510 million pounds. That’s how many peanuts North Carolina produced in 2022. One of North Carolina’s most important crops, between South Carolina and Virginia, 90% of all “Virginia” type peanut production occurs right here at home in the Southeast. North Carolina leads peanut production, and with that comes opportunities to add even more value to this industry.
The NC State Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Clinic is looking to recruit a team of students to find sustainable alternatives for peanut shell use, a natural by-product of typical peanut production. The team would work alongside faculty, industry professionals and the Agricultural Entrepreneurship team to capture different ways to add value to this by-product and have a real impact on Agriculture and Agribusiness, North Carolina’s largest industry.
Students interested could receive course credit for their work and collaboration in identifying novel solutions for this value-added proposition.
Let’s get started. North Carolina and our communities are looking at us for a solution. If interested, please contact the Student Clinic Manager, Seeby Jarvis-Earle, at fsjarvis@ncsu.edu to get more involved.
Sources:
USDA 2022 Crop Summary
More Than PB and Hay: The Value of Peanuts in North Carolina
