TIFTON, Georgia– The Congressional Peanut Caucus has been formed on Capitol Hill with two key congressmen from Alabama and Georgia. U.S. Congressmen Terry Everett, R-Ala., and Jim Marshall, D-Ga., are serving as co-chairs of the caucus. Together the two congressmen will work together to help educate other congressmen and staff on any issue relating to peanuts.

“ The caucus brings together people with common likes to focus on a specific issue,” Congressman Marshall says. “It helps to gather those interested in the issue to coordinate efforts and further the cause. It’s a pretty big deal for peanuts with the farm bill coming up.”

Currently, Congressman Marshall is working on including storage and handling fees for the 2007 peanut crop in the Fiscal Year 2007 budget. Supplemental appropriations are the only funding vehicle Congressman Marshall sees and it’s an emergency, he says.

“The Peanut Caucus will continue to be important for future legislation concerning peanuts,” says Armond Morris, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission. “The Georgia Peanut Commission is pleased that Congressmen Marshall and Everett have taken a lead in chairing the Peanut Caucus.”

According to Congressman Marshall, the whole focus of the caucus is on the peanut program - working to retain it and improve it.

“The new bi-partisan Peanut Caucus’s mission will be to recognize the importance of the near $850 million domestic peanut industry and provide members of Congress and their staff from peanut producing areas a forum in which to discuss issues and develop strategies to preserve and build upon the industry,” Congressman Everett says.

Representatives from the Georgia Peanut Commission, Alabama Peanut Producers Association, Florida Peanut Producers Association, American Peanut Shellers Association and the National Peanut Buying Points Association met with Congressmen Everett and Marshall recently in Washington, D.C. Some of the issues discussed focus on the need for Congress to clarify the loan repayment rate guidelines and restore funding for storage and handling fees for the 2007 peanut crop.

“ I anticipate an active year for the new Peanut Caucus and I believe its growing membership will play a vital role in preserving the peanut industry’s interest during this farm bill,” Congressman Everett says.