Ft Worth Times

hereOklahoma Peanut EXPO is March 23

The 2023 Oklahoma Peanut EXPO will be held March 23 at the Business Enterprise Center at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.

Attendees will receive updates from peanut experts on everything from variety and market type selection to marketing and industry outlook. 

“The peanut expo allows attendees to visit with the industry representatives who supply the equipment, products and services needed to produce their crops,” said Josh Bushong, northwest area Extension specialist for agronomy. 

“It’s a great opportunity for producers to interact with and learn from industry experts and other peanut producers,” added Ron Sholar, executive director of the Oklahoma Peanut Commission.

The expo, which is considered the premier peanut education and training event for the region, is a joint effort of the OPC, Oklahoma State University Agriculture, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, the National Peanut Board and partners in the peanut industry. The event is free, and lunch is provided.

The event will kick off with registration and exhibits at 9 a.m. and a program from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Event Schedule:

• 10: 30 a.m. – Peanut market outlook by Marshall Lamb of the National Peanut Research Laboratory in Dawson, Georgia.
• 11 a.m. – Growing Together by Ryan Lepicier, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of the National Peanut Board.
• 11:30 a.m. – A Mobile Mesonet for Oklahoma Peanut Producers by Wes Lee, Mesonet ag coordinator.
• 1 p.m. – Weed Management Update by Todd Baughman, OSU Extension specialist for row crop weeds.
• 1:30 p.m. – Reviewing 2022 and looking ahead to 2023 by David Nowlin, field specialist with the Oklahoma Peanut Commission.
• 2 p.m. – 2022 Oklahoma Peanut Variety Trials by Kelly Chamberlin, USDA-Agricultural Research Service.
• 2:15 p.m. – 2022 Disease Evaluations of Advanced Peanut Breeding Lines by Rebecca Bennett, USDA-ARS.

OPC election caucuses for districts 1 and 2 will be held at the conclusion of the meeting.

Sholar will retire as the executive director of the OPC following the 2023 expo event, and retired Caddo County Extension director David Nowlin will step into the role.

“It’s been wonderful to have the opportunity to work with the people at Oklahoma State University,” Sholar said. “It’s been everything I could have imagined, and I hope that my experience in higher education brought value to the peanut industry and the land-grant mission.”

For additional information, contact Bushong at josh.bushong@okstate.edu or 580-237-7677 or Sholar at okpeanutcomm@aol.com or 405-780-0113.

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