Meet the Florida Peanut Farmers at Fulford Family Farms

This article first appeared in Florida Farm & Family.

When Indiana native Sarah Fulford met her future husband, Ernest, on an online dating site in 2004, she had no idea where peanuts actually come from.

“I grew up around farms up north that were growing corn and things like that,” Sarah recalls. “But I had no idea that peanuts even grew underground.”

“That was a whole thing,” Ernest, a third-generation Florida peanut farmer, jokes. “She thought I had peanut trees.”

See more: Early Introduction Could Help Reduce Peanut Allergies

Planting The Future at Fulford Family Farms

Ernest’s grandfather C.A. Fulford started growing green peanuts in 1945 to pay for a parcel of land he bought in Monticello when he returned from the Navy after World War II. Among his loyal customers were legislators at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee.

“He always told me he had a standing order with the governor at the time,” says Ernest, co-owner of Fulford Family Farms and president of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau. “If the governor wasn’t in his office, he left his money on his desk, and my grandfather would leave a bag of peanuts.”

Ernest grew up driving a tractor and grading peanuts on Fulford Family Farms.

“It’s all I’ve ever done,” he says. “When I graduated, I stayed on the farm and kept doing what I’d always known.”

Sarah now manages the farm’s finances and delivers meals to field workers during harvest time. Combined, they have six children, and their oldest son, Clay, is a partner and farms with his dad. Clay’s wife, Kari, gives horseback riding lessons on the property. Ernest’s dad, Bury, short for Asbury, also helps out, along with their 13-year-old son, Noah, who loves the tech side of the business.

As soon as they harvest the peanuts – green ones in July and August, dry ones in September – the Fulfords begin picking cotton and soybeans.

Just like C.A. Fulford’s gubernatorial customer years ago, fans of Fulford Family Farms look forward to each year’s peanut crop. Ernest says the legumes grow well in the crook of the Panhandle and the peninsula.

“The climate’s the main thing. Soil is good, too,” he says. “We’ve got a little bit of sand mixed in with some good clay, and peanuts just like that kind of dirt.”

In a Nutshell

Despite their name, green peanuts aren’t actually green, just immature. Unlike dry peanuts – which are picked later, left to dry for a few days after harvest, and generally used for peanut butter, candy bars or roasted snacks – the “green” ones are sold immediately after picking. The high moisture content makes them softer and perfect for boiling, but it also reduces their shelf life.

In April, when the soil temperature warms to 67 degrees for at least three consecutive days, the peanut seeds are planted. After growing for about 100 days, the green peanuts are dug up, washed, then rinsed, graded and bagged.

Customers can place orders for bushels, half-bushels, 10-pound bags or 5-pound bags. Some buy them to boil and sell at roadside stands, while others stock up their freezers for the coming year. While most drive to the farm to pick up their peanuts, Sarah also meets customers in Tallahassee.

For an extra fee, the Fulfords will boil the green nuts. Twice a week, Bury boils several bushels in a big pot of salted water for customers to sample.

“It’s a perfect snack while you’re watching football or to have with your Coke,” Sarah says. “It’s just a Southern delicacy.”

See more: 11 Farm Facts About Peanuts

Education and Conservation

In the fall, the Fulfords host school field trips and, in conjunction with the Jefferson County Farm Bureau, visit area schools, where they read stories to the kids about specific crops and talk to them about how they’re grown.

They also orchestrate a poster contest for first graders and an essay competition for fifth grade students.

They primarily focus on cotton these days because of the rise in peanut allergies.

“A big thing we do is educate them on where their food comes from,” Sarah says. “We like to teach kids because a lot of people think that their food just automatically shows up at a Winn Dixie or Publix.”

Soil health is another priority for Fulford Family Farms, so the Fulfords rotate plantings of peanuts, cotton and soybeans. In winter, cover crops like oats and rye take their place.

“Crops grow better, and it reduces fertilizer and water use by the practices we’re using,” Ernest says.

The Fulfords want to ensure the land is healthy so future generations can benefit and carry on the farming tradition.

“Everything we do is to protect the environment,” Ernest says. “We do the best we can because if we don’t take care of it, it won’t be here for future generations.”

To learn more about the Florida peanut farm, visit facebook.com/fulfordfamilyfarms.