A driver turns a tractor around on Friday while plowing in a field on Old Doerun Road. The volume of tractors and fertilizer trucks on Colquit County roads and out in the field indicate that planting of row crops like cotton and peanuts is gearing up.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt County farmers may be planting a little more corn this year, but cotton and peanuts are still the king-sized row crops going in the ground this spring.

A driver passing through most any part of the county is likely to see dirt being turned or freshly planted rows.

“People are starting to hit it pretty hard,” said Colquitt County Extension agent Jeremy Kichler. “The corn crop is really going right now.”

The same rain that’s made for good planting conditions also is making cattle producers happy as it means plenty of hey to cut to put up for the colder months.

Colquitt County was fourth in cotton production in the state in 2017, with farmers planting 48,279 acres, according to the annual University of Georgia Farm Gate Value Report.

Growers averaged 850 pounds per acre and received farm revenue totaling $33.24 million, the report said.

That same year farmers in the county planted 31,723 acres of peanuts with an average yield of 4,380 pounds per acre, making Colquitt County the fifth-largest producer in the state. Sales of those peanuts brought in $30.57 million in revenue.

In contrast, corn accounted for 5,809 acres and $4.34 million in revenue while averaging 180 bushels per acre of production.