January 10, 2024 (Alexandria, Va.)— The American Peanut Council has launched its 2023 grower enrollment for the Sustainable U.S. Peanut Initiative (SUSP). Peanut growers are encouraged to enroll now for the industry-wide supported program. Enrollment runs through the end of April.
In its third crop year, the SUSP documents and measures peanut growers’ sustainability practices to better support environmental and economic sustainability on the farm and to help the industry tell the positive story about peanut sustainability to consumers, customers, government, trading partners, and other stakeholders.
“Data shows that not only are consumers demanding sustainable food production practices, but manufacturers, retailers and even our international trading partners are increasingly having the same expectations,” said Allison Randell, director of sustainability for the American Peanut Council. “Sustainable U.S. Peanuts is creating transparency that will serve the entire supply chain – from the people who love to grow peanuts, to the people who love to eat them.”
The American Peanut Council’s goal is to increase grower enrollees to 300 for the 2023 crop year, which would be a 10% representation of the U.S. crop and an accurate demographic reflection across the peanut belt.
SUSP enrollment highlights for the 2022 crop year include:
170 growers managing 98,112 peanut acres in 11 states;
7% representation of the 2022 U.S. planted peanut acres, which was 1,420,814 acres;
24,493 peanut acres with a Fieldprint Analysis, representing 60,204 tons of peanuts; and
274 peanut fields.
