U.S. HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE APPROVES FARM BILL

                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.

                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.”

                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.

Below are provisions from the Farm Bill framework secured by Senator Warnock: 

Crop Safety Net:

• Provides southern commodities with at least a 5% increase in reference price with many commodities seeing double-digit increases some years.
• Includes the Senator’s Southern Commodities, Rates, Opportunities, Production, and Support (Southern CROPS) Act to allocate base acres for underserved farmers, improve marketing assistance loan rates, and increase assistance for textile mills.
• Includes the Senator’s Protecting America’s Orchardists and Nursery Tree Growers Act, which would expand eligibility for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) including by lowering the mortality threshold, and allowing farmers to use TAP funding to replant alternative breeds of trees or bushes.
• Takes steps to increase the competitiveness of Georgia’s fruit and vegetable growers against foreign competition.

Underserved Farmers:

• Protects Inflation Reduction Act funding secured by Senator Warnock for economically distressed borrowers and borrowers who have suffered discrimination.
• Increases funding to resolve heirs property disputes, supporting farmers who were unfairly removed from their land.
• Includes the Senator’s Farm Board Act which would strengthen and diversify the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation’s (FCIC) ten-member Board of Directors.
• Provides underserved farmers access to commodity subsidies through the Senator’s Southern CROPS Act.
• Allocates resources and personnel towards creating trust and relationships between USDA and farmers who’ve previously faced discrimination.

Nutrition:

• Allows individuals previously convicted of a drug-related felony to access SNAP and gives states the option to allow incarcerated individuals to apply for SNAP 30 days before they are set to be released, a top issue for Senator Warnock. 
• Improves Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card security to prevent skimming of SNAP benefits.  

• Increases funding and flexibility for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to help food banks meet sustained high levels of demand.

Premium Peanut Announces New Markets Tax Credit Financing
for Shelling Facility in Santee, S.C.

                SANTEE, SC (July 30, 2024) - Premium Peanut is pleased to announce the closing of a project finance transaction involving $42 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation that will support the company’s expansion in Santee, South Carolina. This NMTC allocation will help finance construction of the Company’s new peanut shelling facility and was made possible by NMTC allocation received from a number of Community Development Entities (CDE), including: CEI Capital Management LLC, Hampton Roads Ventures, LLC, Mascoma Community Development, LLC, The Innovate Fund, LLC, and Truist Community Development Enterprises, LLC.  Truist Community Capital, LLC served as the tax credit investor in the NMTC transaction, and Truist Bank is providing additional financing for the project.

                “We are grateful to all of the CDEs, Truist Community Capital, Truist Bank, the state of South Carolina, and others, that have supported this expansion project,” said Clay Garnto, President and CEO of Premium Peanut. “They are directly supporting a project that allows our company to continue to build on our grower-owned model for producers in both South Carolina and Georgia, expanding our capacity and efficiency, while creating quality jobs in Santee. We are excited for the future of our company and are looking forward to beginning thenext phase of construction of the new shelling facility.”

                Premium Peanut is an innovative, grower-owned peanut shelling company, headquartered in Douglas, Georgia. The company started shelling peanuts in January 2016, and has since expanded to also produce peanut oil, peanut meal, peanut hulls, and peanut seed. With over 450 grower-owners spread across Georgia and South Carolina, Premium Peanut has given peanut farmers an opportunity to retain more value from the peanuts that they grow. Over the life of the company, Premium Peanut has remained true to its profit-sharing model, and has paid over $98 million to its grower-owners in dividends.

                This state-of-the-art shelling facility in Santee will set a new standard for innovation in the country and enable Premium Peanut to enhance capacity and efficiency throughout its operations. The project is anticipated to generate a significant number of permanent and temporary construction positions in a non-metro community with an unemployment rate that is currently 1.29x the national average

                .This new shelling facility will be located off I-95 in Santee, in the South Carolina Gateway Industrial Park, taking full advantage of Orangeburg County’s Global Logistics Triangle.  The Company anticipates commencing operations at the new shelling facility by the first quarter of 2026. Growers interested in learning more about joining Premium Peanut should contact Amanda McCarty at 912-331-7020.          Premium Peanut appreciates the support of the CDEs, Truist, CoBank, the state of South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the Orangeburg County Council, the Orangeburg County Development Commission, the Town of Santee, and many others. For information about the supporters of the project, contact: Rachel Santos at [email protected] or Tel: 678-425-5211.

PEANUT INDUSTRY SEGMENTS PRAISE REP. THOMPSON & HOUSE AG COMMITTEE

OPEN LETTER TO:   The Honorable G.T. Thompson, Chairman, U.S. House Committee on Agriculture,

Dear Chairman Thompson:

                The United States Peanut Federation (USPF) represents a unified voice of the peanut industry and is comprised of peanut growers, shellers, and buying points. USPF’s mission is to protect, promote, and improve business conditions for the peanut industry.        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 our 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. The increase in the peanut reference price included in this Farm Bill proposal will restore certainty to peanut growers and ensure they stay economically viable into the future.

                Secondly, USPF supports and appreciates the provisions for a one-time voluntary base update included in this legislation. A voluntary base update will be essential for young farmers and new production areas that have not been able to utilize safety net programs to date.

                USPF applauds the House Agriculture Committee for their diligent work and care for farmers that shows throughout this bill. We urge this legislation to move forward in a bipartisan manner and we are committed to working with the U.S. House and Senate leadership to ensure this legislation is passed this year.

