The July/August 2024 issue of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer is now available online.
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This issue features:
(June 13, 2024 – WASHINGTON, D.C.) U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) released the Senate Republican-drafted framework for the 2024 Farm Bill. The legislation addresses the top priorities of the U.S. Peanut Federation:
Senator Boozman’s framework reflects what he heard from peanut growers, shellers, and buying points across the peanut belt. Senator Boozman and his team visited peanut farms and processors and heard first-hand the impact of increases in the cost of production, struggles with agricultural financing, labor shortages, trade barriers, and a need for a voluntary base update.
In a letter to Ranking Member Boozman, the USPF stated, “The United States Peanut Federation sincerely appreciates the challenging work that went into producing the recently released 2024 Senate Farm Bill framework. This proposal reflects what you have heard from the peanut industry and from Production Agriculture across the U.S. We support this proposal and encourage the Senate to move forward with a bipartisan Farm Bill this year.”
USPF is comprised of peanut growers, shellers, and buying points and have been unified in their efforts throughout the Farm Bill process. The peanut industry’s priority is a meaningful increase in the reference price for the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. The historic rise in input costs and cost of production make a reference price increase a necessity to keep the farm safety net intact. USPF is pleased that this proposal includes a significant increase in reference price for peanuts in the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. The legislation also addresses other peanut priorities, including a provision for a voluntary base update which will be essential for young farmers and new production areas that have not been able to utilize safety net programs to date.
USPF Chairman Jamie Brown commented, “In our testimony before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, meetings on Capitol Hill, and in the peanut belt, we have emphasized the increased costs of production for growers and need for a reference price increase. In addition, we have supported a voluntary base update that assured a pathway for young growers and equity for peanut production regions of the U.S. that did not have peanut base. Senator Boozman’s framework addresses our top priorities.”
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The U.S. Peanut Federation represents the peanut industry in Washington, D.C. and was founded by the American Peanut Shellers Association, the National Peanut Buying Points Association and the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation.
(May 24, 2024 – WASHINGTON, D.C.) The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture voted to pass the Farm Bill, titled “The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024” in a 33-21 vote. Four democrats – Reps. Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Yadira Caraveo (CO-08), Don Davis (NC-01), and Eric Sorenson (IL-17) – joined with all Republican Committee members in voting yes on this legislation.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Peanut Federation sent a letter to U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson in support of the legislation, stating: “The United States Peanut Federation sincerely appreciates the hard work that went into producing the 2024 Farm Bill. This legislation will support peanut producers who have been struggling in recent years due to increases in farm inputs, labor shortages, trade barriers, and supply chain disruptions.”
Throughout the Farm Bill process, the peanut industry has been united in its priorities, namely a meaningful increase in the reference price for the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program. The historic rise in input costs and cost of production make a reference price increase a necessity to keep the farm safety net intact. This legislation includes a 17.8 percent increase in reference price for peanuts in the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, bringing the reference price from $535/ton to $630/ton.
The legislation also includes other peanut priorities, including a provision for a one-time voluntary base update which will be essential for young farmers and new production areas that have not been able to utilize safety net programs to date.
Peanut-state Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08) stated: “As Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Committee, I am pleased that several of my priorities to ensure a strong farm safety net were included in this legislation, and I appreciate the bipartisan support for final passage through committee.”
“The U.S. Peanut Federation appreciates the hard work of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee in drafting this Farm Bill and passing it out of committee,” stated USPF Chairman Jamie Brown. “The peanut industry has struggled in recent years due to increases in farm inputs, labor shortages, trade barriers, and supply chain disruptions. Yesterday’s markup was an important first step in getting producers the assistance they need to continue to produce our nation’s food, fuel, and fiber. USPF applauds the Members of Congress who supported farm communities by voting to advance this important legislation.”
Following the markup, U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson said that he does not expect the legislation to be considered on the House Floor before September due to the busy appropriations schedule for the upcoming months.
