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2025 Peanut Butter Challenge!

2025 Peanut Butter Challenge!

by | Oct 3, 2025

Peanuts, also known as groundnuts, earthnuts or goobers have a long history of cultivation. Unlike tree nuts, peanuts are grown underground which is how they earned the nicknames groundnut or earthnut. Originally native to South America, peanuts made their way to North America from Africa, where they were introduced by African slaves in the early 1800’s.

Overturned peanuts in a field ready to be harvested. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones

First grown in Virginia, peanuts were grown mainly for oil, food, and as a cocoa substitute. During this time, they were regarded as food for livestock and the poor. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s did their demand increase as there was a need for an affordable, high-protein food during the Civil War and World Wars. Their popularity also increased when showman, P.T. Barnum began selling hot roasted peanuts at his traveling circuses.

In the 1900’s, peanuts became a significant agricultural crop when the cotton boll weevil threatened the South’s cotton crop. Through the research findings and suggestions of Dr. George Washington Carver, peanuts were grown as a successful cash crop and contributed greatly to the sustainability of the farm. Though Dr. Carver did not invent peanut butter, he did invent more than 300 new uses for the peanut and peanut byproducts including shaving cream, leather dye, coffee, ink and shoe polish.

Jar of peanut butter surrounded by loose shelled peanuts. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones

Today, peanuts are grown in 13 states, across the United States and the U.S. is the third largest producer of peanuts in the world. In 2024, Florida harvested 157,000 acres of peanuts, averaging about 3,500 pounds per acre with a production value of roughly $149.5 million (Annual Crop Production 01/10/2025).

Peanut Fun Facts:

  • 99% of peanut farms are family-owned, businesses averaging 200 acres
  • There are four different types of peanuts – Runner, Valencia, Spanish and Virginia
  • Peanut plants are legumes and fix beneficial nitrogen back into the soil
  • Peanut butter is an excellent source of niacin, and a good source of vitamin E and magnesium
  • Peanuts do not contain cholesterol and are low in saturated fat
  • Peanut butter accounts for half of all peanuts eaten in the U.S.
  • It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter
  • There are enough peanuts in one acre to make 35,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
  • The average person will eat almost 3,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their lifetime
  • Women and children prefer creamy peanut butter, while most men opt for chunky
  • Peanut allergies affect about 1.8% of U.S. children and 1.1% of adults the U.S. population

UF/IFAS Peanut Butter Challenge

Help us fight hunger by donating unopened, unexpired jars of peanut butter to the Peanut Butter Challenge! Every year UF/IFAS Extension Offices across the state coordinate the Peanut Butter Challenge to address hunger and food insecurity in our area. You can support the challenge and help fight hunger by donating unopened, unexpired jars of peanut butter, now through October 31st, 2025 to your local UF/IFAS Extension office. Thanks to support from the Florida Peanut Producers Association and the Florida Peanut Federation, your peanut butter donations go even further!

Peanut Butter Challenge in the Panhandle

Peanut Butter Challenge in the Panhandle

by | Sep 25, 2018

Feed the hungry and meet a challenge; donate peanut butter to UF/IFAS Extension ! 

If you want to help feed the hungry in Florida’s Panhandle this year, you can donate peanut butter during the annual Peanut Butter Challenge, coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension.

 

 

Thanks to a partnership of UF/IFAS Extension and the Florida Peanut Producers Association, food pantries from Pensacola to Monticello will receive thousands of jars of donated peanut butter this December.

From Oct. 1 through Nov. 21, you can donate unopened jars of peanut butter at your UF/IFAS Extension county office. Each year, one or more UF/IFAS Extension agents at your local county extension office collect unopened peanut butter jars.

Since 2012, the volunteers and UF/IFAS Extension faculty have collected jars of peanut butter from residents, volunteer groups and businesses in 16 northwest Florida counties. Last year, UF/IFAS Extension county offices received 6,222 jars of peanut butter, said Libbie Johnson, agricultural agent for UF/IFAS Extension Escambia County and co-organizer of the Challenge.

In addition to these donations, the Florida Peanut Producers Association also contributes, supplying more than 3,000 jars each Challenge, Johnson said.

They hope to surpass that total this year with your support and contributions.

“The Peanut Butter Challenge not only raises awareness about the important contribution of North Florida’s peanut growers to the state peanut industry, but also helps provide a healthy, locally produced product to food-insecure families in northwest Florida,” Johnson said.

Visit your local county extension office today and donate some peanut butter to support nutrition in your local panhandle community! (Press Release authored by UF / IFAS Communications)

 

The 2015 Peanut Butter Challenge is in Full Swing

The 2015 Peanut Butter Challenge is in Full Swing

by | Nov 9, 2015

Next time Peanut Butter Challenge Flyeryou are in the grocery store, consider purchasing an extra jar or two of peanut butter and donating it to your local Extension office as part of the annual Peanut Butter Challenge.  The Challenge is a food collection drive of peanut butter from within each of the 16 UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District Counties.  UF/IFAS Extension Northwest District agents have been partnering with the Florida Peanut Producers Association since 2012 to collect peanut butter and distribute the bounty to local food pantries in each county.  Annually, Ken Barton and the Florida Peanut Producers Association Board of Directors provide an additional two pallets of peanut butter (approximately 2800 jars) to be divided between the counties.  Not only does the Peanut Butter Challenge help publicize the important contribution of north Florida’s peanut growers to the peanut industry, but it also helps provide a healthy and universally loved product, made from a locally grown product, to food pantries in northwest Florida communities from Pensacola to Monticello.

In 2014, Santa Rosa County collected 1477 jars resulting in more than a ton of peanut butter for their local food pantries.  Escambia County was blessed by the support Helton Farms and Tri-County Peanut Buying Point.  Rodney and Mike Helton and Tri-County purchased two additional pallets of peanut butter from Peanut Proud and helped to distribute to Escambia County Florida and Escambia and Baldwin counties in Alabama.  In Washington County, the Public Library is doing a “Food for Fines” campaign, whereby patrons can bring in food in lieu of money for overdue fines.  The library director is changing her campaign to require peanut butter donations as the food for fine forgiveness.  They will  collect peanut butter through November 30 and  make a joint presentation with Extension to the local food bank.2014 Peanut Butter Challenge in Santa Rosa County, FL

As you can see, there are many different ways to get involved.  Across the panhandle, 3463 jars of peanut butter were donated in 2014, amounting to almost 5000 pounds of peanut butter.  We’d really like to surpass that number, so please consider helping us by donating as  many jars of peanut butter as you can afford.  The collection continues to November 25, 2015.  Contact your local Extension office to find out where you can drop off peanut butter.