ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Farmers in Georgia are seeing lower yields at harvest time this year because of drought, weather, and disease.

Tyron Spearman with the National Peanut Buying Points Association said the growing season has been difficult.

“Well, this has been a tough growing year. The weather has not cooperated all the time. We get a good rain in some areas and we get a drought in some areas. So the crop is kind of mixed up into good, bad, and ugly,” Spearman said.

Peanut acreage down from last year

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences found that Georgia planted approximately 670,000 acres of peanuts this year. That’s down from about 930,000 acres planted last year.

[2026 Profitability Forecasts of Georgia’s Row Crop Sector]

Dr. Scott Monfort, a peanut agronomist at UGA Extension, said weather is one of the main contributors to underproduction.

“All of these weather events cause the peanut crop not to perform at the level that it normally does in the State of Georgia, or at least that it could in the State of Georgia,” Monfort said.

Farmers projected to lose money per acre

Farmers planting crops such as peanuts, cotton, or corn expect a return on their investment. This year in Georgia, farmers are set to lose around $368 for every acre they plant, due to conditions such as drought and high costs of fertilizer, fuel, and gas.

In the example given in the report, farmers who plant $10 are getting just $1 back.

Monfort said the financial situation is straining growers.

“The economic stability of these growers to produce a viable crop in order to survive from one year to the next is getting pretty taxing on those growers. It’s getting harder and harder for them to make a living,” Monfort said.

Spearman said farmers are bringing in the harvest and doing what they can though.

“We’re having to bring the harvest in and do the best we can with them. Grades are down and the yield is down all across,” Spearman said.

Possible effect on prices

Monfort said farmers are the main ones taking the hit, but consumers might eventually see an increase in prices. He said he’s not sure when that could happen.

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