Our last Annual Meeting was held here at the 4-H Center March 30, 1999. I will not go into the details of this work, as Mrs. Owens will have her report, in just a few minutes. Va. Peanut Festival, Suffolk Peanut Fest, Virginia Agribusiness Banquet, and others. Many persons that wish to carry peanuts to conventions etc. were given the choice of purchasing the peanuts if they wished to hand out the samples.
Many organizations continue to purchase the sample packs.
We provide the samples at cost plus shipping. We sent peanuts twice to our state legislators while in session in Richmond this year The Association continued its joint efforts with other states, shellers, manufacturers, and others as a member of the American Peanut Council. Our main effort through the Council is geared at increasing peanut consumption in the United States and also an active export promotional program aimed at increasing the volume of peanuts exported from the United States. This program is the first to be implemented under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Consumer information Act of 1996. USDA conducted the referendum last summer.