Georgia’s Casey Cox

Meet Casey Cox, Georgia Peanut Farmer

Southwest Georgia’s rich soil and idyllic climate make it a prime location for peanut production, especially along the Flint River where 25-year-old Casey Cox is carrying her family’s peanut heritage forward.

“My family has been growing peanuts since at least the 1930’s,” said Casey. “My great-grandfather, grandfather and father have all farmed peanuts on our land. We could not have asked for a more beautiful backdrop or more of an incentive to be stewards of our land and natural resources than we have found in our fields.”

Casey is a sixth-generation farmer on her family’s 3,400 acres of land, including a rotating 280 acres of which will be planted in peanuts each year. With Georgia peanut farmers producing about half of the peanuts grown in the U.S., Casey is delighted to be working in an industry that the entire country seems to love.

“It is truly incredible to produce a crop that is such a staple of the American diet,” Casey said. “I eat peanut butter every day, and the knowledge of how that product is grown and where it is derived is a source of pride. I will never grow tired of watching – or smelling – the peanut harvest.”

 

“When it comes to recipes, our peanut butter pie is a recent family favorite, but we have a longstanding history around cooking and food,” she added. “My mother and grandmother even put together a cookbook of southern recipes – including plenty with peanuts, of course! It’s a local favorite.”

When she is not in the field, Casey serves as the executive director of the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District and values the benefits that peanuts provide to the surrounding environment.

“Not only are peanuts a nitrogen-fixing legume, but they also have the smallest water footprint of any nut,” Casey concluded. “As the national focus shifts to transparency and food trends evolve, the peanut industry will continue to grow and our story of stewardship and conservation will be at the forefront.”