By Clint Thompson
The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) pleaded with members of the House Committee on Agriculture on Monday during a listening session about what farmers need in the next Farm Bill.
Joe Boddiford, a fifth-generation farmer and chairman of the GPC, was on hand to speak about the Farm Bill’s importance to his state’s producers.
“Georgia peanut growers support the current 2018 Farm Bill’s Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program for peanuts. Unfortunately, input costs the last few years have skyrocketed. We find ourselves with a reference price that is too low, and it’s caused the PLC program not to be an effective safety net for peanuts. We ask the committee to increase the reference price for peanuts in the 2023 Farm Bill,” Bodiford said.
Legislative Leaders in Attendance
Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, along with bipartisan members, including Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03), Rep. Darren Soto (FL-09), Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01), were in attendance in Newberry, Florida, as producers and industry leaders across the entire agricultural sector voiced their concerns to legislative leaders.
Input prices for fuel, fertilizer, chemicals and labor have increased significantly for peanut producers, as shown by research conducted by economist Stanley Fletcher. The costs to produce a peanut crop increased from $546 per ton in 2021 to $668 in 2022. It was the focus of Boddiford’s plea to the committee.
“Supply chain issues for equipment, parts and repairs have only added to the costs of producing a crop,” Bodiford said. “We trust that you will do the best job possible to ensure America maintains food security. It is vital to our food supply, health and national security that Congress develop a new Farm Bill that will provide a true safety net in these trying and uncertain times.”