Peanut and Peanut Farming Reading Comprehension Lesson

Reading Passage

Peanut and Peanut Farming

Despite its name, the peanut is not actually a nut. Peanuts grow inside pods the way peas do — they are classified as a legume, an edible seed that grows in a pod. This botanical fact surprises many people, but it explains a lot about how peanuts grow and how they are farmed. Peanut farming is an important part of agriculture in the southern United States, and peanuts are one of the country’s most popular and versatile foods.

Peanuts are native to South America, where they were first cultivated by indigenous peoples thousands of years ago. Spanish explorers brought peanuts from South America to Spain and later to Africa. From Africa, peanuts traveled back across the Atlantic to North America, where they were planted in the southern colonies and became a significant crop. Today, the states that produce the most peanuts in the United States are Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma — all warm-climate states with long growing seasons.

Growing peanuts requires careful planning and attention. The process begins in spring when seeds are planted in long rows using a machine called a row crop planter. A few weeks after planting, yellow flowers appear on small peanut plants. After the flowers fall off, a part of the plant called the peg grows downward into the soil. The peanuts develop underground at the tips of these pegs. This underground growth is what makes peanuts unique — unlike most fruits and vegetables, they develop below the surface of the earth.

Peanuts need a long growing season of about five months and a great deal of water. If rainfall is insufficient, farmers use irrigation systems to water the crops. The soil must also be kept loose and weed-free. About four to five months after planting, the peanut plants are ready to harvest. Harvesting is a two-step process: a machine called a digger cuts beneath the plants and flips them over so that the peanuts, which are attached to the plant’s roots, can dry in the sun. A few days later, a combine-like machine called a picker separates the peanuts from the plant and pours them into a hopper for transport.

After harvesting, peanuts are cleaned, sorted, and sent to processors. They can be turned into peanut butter (one of America’s most popular foods), peanut oil, roasted peanuts, peanut flour, and many other products. Peanut butter was popularized in part by George Washington Carver, a scientist who developed more than 300 different uses for the peanut in the early 1900s. Carver’s work helped diversify the agricultural economy of the South, which had been devastated by the boll weevil that destroyed cotton crops. Today, peanuts remain one of the most economically important crops in the southern United States, and peanut butter is a staple in millions of American homes.

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