Dawson, GA |
Peanuts are big business in Georgia, with the state producing more than half of the entire U.S. supply. That puts farmers like Riley Davis at the heart of the industry’s success—and if his recent honor is any indication, he’s making the most of every acre. Davis was recently named the 2025 Peanut Efficiency Award winner for the Upper Southeast, a recognition he says is both humbling and motivating.
“Winning an award like that is a huge honor,” says Davis. “Efficiency is key right now. It makes me feel that I’m on the right path, but there are still a lot of other factors beyond just peanut efficiency that play a role in the whole farm picture.”
As a fourth-generation farmer, Davis has embraced modern practices to keep improving his operation’s efficiency. From variable rate seeding and irrigation management tools to precision spray technology, he’s quick to adopt strategies that help him do more with less.
“Changing is a huge issue, but you just have to do it,” he says. “One example is we got into spraying with a spray drone. From my father’s generation, that’s unheard of.”
Davis credits his father for fostering his love of farming, a passion he’s now passing down to his own children—the fifth generation to grow up on the farm.
“He spent a lot of time with me, but he never pushed me,” Davis recalls. “I’m thankful to him for that, and that’s what I’m striving to do with my boys. I want them to grow up the same way I did—to know where their food, fiber, and clothes come from—but I don’t want to push them to do it.”
As harvest season approaches, all eyes are on the 2025 peanut crop, and Davis says the outlook is promising.
“The crop looks great right now,” he says. “We had dry enough weather to get everything planted and cleaned up with weeds, and then we started catching rains after that. It’s been hot and humid, but we’ve been getting ample rainfall to keep things going and to keep irrigation caught up where we can irrigate. We’re set up to make a good crop. I don’t want to talk too good about it yet because we have a long way to go, but the crop looks very good right now.”
By: Damon Jones