at the top of a mountain.

Here’s the thing: the protein packed into peanuts (and peanut butter) coupled with a source of sugar is what fuels us with a boost of energy and a little kick to finish strong. I want to know that when all else fails (the kids are beyond meltdown mode, we are tired, and everyone is hungry), we have a fall-back snack to depend on. I’m not going to lie — sometimes that snack is found under the seat, safe in a plastic bag left over from the last trip (I didn’t say anywhere here I was a perfect mom with a completely tidy minivan). They still fuel us despite being smashed, melted and not even close to bar form.

Recently we also started carrying small packages of specialty peanut butters to mix things up a bit. The kids’ smiles are smeared with peanutty goodness, but they continue on strong.

Outdoor Blogger Mom Finds Fuel

in Peanuts

Here’s our favorite Peanut Butter Granola Bar recipe inspired

by Kitchen Stewardship.com

(Disclaimer: I improvise often with recipes, and I also live at a higher elevation, which always messes things up. Test at your own risk.)

Combine ingredients all together and pound in a baking pan — I love using stoneware — with your palm as hard as you can (the more packed they are, the better!). Bake at 325 degrees for about 17 minutes and 23 seconds (give or take).

4 1/2 cups rolled oats 1 1/2 cups wheat flour 1/2 cup rice krispie cereal 1 t. baking soda 2 t. vanilla 2 t. cinnamon 1 cup peanut butter ¾ cup honey 1 cup chocolate chips

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With over 30 vitamins and nutrients, peanuts are a Superfood.

Clark Fox, Virginia Peanut Farmer

With over 30 vitamins and nutrients, peanuts are a Superfood.

Clark Fox, Virginia Peanut Farmer

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