Georgia Peanut Tour to make a stop in Grady County Thursday

A north Grady County farm is a featured stop on the 29th annual Georgia Peanut Tour that kicked off Tuesday in Thomasville.
On Thursday morning, the tour will make a stop at the Harrell farm north of Whigham. John Harrell, the 2014 National Peanut Board chairman, farms with his brother Tommy and his son Douglas Harrell, growing 250 acres of peanuts and 900 acres of cotton. They also produce pecans and raise horses.
On Wednesday, the tour made stops in Climax, Attapulgus, Brinson, Donalsonville and wrapped up the day with a dinner at Pebble Hill Plantation.
On Thursday, after touring the Harrell farm, the group moved on to Colquitt to visit Rolling Hills Farm, Birdsong Peanuts Buying Point, and the Birdsong Peanuts Shelling Plant.
Participants took part in seminars Tuesday at the Best Western Rose City Conference Center in Thomasville with sessions led by Dr. Yen-Con Hung, Dr. Scott Monfort, Dr. Kirk Kealey, Dr. Koushik Adhikari, Dr. Dick Phillips, and Dr. Jinru Chen.
A welcoming dinner Tuesday night was held at the Plaza Restaurant in Thomasville.
According to tour organizers, the tour brings the latest information on peanuts while providing a firsthand view of industry infrastructure from production and handling to processing and utilization. Tour stops will be made in several peanut producing counties including Thomas, Grady, Decatur, Seminole and Miller.
The Georgia Peanut Tour is coordinated by the Georgia Peanut Commission, the University of Georgia- Griffin and Tifton Campuses, Southwest Georgia Research & Education Center, Attapulgus Research & Education Center and the USDA/ARS National Peanut Research Lab.
The tour this year features nearly 200 participants, who pre-registered, representing 13 states and two countries.