Peanut production down after rough year for farmers

ALBANY - Many Georgia peanut farmers are thankful the 2002 peanut season is over. <br> <br> They battled drought during the growing season, then torrential rain during the harvest. <br> <br> The government also abandoned a peanut commodity program in place since the Great Depression and switched to a new program. The mid-growing-season change was chaotic. <br> <br> The scope of the problem is reflected in the U.S. Department of Agriculture&#39;s recent crop report. Georgia -- the nation&#39;s largest producer -- had a crop of 1.3 billion pounds, compared with 1.7 billion pounds in 2001. <br> <br> The new peanut program replaces a quota system that guaranteed some growers $610 per ton with a base system similar to wheat and cotton. <br> <br> Under the new system, those with a peanut base are guaranteed $495 in loans and direct government payments. Those who don&#39;t qualify for a base are guaranteed only $355. <br> <br> Farmers have until March 31 to establish their bases. But the switch to a new program has caused bottlenecks and delays at local offices of the Farm Service Agency, which is gearing up to administer the program.