Peanuts Receive Much Needed Relief. Much needed rainfall in June has helped give the Georgia peanut crop its best start in many years. The rains were very timely as a majority of the crop was planted in the last two weeks of May. Crop conditions, reported by Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service, were 74% good-to-excellent and 25% fair on June 24th. Peanut markets have been largely inactive for U.S. peanuts. No reports so far of additional contracts in the Southeast. A market assistance package has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that allocates $54.2 million to peanut producers. The Senate must pass the bill in the next few weeks to get the funds to producers before the 2001 fiscal calender ends on September 30. The assistance amounts to 85% of the market loss assistance payments received by peanut producers for the 2000 crop. That would be approximately $26/ton for quota peanuts and $13.60/ton for additionals if passed in current form. (Nathan Smith)

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