The peanut program is likely to come under attack in the next round of farm bill deliberations. Despite the coming challenges, peanuts will continue to play an important role in the Georgia agricultural economy. Back to Peanut Outlook Farming Will Cost More in 2001. The recent surge in energy prices will spill into the farm sector next year - probably more than for the year 2000. Crude oil prices are nearly three times the level of late 1998, and have affected natural gas prices which have essentially doubled during the past twelve months.
Natural gas accounts for a high percentage of nitrogen production costs.
And interest rates will be slightly higher in some lending institutions. The major crop enterprises in the state were recently updated for 2001, using these higher input costs. Others are projected to show minimal cost increases as fuel and nitrogen fertilizers are not major cost components of several crops. While these are costs of production estimates, they can provide a planning tool for enterprise comparison and projections for cash needed for the operation. They have recently been sent to County Extension Offices.