The Arkansas Department of Agriculture, under a cooperative agreement with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), administers the Peanut Grading Program to ensure the quality, condition, and quantity of peanuts produced and marketed in the state. Grading is conducted in accordance with the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, which authorizes inspection services for fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts to promote fair marketing and ensure buyer and consumer confidence.
In Arkansas, peanut grading services are provided at buying point facilities in Portia, Pocahontas, Jonesboro, and Marianna, as well as at a milled stock grading facility located at a shelling plant in Jonesboro. Grading evaluates:
- Quality – inherent properties determining the product’s degree of excellence
- Condition – soundness or preservation, including ripeness, decay, or other factors affecting marketability
- Quantity – measured by number or weight
The program is staffed by USDA-licensed graders, including both full-time and seasonal employees. In recent years, the program has issued more than 6,400 certificates and graded over 120,000 tons of peanuts annually, supporting producers, processors, and Arkansas’s growing peanut industry.