Find more information about this legislation, including the full bill text, here.
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The United States Peanut Federation (USPF) is comprised of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation, the American Peanut Shellers Association, and the National Peanut Buying Points Association. USPF serves as a unified voice in Washington, D.C. for all sectors of the peanut industry and advocates actively for strong agricultural policy. For additional information, please contact the USPF at (202) 543-7464.
The May/June 2024 issue of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer is now available online.
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This issue features:
Each generation is tasked with the privilege of bringing up the next. A farmer is often responsible for the next generation of humans and crops in more ways than one. Much like raising a child, tending the land requires patience and dedication. With a significant investment of time and effort, raising children and crops involves a sense of responsibility and hope for a fruitful yield in the future.
Garrett Dixon is not just a sixth-generation farmer but also a soon-to-be father to two. His love for farming was instilled in him by his grandfather, Bob Ed Gullatte, who passed on the torch to him. However, with each passing year, new challenges emerge. As a member of the 2024-2025 Peanut Leadership Academy, Dixon hopes that he will be able to meet these challenges head-on to preserve his land and this country for posterity.
Dixon and his family reside in Lee County, AL. He returned to the family farm after graduating from Auburn University in 2014. Over the last ten years, he’s brought more and more land into production, growing primarily peanuts and cotton. He has quickly learned that you must be resourceful to make a career out of farming. Like most farmers in today’s age, he struggles with input costs. “While yield has increased substantially to help combat this, the amount of capital required to grow a crop causes the current generation, and young or beginning farmers especially, to have much more financial exposure that can be precarious at times,” he says. Dixon also mentioned a struggle with finding labor. However, he remains optimistic. “Despite these challenges, I believe that there is an opportunity for farming to continue to thrive; we just have to be innovative and resilient,” he added.
The work doesn’t stop when he steps off the farm. As a peanut producer, Dixon must also dabble in politics. Dixon hosts the Lee County legislative delegation each fall prior to harvest to recap the growing season and discuss issues Alabama farmers face. He also plans to travel to D.C. next year as a part of the PLA program. The Peanut Leadership Academy participants concentrate on government affairs, policy development, and international markets throughout the year. This results in ag professionals who are able to observe a change that needs to be made and then set plans for change in motion. Igniting change in the world of agriculture requires some elbow grease, both literally and figuratively.
There are many ways that Garrett Dixon and his generation are investing in the next. Through new innovations and practices, changes in how agriculture is governed, and leading by example, young peanut farmers such as Dixon directly impact their children and their children’s children. Faith, family, fatherhood, and farming go hand-in-hand. Preserving the way of life for future generations will be imperative to agriculture’s success.
The Georgia Peanut Commission’s referendum received reaffirmation with a vote of 91.99 percent during the recent referendum, held March 8 through April 8, 2024.
“I appreciate the farmers’ confidence in the commission, and we are committed to continue earning that confidence,” says Joe Boddiford, farmer from Sylvania, Georgia, and GPC chairman. “The commission continues to work together as a partnership between Georgia’s peanut farmers and the commission board and staff, in funding research projects, promoting peanuts and working on the farmers’ behalf in Washington, D.C. All of these combined efforts allow us to provide a healthy, nutritious product for consumers and help keep farmers profitable for the future.”
As required by Georgia state law, the state’s peanut farmers vote on the commission every three years. The ballots were mailed to peanut growers the week of March 8 and the Certified Public Accounting firm of Allen, Pritchett and Bassett counted the ballots returned on May 1.
“Our staff is humbled by the support of peanut farmers in Georgia,” says Don Koehler, GPC’s executive director. “We will continue to seek opportunities through programs in research, education and promotion to enhance profit opportunities on the farm.”
Georgia peanut farmers invest $2 per ton annually to the commission to be used in the program areas of research, promotion and education. For additional information on the Georgia Peanut Commission and its activities, visit www.gapeanuts.com.
