Developments continue to sprout seemingly everywhere as Baldwin County is marked as Alabama's leader for total population growth and net migration, but the area still shines its agricultural roots.

Some of those roots, planted beneath the soil, typically in May, burst aboveground to flower then return below to grow into one of the South's more popular crops, a shelled bag of which is synonymous with America's pastime sport.

Baldwin County ranks third in the 2023 Peanut County Estimate for Alabama, released May 15 from the Natural Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Libbie Johnson, with the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, said peanuts keep farming alive in Baldwin County.

"Peanut production is an important part of the Alabama agriculture industry. Not only are peanuts an excellent rotation for other crops grown like cotton and corn, they have traditionally been the economic backbone for producers. The yields that Alabama growers usually produce have allowed them to be profitable growers. Moreover, many businesses support the peanut industry. From seed production, crop protection consultants and sales, mechanics and farm equipment dealers to trucking companies and buying points, many individuals are dependent on the peanut industry."

According to the NASS report, Houston County was the top-producing county for peanuts in 2023, producing 89,640,000 pounds, and second was Geneva County with 65,750,000 pounds. Baldwin County produced 55,960,000 pounds of peanuts in 2023. Coming in fourth was Henry County with 49,750,000 pounds and Mobile County fifth with 35,860,000.

The state overall produced 480,510,000 pounds of peanuts in 2023, a lower yield than in previous years, Johnson said, impacted by the year's long drought during the height of the crop's growing season and high summer temperatures.
Baldwin County produced 720,000 more pounds in 2022 than last year. The state's total for 2022 was 73,690,000 more pounds than in 2023.

While tourists continue to flock to Alabama's beaches, Baldwin County's — the state's fourth-largest by population as of 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates — 29.6% population growth, the highest rate in the state, means less and less space for farmers. Houses cannot grow produce.

"Farmers are making a living on the land, and moving the large pieces of equipment is part of their living. Being generous on the roadside to tractors and the farmers driving them is the least citizens can do to keep Baldwin County a beautiful landscape," Johnson said. "And remember, peanuts have to be dug and harvested. Dust will happen."

Though while Baldwin County peanut farmers may have produced a lower yield than Houston and Geneva counties, they did more with less land, notching a higher yield per acre than Houston, Geneva and Henry counties. Mobile County produced the largest yield per acre, followed by Barbour, Covington then Baldwin.

"For a terrible weather year, Baldwin County did it's very best."