Podcasts

In the latest episode of The Peanut Podcast, co-hosts Ashton Pellom and Lauren Highfill Williams whisk listeners away on a globetrotting adventure through the captivating history and future of peanuts—think of it as an epic odyssey starring a humble legume!

From their South American origins to their North American fame, peanuts have traveled far and wide, fueled by pioneers like Dr. Charles Simpson, who embarked on 28 expeditions to uncover wild peanut species that are now the backbone of drought-resistant crops.

Along the way, we meet Dr. Steve Brown, who shares the inside scoop on the Peanut Genome Initiative, which mapped the peanut genome faster than you can say "buttery goodness."

And speaking of flavor, Dr. Chris Liebold from J.M. Smucker spills the beans on crafting delicious innovations like Jif's peanut butter chocolate—because nothing says love like a peanut-centric treat.

Dr. Jeff Dunne wraps up the episode by highlighting how industry funding is like a superfood for research, helping farmers thrive.

Whether you're a peanut enthusiast or just curious about sustainable agriculture, this episode is a crunchy blend of history, science, and tantalizing future possibilities that will leave you craving more.

Tune in and discover why peanuts might just be the unsung superheroes of the legume world!

We’re a quarter of the way through 2024 and exciting things in marketing are already happening. At NPB, we’re launching a long-term creative campaign called We the Peanut and we have a new chief marketing officer on board. Also state groups are finding fresh ways to connect with consumers. In this episode, we’ll delve into 2024 marketing trends and speak with Ginny Lewis of Golin, Dena Malsom of NPB and Ashley Collins of North Carolina Peanut Growers Association.

Peanut production in the US is skyrocketing. Ten years ago, US peanut farmers produced a two-million-ton crop. Today it’s three million. In ten more years, it will likely be four million. Putting future peanut crops to good use will take innovative approaches and requires attention now to set farmers and the industry up for success. In this episode, we’ll learn about promising areas of innovation—like peanuts’ benefits for poultry and egg production, high-oleic and high oil content peanuts and even peanuts as alternatives for gluten and dairy in food products—to push this crop into new frontiers and keep peanut farming profitable. We speak with Dr. Nino Brown of the University of Georgia, Dr. Marshall Lamb from the National Peanut Research Lab, Texas peanut grower Larry Don Womack and Stephen Richards of Better Body Foods.