The 14th annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference kicked off Thursday with the usual scoop of southern hospitality at the ice cream registration reception.
Georgia Peanut Commission Executive Director Don Koehler is very excited about this year’s meeting of the Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi peanut producers.
“It’s our biggest conference we’ve ever had, largest attendance. We’ve got more sponsors, we’ve got more going on,” Don says. “What’s really important is we’ve got a fantastic program this year.”
That includes sessions today on a variety of topics such as nutrition and research, and an update on the farm bill situation from the Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee on Saturday. Don says peanut growers are much happier with the bill developing in the House, since the Senate bill basically left them out of it. “There’s no safety net for our farmers (in the Senate bill),” he said. “The House has given us a little better safety net and we’re very appreciative to Chairman Lucas.”
We’ll be posting all of the SPGC happenings on the SPGC blog.
Listen to my interview with Don here: Don Koehler Interview