Dan Ward is a seventh-generation grower in Southeastern North Carolina. He currently serves as chair of the American Peanut Council’s sustainability committee and as president of the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association.
by Dan Ward
When someone asks what sustainability means to me, I pull out my phone and show them a photo of my two-year-old granddaughter, Blakely. In 20 to 25 years, I want Blakely to have the choice of becoming the ninth generation of our family to carry on our farm. For that to happen, I must stop and think about every operating decision I make and ask if what I’m doing today will help her make that decision. Critically, I must make sure our farm is productive and profitable so that if she decides to farm, there’s a farm for her to come back to.
For peanut growers to be productive and profitable we need to increase demand for peanuts, and in our current market one of the biggest drivers for demand is quickly becoming sustainability. As manufacturers increasingly must meet consumer, investor, and regulatory demands for sustainable farming practices, we are going to have to prove and document peanut sustainability.
We are already seeing this come to play in peanut export markets as our trading partners are progressively having sustainability expectations. Our competitors are hard at work documenting and demonstrating their peanut sustainability. It would be a sad situation for the U.S. to have an over-supply problem with growers having to accept lower contracts, all because foreign competitors have proven their sustainability, thus meeting those market demands.
Sustainability is not going anywhere. It’s only going to become more critical with each passing year. Currently, growers are in control and can help shape the process. But if we don’t voluntarily act now, the peanut industry could instead easily become a victim of onerous regulations and lost market share, which we’ve seen happen to other agriculture commodities.
That’s why I am committed to the Sustainable U.S. Peanuts Initiative.
In its third crop enrollment year, Sustainable U.S. Peanuts, or SUSP for short, is a voluntary, industry-wide and industry-supported initiative. It is buoying America’s peanut farmers with metrics on the most efficient use of on-farm resources, as well as encouraging farm operation sustainability practices that will help meet expectations, lead to increased demand for peanuts and set the stage for long-term economic viability.
Here’s how it works: Growers enroll by completing a self-assessment questionnaire and field-level survey. All farm information is private and is not shared with anyone. This is very important and bears repeating. Your farm information will never be shared. Joe A. will never be privy to his neighbor Mary B’s farm information, and neither will the government nor the industry.
Once enrolled in the SUSP, participants will need to maintain their involvement by annually updating their information, which is much faster after a grower’s initial enrollment. Are you part of the Cotton Trust Protocol? Great news! You can join that account with Sustainable U.S. Peanuts to streamline your enrollment.
Importantly, SUSP promotes the entire U.S. crop, not individual states or regions. That is why it’s critical to have peanut farmers from West Texas all the way to Southeast Virginia participate in the program. All peanut farmers’ voices must be heard for SUSP to be truly representative.
Peanuts have an incredible sustainability story. They have the smallest carbon footprint of any nut and ounce for ounce use significantly less water than tree nuts. Peanuts are a zero-waste crop since all parts of the plant are utilized, and they require less fertilizer to grow since they are nitrogen-fixing. I would hate to think we have this great story to tell and yet miss our opportunity to sell more peanuts, or let someone enjoy our peanuts, because we aren’t taking that extra step to demonstrate peanut sustainability.
So, what does success look like? For the peanut industry, it would be ensuring the long-term economic viability of growers; satisfying the sustainability interests of buyers, consumers and trading partners; and increasing demand for peanuts – both domestically and globally – without it being forced on growers.
Personally, success for me would be leaving our family farm in the best possible shape for my granddaughter Blakely to one day take the reins, if she chooses. I want her to have that choice because we have made smart decisions and done all the rights things to ensure a farming business that lasts, and one she can be proud of.
Learn more about Sustainable U.S. Peanuts Initiative and enroll your farm at: sustainableuspeanuts.org.
The April 2024 issue of the Southeastern Peanut Farmer is now available online.
Click here!
