ALBANY, Ga. — The American Peanut Shellers Association has spent the last 12 months celebrating its upcoming 100th anniversary.

To commemorate the occasion, the association has developed a video series, titled “A Century of Success,” highlighting past accomplishments and future endeavors. The first video, titled “Heritage I,” made its debut at the 2018 USA Peanut Congress in Amelia Island, Florida, and the second video, “Heritage II,” was presented in August at the Association’s Industry Pre-Harvest Meeting in Cordele, Ga. The third video, “Future I,” was shown at the American Peanut Council Winter Conference in Atlanta. Most recently, the fourth video of the series, titled “Future II,” was released at the National Peanut Buying Points Association Winter Conference in Nashville, Tenn. All four videos are available to view on the Association’s website, www.peanut-shellers.org. A final video, “Commemoration,” will conclude the series and is scheduled to make its premier at the Association’s Industry Spring Conference on April 5 in Albany.

The celebration will culminate with events on Thursday and Friday, April 4-5, in Albany, where hundreds of industry and government officials will join in saluting the American Peanut Shellers Association in this historic milestone.

American Peanut Shellers Association History

• In late 1917 and early 1918, a group of Alabama, Florida and Georgia commercial peanut shellers and crushers gathered in Atlanta to form the Southeastern Peanut Association.

• Chartered on April 5, 1919 in a downtown Atlanta hotel, the association is the oldest organized group in the peanut industry.

• Over the years, the association has constantly taken the leadership initiative in an effort to expand and advance the American peanut industry.

• In the early 1960s, the office was moved from Americus, Ga., to Albany.

• The first USA Peanut Congress — the largest meeting of all segments of the peanut industry — was hosted in 1965, co-sponsored by APSA.

• In August 1986, the current headquarters office was completed.

• On Nov. 30, 1993, the name was changed from Southeastern Peanut Association to American Peanut Shellers Association and shelling companies from other states were included.

• APSA founded The Peanut Institute in August of 1996.

• APSA founded The Peanut Institute Foundation on Dec. 27, 2007.

• Today, the association has eight active member shelling companies and 145 associate members who handle 90 percent of the peanuts grown in the United States.

Guests include U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, Rep. Sanford Bishop, Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black, City of Albany Commissioner Roger B. Marietta, and more than 300 officials representing all segments of the peanut industry — growers, buying points, shellers, and manufacturers. National guests include representatives from the National Peanut Board and the Peanut Leadership Academy. Eighteen of the association’s past presidents will also be in attendance.

The American Peanut Shellers Association is a non-profit trade association, composed of commercial peanut shellers and crushers located across the United States. The primary purpose of the American Peanut Shellers Association is to promote the common interests of those engaged in the peanut shelling industry. The association consists of both active (commercial peanut shellers and crushers) and associate members (other affiliated businesses).