Georgia Peanut Commission leaders were on Capitol Hill for last week’s U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee mark-up and passage of the 2007 Farm Bill. Key peanut provisions included in the bill are:

• Storage/handling fees for forfeited peanuts

• Handling fees and associated costs for loan peanuts

• New UGA National Center for Peanut Competitiveness Rotation Program

• Permanent disaster program

• Separate payment limit for peanuts

• Separate peanut section in the commodity title

Georgia Peanut Commission Chairman Armond Morris commented from Capitol Hill, “Sen. Saxby Chambliss worked very hard to make sure Georgia peanut producers were protected in this farm bill. Maintaining the 2002 program, storage and handling fees, a new rotation program and the new permanent disaster program are all helpful to Georgia’s rural economy. We are hopeful we can keep these Senate Committee peanut provisions on the floor of the Senate and in the negotiations with the House of Representatives.

“The committee had to work with less money than in the 2002 Farm Bill but the Senate Bill provides a safety net for growers and allows us to move into the future with a new conservation rotation initiative.”

To view the Senate Agriculture Committee peanut provisions, visit www.Americanpeanuts.com.