This issue features:
The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) board of directors has approved $791,639 in research project funding for the 2024-25 research budget year. This action was taken during the commission’s March board meeting. The research projects approved include 40 project proposals submitted from the University of Georgia, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
“As a peanut grower, I’m proud to invest in the Georgia Peanut Commission and in the future of the peanut industry by supporting research that continues to demonstrate a return on our investment,” says Donald Chase, GPC Research Committee chairman. “We are proud of our partnership with research institutions and look forward to seeing the results which will benefit farmers in the state and enhance the sustainability of our crop.”
Georgia’s peanut growers invest $2 per ton annually toward GPC programs which includes research, promotion and education. The research programs primarily focus on peanut breeding, conservation methods, irrigation and water management, as well as, pests, weed and disease management.
The GPC board of directors approved additional projects focusing on non-food uses of peanuts. The projects aim to provide a new opportunity for growth within the peanut industry. The new projects are looking at utilizing high-oleic peanuts in poultry feed, converting peanut oil from a non-drying oil to a drying oil for timber oils and coatings, reviewing George Washington Carver’s peanut uses for application in today’s world and finding new non-food applications of peanuts and by-products.
Additionally, GPC manages funding for the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative which includes research funding of $1,557,580 for projects in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. These projects are funded through the National Peanut Board checkoff dollars from farmers.
For additional information and a complete list of the research projects funded by the Georgia Peanut Commission visit www.gapeanuts.com.
The Peanut Leadership Academy (PLA) is a program that inspires young peanut producers to get involved with grower organizations and agricultural extension. The academy is sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection and the American Peanut Shellers Association. Each grower participant is nominated by their county and then selected by a committee of state leaders. The 2024-2025 class is comprised of 27 people from the American peanut-growing region. This year, four Alabama peanut producers were nominated and selected to participate. In addition, two young men who work for shellers were selected by the American Peanut Shellers Association. The Alabama Peanut Producers Association will be highlighting each of these men over the next year.
August Cassebaum is a Baldwin County native, hailing from a little town called Lillian. He grew up surrounded by diverse agriculture. His family has grown quite a variety, from peppers to peanuts, hogs to hens, and everything in between. Cassebaum Farms is known for their produce stand where they live by “If we don’t raise it, we don’t sell it.” Every fruit and vegetable grown there goes back into the community to be enjoyed by Lillian locals and summer tourists. Their operation also includes cattle, pecan trees, corn, beans, ryegrass, and browntop millet.
“I chose to apply for the leadership academy hoping to better myself as a leader and to be a better advocate for agriculture, inside and outside of the agriculture community,” said Cassebaum, explaining why the PLA piqued his interest. PLA is an excellent opportunity for peanut growers to understand how peanuts are grown differently across the state and country, and Cassebaum hopes to share his experiences and issues with others.
As a fourth-generation farmer, one of the biggest issues Cassebaum faces is the decrease in land availability. “The good Lord isn’t making any more dirt. We have to learn to produce more on less land and still be able to feed the world,” he said. When asked what the most important part of farming for him is, his answer was sincere. “Being the best stewards of the land we can possibly be so that the next generations can continue to farm as the generations before us have,” Cassebaum stated.
Cassebaum also worries about the rising input costs. “We are getting the same prices for commodities as my grandfather got in the 80s, and the input costs are almost 10x higher than they were then,” says Cassebaum. “How long can the American farmer hold on?,” he added. Inflation is a growing concern for everyone involved in agriculture. The current reality of farming can be dismal, but PLA hopes to prepare young peanut farmers for a better future by educating them on political affairs.
Throughout his time on the farm, August Cassebaum has seen new technology, natural disasters, and less-than-optimal returns on his investment, but his belief in agriculture is strong. He knows that joining the Peanut Leadership Academy will truly get him out of his comfort zone and he hopes to become a better leader and build a network of friendships to enact a change in the peanut industry.
