SPFF News & Resources

First up on the agenda at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference Monday morning was Congressman Allen Boyd (D-FL), who gave growers and industry members an update on what’s happening in Washington DC these days could will affect them. Among the topics he discussed were food safety, agriculture funding, health care reform and energy.

“We’ve got a good solid farm bill that was written just a year ago, we’re going to get some energy legislation that I hope is going to work for us,” Boyd said. “Number one, it’s going to give us a less expensive, reliable energy source domestically, and number two we (agriculture) are going to be in a large part providing that resource.”

Southeast Agnet reporter Randall Weiseman interviewed Rep. Boyd about some of the issues. Listen to that interview here.

Southeast Agnet Interview with Allen Boyd (4:00 min MP3)

Southern Peanut Growers 2009 Flickr Photo Album

A new addition this year to the Southern Peanut Growers Conference first day fun was a Redfish Sport Fishing Seminar, presented by Redfish Riviera Outfitters.

Steve Bailey with Redfish Riviera and Captain Daniel Snapp with Grassy Flats Charters, in colorful shirts promoting peanuts, presented tips and tricks of the fishing trade to peanut growers and their families.

Listen to an interview with Steve and Captain Daniel here:
Redfish (4:00 min MP3)

Southern Peanut Growers 2009 Flickr Photo Album

A simply divine treat is in the bag of goodies given to each person at registration for the Southern Peanut Growers Conference – chocolate covered peanut butter cherries. And they are just incredibly delicious.

Leslie Wagner with the Peanut Advisory Board says the new gourmet product comes from a company called Cherries Divine Chocolatiers. “We actually helped them develop the product and they are going to be offering them in their product line,” Leslie said. “This is a very high-end company. They really specialize in fancy, corporate gifts, weddings and things like that. So, it’s a high end company and peanut butter will be right there in the middle of it!”

Leslie says the Peanut Advisory Board has been very busy with promotional activities this year, such as two nights of Screen on the Green, an annual outdoor film festival and a popular Atlanta summertime tradition, where they gave away peanuts and Lance peanut butter snack products.

Listen to an interview with Leslie here:
Leslie Wagner (6:00 min MP3)

Southern Peanut Growers 2009 Flickr Photo Album

The theme of the 11th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference is really a tribute to the U.S. peanut industry for overcoming adversity in 2009.

Everyone knows that this year has been a tough one for the industry, starting out with the salmonella issue in January. But, Georgia Peanut Commission executive director Don Koehler says the industry has come back stronger than ever after what could have been a complete crisis.

“Farmers are really resilient and even though it wasn’t a crisis they caused themselves, we have made it through,” Don says. “And the really good news is that our May 2009 numbers for peanut butter were 13 1/2 percent over what we did in May 2008.”

That is truly an amazing example of crisis management and communications, two topics growers will be hearing about during the conference this week, as well as an even bigger emphasis on food safety than ever before. “We want to make sure that can never happen again,” said Don. “But, when you look at it, we’ve got to take our hats off and maybe even bow just a little bit to the growers and to the peanut industry in general.”

Listen to an interview with Don here:
Don Koehler (3:00 min MP3)

The SPGC Flickr Photo Album is started – view it here and keep checking back as photos will continue to be updated throughout the conference.