HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Hurricane Isaac’s rains came at the right time for peanuts in southeast Mississippi, which got up to 20 inches. The Mississippi State University Extension Service’s George County director, Heath Steede, says the area’s goober peas are looking really good — but now farmers need dry weather for harvesting.
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Since peanuts grow underground, that’s a two-stage process. First an inverter digs up and flips the plants, exposing roots to the air. After they’ve dried for a few days, a combine harvests them.
Charlie Stokes, Extension agronomic crops agent in Monroe County, says rain in late August and early September are great for peanuts.
But too much rain at harvest bogs tractors and leaves flipped peanuts muddy. Over-dry soil rips peanuts off the roots and leaves them in the ground.
