From the VDACS Office of Communications
www.vdacs.virginia.gov
FOR RELEASE: March 5, 2009
Contact: Marion Horsley, (804)225-3820
March 10, 2009
If you are looking for excuses to nibble, munch, chomp or even gobble your favorite Virginia peanuts to your heart’s content, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has a suggestion. March is Peanut Month, so you have a great reason to celebrate and enjoy all the delicious flavors of Virginia peanuts, peanut snacks and the peanut-based foods you love. It’s also the perfect time to support Virginia peanut farmers, processors and specialty food companies which continue to feel the disastrous effects of the on-going scare about products that may contain contaminated peanut paste.
“Virginia peanuts, because of their superior quality, are generally sold as shelled or in-shell peanuts, and these products have not been implicated in the recent recall of manufactured products,” said Todd P. Haymore, VDACS Commissioner. “Go ahead and enjoy Virginia peanuts, known far and wide as the best of the best for flavor, size, crunch and overall superb quality. And you can snack guilt-free because peanuts are a good source of protein, folate, vitamin E and minerals.”
Peanuts are big business in Virginia. In 2008, Virginia farmers harvested 24,000 acres of peanuts, a 14% increase over the previous year. Yields were very good at 3,300 pounds per acre, an increase of 22% over 2007, thanks to well-timed rain in the midst of a dry summer. The estimated cash value of the 2008 Virginia peanut crop is approximately $13 million. Add all the other products, including specialty foods, that feature Virginia peanuts and the economic significance increases substantially.
Although peanut production in Virginia is concentrated in the southeastern part of the state, specialty food companies across the Commonwealth produce peanut-based food and confectionary items, including canned Virginia peanuts, in-shell peanuts, favored peanuts, and peanut candies and snack foods. More than 40 of these companies have earned inclusion in the Virginia’s Finest™ trademark program (www.vafinest.com), a quality standards program for specialty food companies administered by VDACS. All companies that use Virginia peanuts provide employment opportunities in the communities where they are based and help support the preservation of working farmland in Virginia.
Peanuts are an important crop in Virginia, not simply for their economic value but also because peanuts can play an important role in crop rotation by helping farmers better manage soil fertility and improve pest management strategies. Peanuts are a nitrogen-fixing plant and can be rotated with crops such as cotton to improve overall farm yield and productivity.
Find a list of Virginia companies that sell a variety of delicious, top quality peanut products at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/food&beverage/index.shtml.
