Alabama Peanut Producers Association

Peanut farmers support revision of Seg. 1 peanuts by Peanut Standards Board

 

Alabama peanut growers are in full support of the proposed rule issued on May 25, 2017, in the Federal Register regarding a recommendation from the Peanut Standards Board to revise the minimum quality and handling standards for domestic and imported peanuts marketed in the United States. This action would relax the allowance for damaged kernels in farmers stock peanuts when determining segregation.  The Peanut Standards Board voted in the fall of 2016 to raise the maximum damage level for SEG 1 peanuts from from 2.49 percent to 3.49 percent. The Alabama Peanut Producers Association encourages the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow this change to become effective for the 2017 crop.

 

U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) offered her support to the revisions. “I applaud the USDA’s commonsense proposal. As co-chair of the Congressional Peanut Caucus, I have worked alongside my colleagues to get these standards updated to reflect modern advances in technology. This change will benefit hardworking peanut producers in Alabama and throughout the country.”

 

The Peanut Standards Board recommended this change to align the incoming standards with recent changes to the outgoing quality standards and to help increase returns to peanut producers.

 

“This proposed change in the grading standards will reduce the SEG 2 peanuts at the farmer level. This will affect a very small number of peanuts in any given year, and will help the farmers when they need help the most,” said Carl Sanders, president of the Alabama Peanut Producers Association

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Alabama Peanut Producers Association encourages all peanut farmers to comment on the proposed rule which is available online at www.regulations.gov. All comments must be submitted to the Office of the Docket Clerk by June 26, 2017. Comments must be sent to the Docket Clerk, Marketing Order and Agreement Division, Specialty Crops Program, AMS, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., STOP 0237, Washington, DC 20250-0237; Fax: (202) 720-8938; or Internet: www.regulations.gov. All comments should reference the document number (AMS-SC-16-0102; SC16-996-3 PR) and the date (May 25, 2017) and page number (24082) of this issue of the Federal Register. The Peanut Standards Board, authorized under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, consists of 18 members representing the peanut growing regions of the U.S. The United States Department of Agriculture consults with the board to establish or change quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts. The recommendation from the Peanut Standards Board will now be taken under consideration by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

The Peanut Standards Board, authorized under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, consists of 18 members representing the peanut growing regions of the U.S. The United States Department of Agriculture consults with the board to establish or change quality and handling standards for domestically produced and imported peanuts.


The recommendation from the Peanut Standards Board will now be taken under consideration by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.