Peanut Expo Counters Bad Publicity

Representatives from the peanut industry plan to gather in Blakely in southwest Georgia to boost the image of the legume that has suffered a bout of bad publicity lately. Industry representatives will gather Saturday in the town's court square for the Peanut Proud Expo. The event will feature live music, free peanut snacks, educational exhibits and a peanut recipe contest. Blakely is home to the Peanut Corp. of America plant that was linked to the national salmonella outbreak that prompted one of the largest retail recalls ever, sickened nearly 700 people and may have been responsible for nine deaths. The peanut industry supports some 50,000 jobs in Georgia.

(Associated Press)

Southern growers happy about Farm Bill

Southern growers are optimistic about the farm bill that passed the Senate Agriculture Committee this week. Like House legislation that passed in July, the Senate measure would largely continue price supports for commodity crops such as cotton, peanuts and rice that drive the region's agriculture economy. Peanut farmers also said they were satisfied. Although the bill would hold peanut price supports roughly flat for another five years, it includes payments for storage costs in bad years.