Georgia Tops Peanut Production and New Farm Bill Important to Americans
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.**New data from USDA’s Economic Research Service finds Georgia leads U.S. production of peanuts, outpacing all other states combined.
Most U.S. peanut production comes from six States: Georgia,
Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
USDA data estimates the peanut crop in 2022 at 5.57 billion pounds.
Accounting for more than 50% of all U.S. peanut production, Georgia produced the most of any state, with a 2022 peanut crop estimated at 2.9 billion pounds.
**Almost three-quarters of Americans say not reauthorizing the farm bill in 2023 would have a significant impact on the country.
According to a new American Farm Bureau poll, nearly 70% identified two areas of the farm bill as top priorities for government funding: risk management programs that serve as a safety net for farmers and nutrition programs that serve as a safety net for families facing hunger.
The survey also found 89% trust farmers.
**Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack expressed support for their Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security, or PASS Act.
The legislation would ensure USDA is fully involved in reviewing foreign acquisition of American agricultural land and companies, specifically targeting China.
New York Representative Elise Stefanik says the legislation "takes critical steps to ensure we do not concede any ownership of our food supply to those actively working against our security interests."