PEANUT EXPORT PROMOTION EXPANDS WITH RAPP FUNDS

                   USDA has launched the $1.2 billion Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) in 2023 in response to a bipartisan request from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.  RAPP aims to diversify and expand market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional top customers – Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and China (including Hong Kong and Macau) – which collectively comprise nearly 60 percent of U.S. agricultural export sales.

                  Instead, RAPP will focus on enhancing U.S. exports to new markets in parts of the world – including South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa – where the middle class is growing and the desire for high-quality food and farm products is increasing. Gaining market share in these diverse and dynamic markets will help U.S. exporters better weather global shocks and better compete in an increasingly volatile global marketplace.

                  Total awarded funds for 2024 RAPP were $580,000 for the peanut industry.  The American Peanut Council will receive $2,594,879 in regular MAP funds and $576,127 for FMD funds.

CHRIS CHAMMOUN TO HEAD AMERICAN PEANUT SHELLERS ASSOCIATION  (photo too)

                    The  American Peanut Shellers Association announced recently that it has appointed Chris Chammounas its Executive Director.  He will replace John Powell.

                In his new role as Executive Director, Chris Chammounwill be responsible for leading American Peanut Shellers Association’s dedicated team of professionals while growing the value of the organization to its members, donors, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders. He will lead efforts to expand the organization’s programs while growing and strengthening its membership base. Chammoun will also oversee the continued implementation of the association’s three-year strategic plan, recently developed by a strategic planning committee paving the way for transformative growth and operational success. 

                In addition to his role with American Peanut Shellers Association, Chammoun will serve as President of The Peanut Institute and The Peanut Institute Foundation. Founded in 1996, The Peanut Institute is a non-profit organization that supports nutrition research and develops educational programs to encourage healthful lifestyles that include peanuts and peanut products. 

                Chammoun brings extensive experience in agribusiness management, including strategic planning, agricultural technology and innovation, advocacy, and market economics. Previously, Chammoun worked with the Georgia Department of Economic Development where heserved as Director of AgTech at the Georgia Center of Innovation. In this role, Chammoun led the economic development efforts in the agricultural technology sector in Georgia.  

                Prior to that, Chammoun has spent over 12 years in various roles within Georgia agriculture, where he held several leadership positions in Georgia Department of Economic Development and Director of Public Affairs for the Georgia Cotton Commission.

CLAY PIRKLE HIRED BY GFSIS   (ADD Photo)

                   The Board of Directors of GA Federal State Inspection Service is pleased to announce that Clay Pirkle of Turner County has been hired as Director of Operations. This job is a training position leading up to President. TE Moye will remain as President during the training period.

                The Board of Directors has chosen this approach in order to have a smooth transition by providing on the job training for Clay.  USDA sets the guidelines and parameters for the inspection process, and it can be a lengthy learning period to completely understand the working relationship GA Federal State has with farmers, buying points, shellers and USDA.

                T E Moye, President, said “We welcome Clay and his family to our Federal State family. I look forward to working with him as he learns the procedures for inspecting peanuts, other nuts, fruits and vegetables that are produced and/or imported into the state of GA. “  Clay began in this official capacity on May 20.

MANA CELEBRATES WITH FUNDS AND EXPANSION TURNING PEANUTS INTO MEDICINE

                  Over 200 friends, supporters, employees and neighbors joined the celebration at MANA Factory last week in Fitzgerald, GA.  CEO Mark Moore said, “Today marks a milestone for MANA.  It has been a 14-year journey, starting with a dream, little expertise, even less money, and lots of grit and optimism.  Today, we are launching the biggest plant in the world for making Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).  RUTF is the key intervention for feeding and saving severely malnourished children.  Along the way we have fed more than 8 million children with over one billion little packets.”

                  “We have not done this alone, and today we thank the many donors, investors, and collaborators who have helped us reach this important milestone, most notably Sir Chris Holm as our capital imvestment partner and USAID as our purchasing partner, but also many others who we can’t possibly list without leaving some out.” Moore said. “Here’s to billions more packets and millions more children fed when this plant is not needed because the scourge of Severe Acuter Malnutrition has been eliminated from our planet.

                  Samatha Power, Administrator of the U.S. International Development (USAID) was keynote speaker noted that “Here you can see that when you combine head and heart around a vision, miracles can happen. This vision meets the moment.”  She noted that 164 million kids are at risk of food insecurity and 8,000 die every day.”  Program facts indicated that 29% of children under five suffer from malnutrition globally and that 45% under-nutrition is an underlying cause of 45% of deaths among children under five, mainly in low and middle-income countries.

                  Power, a Georgia native, reported the public-private partnership was successful as in 2022, USAID invested $200 million urging private matching donors that raised $330 million. Today, we are announcing that USAID will provide another $200 million to make resources that will purchase many more RUTF packages and get them around the world.  Global Hunger is a soluble problem as we make investments in this life saving system by turning peanuts into medicine.”

AMERICAN PEANUT COUNCIL APPLAUDS RUTF PURCHASE

                    The American Peanut Council welcomes the announcement by USAID that it will make a special $200 million purchase of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) as part of U.S. food aid programs. The additional purchase will have a tremendous impact on getting peanut-based, lifesaving nutrition to millions of children around the globe.

                Twenty-five percent (by value and volume) of RUTF is made using peanuts. As part of the American Peanut Council’s export work, the organization promotes the use of U.S. peanuts in RUTF and educates stakeholders about the exceptional nutritional value of peanuts as its primary ingredient.