Special to Atmore News
Allen Mininger of Walnut Hill, Fla., and Gaylan Shelly of Brewton were big winners during the January 30 Alabama-Florida Peanut Trade Show, held at Dothan’s National Peanut Festival fairgrounds.
Mininger, whose name was pulled as the winner of a Benelli 12-gauge shotgun, and Shelly, who won a $5,000 Kelley Manufacturing Co. (KMC) voucher, were among the 400-plus peanut growers and industry partners from Alabama and Florida who attended the annual trade show.
Peanut growers, businessmen and others from peanut-based organizations were able to view industry products and services offered by more than 60 exhibitors. Growers were also able to fine-tune their farming operations with information gained at the annual trade show.
Researchers from Auburn University and the University of Florida were on hand to showcase the peanut research they are working on with the support of grower check-off dollars. Growers were able to talk one-on-one with the researchers about the various projects.
Trade show attendees enjoyed a special visit from the Planters NUTmobile and Mr. Peanut. The Peanutters, as the NUTmobile crew members are called, visited with growers and learned more about how peanuts are grown. Mr. Peanut provided entertainment for the attendees.
During the lunch program, attendees received an update from the National Peanut Board’s Lindsay Dominy. Bob Redding of the Redding Firm gave a legislative update, and Dr. Marshall Lamb of the National Peanut Research Lab spoke to growers about the 2025 peanut market outlook.
Several door prizes were awarded by vendors throughout the morning of the trade show, but the trio of prizes most coveted by everyone were announced after lunch.
Shelly took home the Grand Door Prize. The KMC voucher can be used for a down payment on a piece of KMC equipment or for $5,000 worth of KMC parts. According to online gun sites, a 12-gauge Benelli shotgun such as Mininger won can range in price from $500 to $2,000, depending on the model.
Rene Jordan of Bascom, Fla. came away with the other big prize, a free trip to the 2025 Southern Peanut Growers Conference, set for July 23-25 at the Edgewater Beach Resort Conference Center in Panama City Beach, Fla.
The trade show was hosted by the Alabama Peanut Producers Association and the Florida Peanut Producers Association and was sponsored by the National Peanut Board.