The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says both U.S. peanut and cotton producers may have a record crop on their hands.
The House of Representatives passed a disaster aid package that has a provision for cotton to be eligible for agriculture risk coverage (ARC) and price loss coverage (PLC) safety nets under the Farm Bill, which they are unable to use now.
At the same time, peanut growers say they benefit from the current Farm Bill. The peanut reference price is set at $535 per ton under the PLC safety net. While payments may decrease in 2018, some growers say they don’t want a drastic change in upcoming Farm Bill talks.
AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben talked with Ashley Arrington, founder of Agri Authority; Bob Parker, president and CEO of the National Peanut Board; Don Koehler, executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission; and Edgar Edens of Hoke Robeson Gin located in Red Springs, North Carolina.
