FEATURE STORY
By Sarah Roderick
May 15, 2023

NMDA Peanut Grading Station spotlights a unique industry in New Mexico

Grading station has big impact on peanut industry

PORTALES, N.M. – Did you know the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) has a Peanut Grading Station located in Portales, New Mexico? Did you know this facility monitors the quality of peanuts grown in New Mexico and West Texas? We all know New Mexico to be the nation’s leader in green chile production and No. 2 in pecans, but rarely is the state associated with milled peanut production. However, according to the 2021 New Mexico Agricultural Statistic Bulletin, New Mexico ranks No. 11 in peanut production in the United States. The NMDA Peanut Grading Station is a hidden gem that highlights one of the most unexpected crops grown in West Texas and New Mexico.

This station has three full-time agricultural commodity graders that inspect peanuts. The purpose of these inspections is to check the peanuts to ensure they are suitable for human consumption. Peanut harvest season usually begins in September and ends in December. Peanuts are graded based on size and type. During the inspection process, inspectors look for defects and look for peanuts which may have been frozen or are rancid, moldy or decayed.

a building with a New Mexico Department of Agriculture banner along the top of the building — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Peanut Grading Station is located in Portales and serves the New Mexico and West Texas peanut industry. Peanuts are graded for size, quality and quantity and then shipped to their final destination. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

There are four different types of peanuts that are graded at the Peanut Grading Station: Runners, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. These peanuts arrive either in their shells (in-shell) or without their shells (shelled). During harvesting, this facility can expect to complete 15-20 inspections a day. After the peanuts pass inspection, they are released into processing to their final destination. Some of the peanuts processed in the Portales area and graded at the Peanut Grading Station will go as far as Mexico, Canada and the European Union.

“Our station focuses on the size, quality and condition of all peanuts collected from New Mexico and West Texas,” said Alvaro Gomez, an NMDA Agricultural Commodity Grader. “This station prides itself on providing quality assurance to all consumers of the peanuts processed.”

Although their main operations are at the Peanut Grading Station in Portales, the three agricultural commodity graders occasionally travel to the southern part of the state to assist in onion inspections during the summer. Additionally, two of the agricultural commodity graders housed at the Peanut Grading Station also double as unrestricted inspectors/process auditors who are responsible for conducting United States Department of Agriculture market inspections, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audits and Harmonized GAP+ audits throughout the state when needed.

a woman transferring peanuts to be weighed on a scale. — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Peanut Grading Station is located in Portales. This facility specializes in grading peanuts grown in the New Mexico and West Texas areas. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

The USDA audits provided by the process auditors help applicants meet food safety standards set by their customers and state and federal regulations.

“These audits are another example of quality assurance that our station provides,” said Gomez. “These audits are very extensive and are part of a verified program which may lead to producers achieving higher sales.”

There are three peanut mills in the Portales area, including two shelled peanut operations and one that is both a shelled and in-shell milled facility. There are two buying-point facilities during the harvest season. In 2021-2022, the Peanut Grading Station inspected 94.4 million pounds of milled peanuts and is set to exceed that this year with 37 million pounds already inspected for 2022-2023.

a man sorting peanuts on a silver tray — The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Peanut Grading Station is located in Portales. This facility specializes in grading and determining quality of peanuts grown in the New Mexico and West Texas areas. Alvaro Gomez, an agricultural commodity grader, inspects peanuts to ensure they are suitable for human consumption. (Photo courtesy New Mexico Department of Agriculture)

The Peanut Grading Station also hires temporary employees – commonly known as agricultural commodity grader assistants – that help with the millions of pounds of peanuts coming through the station. They are hired on a seasonal basis to help with the influx of peanuts during harvest. Depending on industry demands, a temporary staffing agency will hire anywhere from five-to-12 employees to assist with sorting, dividing and sampling the peanuts.

An NMDA Regulatory Clerk contributes to the overall operations of the Peanut Grading Station and the station is supervised by the NMDA Fruits and Vegetable Inspection Supervisor.

Watch a video about the Peanut Grading Station on the NMDA YouTube channel to learn more about what a day looks like in the facility.

For more information, please call 575-356-8393 or email F&V@nmda.nmsu.edu.

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