The Shadow
FRANKLIN, Va. (VR) —Each March, National Peanut Month highlights the lasting impact peanuts have on communities and the economy.
To celebrate the occasion, the Virginia Peanut Growers Association, Virginia Peanut Board and Peanut Proud are donating pallets of peanut butter to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks.
“It’s very important to us to give back,” said Caitlin Joyner, the Virginia Peanut Growers Association’s executive secretary. “And we’ve got a product that meets the needs of a lot of people.”
Nutritious, delicious, shelf-stable and affordable, peanut butter is one of the most requested items at food banks. Peanuts are a great source of protein, and packed with fiber, folate, vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients.
“It checks all the boxes,” Joyner said, “And people of all ages can enjoy it—from a baby once they start eating solid foods, to the elderly.”
Virginia’s peanut growers have been donating peanut butter during National Peanut Month for the past 15 years. In 2024, they donated two pallets totaling 2,880 jars of peanut butter. Peanut Proud also contributed six pallets for a total of 11,520 jars.
The donations are distributed to Virginia’s seven regional food banks, which serve thousands of families facing food insecurity across Virginia and Washington through a network of pantries, soup kitchens and other partner agencies.
“We’re fortunate that our peanut growers get together each year and donate,” said Gary Cross, a Southampton County peanut grower and chair of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Peanut Advisory Committee. He noted peanut butter also is a “staple given out during emergencies and disaster relief.
“It’s just one of those quick, easy and healthy foods.”
Peanuts also have been integral to the state’s economy since the first commercial crop was grown in the commonwealth in 1842. Cultivated in eight counties in Southeastern Virginia, peanuts rank 17th among the top commodities in the state and generated over $41 million in cash receipts in 2023, according to USDA. Virginia’s peanut production ranks 8th in the U.S., and in 2024, the state’s roughly 200 peanut farmers harvested 30,000 acres of peanuts.
“Most folks had an above-average crop last year,” Cross said. Growers averaged a record-breaking 5,062 pounds of peanuts per acre.
The commonwealth’s producers primarily grow two types of peanuts: Runners, which are used to make peanut butter; and Virginia—the largest variety, used for in-shell “ballpark peanuts” and gourmet snacks.
Highlighting the legume’s long legacy in the state, Real Virginia, VFBF’s television program, recently featured Virginia farmers who produce some of the commonwealth’s iconic peanut products. Watch the episode at bit.ly/43WHjou.
