They can withstand heavy rains like hurricanes without the risk of losing the crop,” he said. “Peanuts are able to flourish without irrigation. Ward said the peanut is the state’s most sustainable crop. The crop is then harvested and processed and sent to manufacturers or other plants to be turned into candy, peanut butter, or even ball park peanuts. Ward plants the inside of the peanut, the part we usually eat.
“Granddaddy grew a few, and then daddy grew a few, but daddy started concentrating on peanuts in 1968 to get away from tobacco,” Ward said Peanuts were added as a crop on the family’s land in the late 1960s. More than 400 million pounds of peanuts are produced each year, making the state the fifth largest producer in the country.Īt Ward Farms in Clarkton, Dan Ward carries on his family’s tradition of growing some of the state’s major crops, including peanuts. Soybean, corn and peanuts are major crops in North Carolina. in 2019įood industries, fiber, and forestry included in the agricultural industryįood industries contributes $80 billion to overall industry revenue State, farming, forestry and fiber generated more than $90 billion in 2019.Īgriculture generated more than $90 billion for state of N.C. Agriculture is North Carolina’s number one industry.