LU students plant peanuts at Carver Farm for first time

Lincoln University agriculture professors Zelalem Mersha, left, and Thomas Omara-Alwala watch closely as Roderick Pomfrey and Lincoln junior agriculture student Tricia Timpe carefully space holes before planting peanut seeds in a special plot Friday at LU's Carver Farm.
Lincoln University agriculture professors Zelalem Mersha, left, and Thomas Omara-Alwala watch closely as Roderick Pomfrey and Lincoln junior agriculture student Tricia Timpe carefully space holes before planting peanut seeds in a special plot Friday at LU's Carver Farm.

Lincoln University students are planting peanuts at Carver Farm for the first time in the school’s history, with eventual plans to research a variety that’s hypoallergenic.

On Friday, a handful of students involved in the university’s chapter of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) measured where each of the three peanut varieties would be planted on the 20-by-100-foot plot.

Julius Moody, adviser of the chapter, said they waited until this year to plant the peanuts because last year’s growing season was hindered by unusually heavy rainfall. This spring has been ideal to start the seeds, as temperatures haven’t been too high.

The three varieties planted were chosen for their quick growing abilities, resistance to certain pests and ability to replant one of the seed varieties again next season.

Missouri is an unlikely place to grow peanuts, Moody said, mostly because peanuts need a mild fall and winter. If Jefferson City has a particularly cold September when the peanuts are harvested, it could affect the crop’s health, he said.

Only a few specialty growers in Missouri cultivate peanuts, so the project will also be a learning experience to see if they can prosper in the area.

Moody said in the short term they’ll collect data on how well the peanuts grow. Students will record daily temperatures, rain days and the size of the peanuts once they’re harvested.

They plan to do research with breeding different varieties and would like to make edible products out of their crops. There’s a chance they’ll even be sold at the Lincoln University Farmers Market this year, he said.

“We’ve been working on adding value to our produce,” Moody said. “We want the community to know we’re here. A lot of people don’t know that (Lincoln University) has three farms.”

Four to five years down the road, Moody would like to start researching peanut varieties with low allergens since there’s a large population of people with peanut allergies. Several other universities in the country are also doing this research, and Lincoln’s ability to join will be contingent on funding.

The MANRRS chapter currently grows five crops, mostly ethnic foods, he said. Three of the five tie back to the roots of the farm and the man it was named after, George Washington Carver, said professor of agriculture and state agriculture specialist Kamalendu Paul.

Carver was born into slavery and started an agriculture program for African-American students at Tuskegee University, a Historically Black University in Alabama, Paul said. He built the program from nothing, and his first three crops were black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes and peanuts. Those three crops are also planted by MANRRS students at Carver.

Ayriana Taylor, a Lincoln University junior majoring in agriculture and animal services, has been involved with the chapter for three years.

“I thought it was an excellent idea,” she said, while helping with the planting Friday. “There are so many products we could make. Many may not know what you’re doing, but they’ll be affected by it.”

Taylor is a fan of eventually making peanut butter and a peanut-based lotion from the harvest. She said she’s excited by the possibilities.

While she wants to make a career of working with animals, she’s done a lot of work with agriculture during her college career and has come to love it.

“It’s very interesting,” she said. “(The agriculture world) is preparing the next generation of farmers and coming up with new technology. That’s what I like so much about agriculture. It’s all about change. They’re not stuck in the past, and it’s a big family.”