WHAT’S IN THE BILL - The U.S. House Agriculture Committee and U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee both prioritized many typical Farm Bill provisions to be included in this budget legislation package, additions which focused on investments in rural America. The final legislation included meaningful provisions for the peanut industry, including an increase in the reference price for the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program, a voluntary base acres update, a marketing loan increase, and modified payment limitations that reflect increased costs of production.

Specifically, this legislation:

• Increases the peanut reference price from $535/ton to $630/ton, beginning with the 2025 crop year
• Provides an additional 30 million new base acres, beginning with the 2026   crop year
• Increases the peanut marketing loan from $355/ton to $390/ton, beginning with the 2026 crop year
• Increases payment limitations from $125,000 to $155,000 per entity
• Includes a separate peanut payment limit set at $155,000 per entity

USPF commends the efforts of Congressional agricultural leaders for working tirelessly to protect peanut industry provisions and ensure these meaningful policies were included in the final legislation. During the U.S. Senate approval process, the peanut industry and other agriculture commodity industries faced a challenge with an amendment offered by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to restrict payment limits. USPF joined over 40 agriculture groups in signing a letter to Senate leadership to oppose the amendment, and on June 30, Senator Grassley withdrew his amendment.

            Buying Point owners and managers should thank the USPF team.  This team includes a board member from the Buying Points (Tyron Spearman), the growers (Don Koehler) and the shellers (Jamie Brown).  Coordinating the USPF is Bob Redding in cooperation with the Georgia Peanut Commission.

HEALTH NUT CLUB ORGANIZES ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES 

                The National Peanut Board (NPB) launched its 2025 Health Nut Club campaign recently at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and The University of Georgia. Now, the tour is hitting the road coming to a campus near you! Onsite we’ll continue to inspire Gen Z with how peanuts are the perfect addition to their wellness routines with a two-day experience, visiting 6 universities across the South: Texas A&M University: September 16-1, Auburn University: September 23-24, University of Georgia: September 30,– October 1, Clemson University: October 7-8, North Carolina State University: October 15-16, University of Florida: October 21-22.

            On each campus, our custom designed food truck will engage students, highlighted by Chef Thiffault’s innovative peanut and peanut butter inspired crepes, sandwiches, and smoothies. We’ll showcase the benefits of peanuts as an on-the-go nutritional snack, performance fuel source, and a key element of sports recovery, while handing out merchandise that will continue to promote our message even after the tour is long over.

2025 PEANUT CROP ESTIMATE – Issued by USDA’s Ag Statistics Service from interviews with farmers on September 1, 2025 and acreage reported to USDA FSA by the July 15 deadline to participate in programs.  FSA will release certified reported acres later.

2025 PEANUT CROP – Acreage updates were made based on a thorough review of all available data. Planted area for the Nation is estimated at 1.95 million acres, up 1 percent from the previous estimate and up 8 percent from last year. Total harvested area, at 1.90 million acres, is up 1 percent from the previous estimate and is up 8 percent from 2024. Record high harvested acres are expected in Arkansas.  Production is forecast at 7.40 billion pounds, up 15 percent from 2024.

                        Based on conditions as of September 1, the average yield for the United States is forecast at 3,890 pounds per acre, up 222 pounds per acre from 2024.

NATIONAL PEANUT BOARD UNVEILS NEW BRAND FOR INDUSTRY -On August 13, 2025, the National Peanut Board announced a new game-changing brand platform for the peanut industry, giving peanuts a voice and fresh place in culture.  NPB revealed the new brand during an industry live stream event and subsequent virtual marketing summit to discuss the marketing rollout.  

            Concepted by Special US, “It’s Not Nuts. It’s Peanuts” seeks to reframe peanuts from a commodity to an iconic brand. The new platform includes a fresh logo and approach to attract younger consumers, while not alienating other generations. The positioning centers around the unknown potential of peanuts, playing on the amazing qualities about peanuts that sound crazy (or nuts) but are real facts that make peanuts the super-food that they are. 

            The new brand platform will be fully launched in Spring 2026 via a series of high impact, thought-provoking placements allowing us to speak about the unexpected potential of peanuts in different ways in different places.  

            Industry collaboration and unity is a core tenant of the development and success of the brand. “We are in a great industry with so many players and interest groups working toward the same mission of increasing demand for USA-grown peanuts,” said NPB CMO Dena Malsom. “This new brand will harness all our people and all our efforts for maximum impact.” 

ANOOP MISHRA OF FEDERAL RESERVE BANK, SPEAKER AT PRE-HARVEST MEETING

Current summary of economic conditions.   The pace of economic growth slowed in the first half of 2025

            ❖ Labor market conditions have softened but are still solid by historical standards

            ❖ Inflation has remained elevated above the Federal Reserve’s longer run 2% target

            ❖ Higher tariffs along with ongoing trade policy uncertainty continue to weigh on business and households

            ❖ The Federal Reserve began the process of normalizing interest rates from restrictive levels in 2024 but             has paused the normalization process thus far in 2025:  Spending has been driven by higher income households.  House ownership has become more expensive with sentiment to purchase more negative.     Business investment:  Trade policy is influencing firm’s investment decisions.  Economic uncertainty peaked in April…is still elevated, but has moderated the last two months. Surveyed business executives believe that uncertainty will be resolved SOON, but a cluster of respondents expect it to persist.

LUKE BLAUSTEIN TO HEAD AMERICAN PEANUT COUNCIL

              The American Peanut Council has named Lucas “Luke” Blaustein as its next president and CEO.  He succeeds Richard Owen, who was recently announced as the Convenience Distribution Association’s new president/CEO. To ensure a smooth leadership transition, Blaustein will officially join APC on August 25, 2025, for a one-week handover period before Owen steps down. 

            For the past seven years, Blaustein has served as a diplomat in the Agriculture Department’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where he led teams, offices and projects in Central Asia, the Arabian Gulf, Taiwan and Washington, D.C. His time in the foreign service was defined by projects as varied as the USA Pavilion at the Qatar World Cup, Central Asia Rodeo USA livestock marketing program, Taiwan organic trade agreement and evacuation of USDA partners from Afghanistan. Prior to his career at FAS, Blaustein was an international grain trader, where he merchandised physicals and futures from farm to foreign port.  

            Blaustein holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a minor in Asian Studies from the University of Houston and a Master of Agribusiness from Texas A&M University. He was raised in Texas and Georgia and currently resides with his wife of 14 years, Sha, and their two sons, Han Lee (8) and Arthur Bowen (3), on their family farm in West Virginia. 

            In his role, Blaustein will also provide leadership to APC’s two affiliated organizations: The Peanut Research Foundation and the American Peanut Research and Education Society.