Peanut farmers organize to fight farm bill proposal

ALBANY - Georgia farmers who hold peanut quotas organized Tuesday to fight a provision in the proposed farm bill that they say would illegally deprive them of assets and pillage their retirement incomes. <br> <br> Many of the more than one thousand people who crowded into meetings in Albany and Tifton were retirees and widows who no longer grow peanuts, but live off the earnings they get by renting their quotas to younger farmers. <br> <br> Under the proposed farm bill, the quota system would be replaced with new price supports. But only farmers who have grown peanuts within the last four years would be eligible, excluding those who only rent quotas. <br> <br> The peanut quota gives certain farmers the right to grow peanuts for the domestic market at a guaranteed price of at least 610 dollars per ton. <br> <br> Growers who lack quotas have to grow lower-priced ``additionals,&#39;&#39; or they have to rent the quota of others. Additionals, which are exported or crushed for oil, have a price guarantee of only $132 per ton. <br> <br> Congressional opponents say the quota system is unfair to farmers who can&#39;t grow the premium-priced nuts and makes U.S. growers less competitive in the world market. <br> <br> Under the proposed system, some farmers will save money because they will still get some federal price supports without having to pay rent to peanut quota holders. <br> <br> About 350 farmers and land owners crowded into an auditorium in Tifton to confront six congressional aides. They booed and shouted when told that Congress was not likely to approve any continuation of the current quota system.