APRIL 5, 2016--ATLANTA—Members of the National Peanut Board met for a Grower Listening Session and information exchange with peanut producers from the Oklahoma Peanut Commission and researchers from the Oklahoma USDA Research Facility during the quarterly board meeting March 29 and 30 in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma’s Secretary and Commissioner of Agriculture, Jim Reese, was in attendance and spoke to the growers about the vitality of agriculture to the state’s economy and the importance of peanut promotion. The Grower Listening Session continues NPB’s practice of visiting a peanut-producing state once a year. Past sessions have been in Alabama, Texas, Georgia and Virginia.
“It’s very important to the National Peanut Board to visit all the different production states to listen to local concerns and to give growers an update on how we’re promoting their product around the world,” said Gayle White, NPB’s chairman and peanut farmer from Frederick, Okla.
Topics discussed included funding production research, plant disease control, new peanut products on the market and export opportunities with China. “This listening session was extremely helpful and instructive,” said White.
Also, NPB visited the Oklahoma State University Research Facility in Stillwater for an educational session on new peanut varieties being developed and a tour of the laboratory and greenhouse.
The next quarterly meeting of the National Peanut Board is scheduled for July 20 and 21 in Sandestin, Fla.