TIFTON, Ga.– March is National Peanut Month, a time to celebrate one of America’s favorite foods! The Georgia peanut industry plans to celebrate by hosting the 2011 Georgia PB&J Day at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, Ga. The event kicks off Thursday morning March 17 and will be held in the South Wing of the Capitol from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The peanut industry will have plenty of PB&J’s, grilled PB&J’s, country-fried peanuts, boiled peanuts and more.

A special program celebrating National Peanut Month will be held at 10:30 a.m. with special guests, Senator John Bulloch, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, and Representative Tom McCall, chairman of the House Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. The Georgia Peanut Commission and the National Peanut Buying Points Association are organizing the event.

“Peanuts are Georgia’s Official State Crop and the state boasts the largest share of peanut production in the U.S. at nearly fifty percent,” says Armond Morris, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission. “Georgia’s 4,500 peanut farmers contribute approximately $2 billion annually to the state and local economy.”

Coincidentally, March is National Nutrition Month - a great time to recognize the nutritional value of peanuts. One serving of peanuts is a good source of protein, Vitamin E, Niacin, Folate, Phosphorus and Magnesium. Peanuts are naturally cholesterol-free and low in saturated fat.

Sponsors include Kroger, American Peanut Growers Group, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Agribusiness Council, Golden Peanut Company, Hardy Farms, National Peanut Board, Southern Ag Carriers and The Peanut Institute. The latest in peanut research will be highlighted by the University of Georgia Peanut Team and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Peanut Research Lab in Dawson, Ga.