[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 27 (Thursday, March 4, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING NATIONAL PEANUT MONTH

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                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
National Peanut Month--a time to celebrate one of America's favorite 
snacks and an important sector of our agricultural economy. Roasted in 
the shell for a ballpark snack, ground into peanut butter or tossed in 
a salad or stir-fry, peanuts find their way into everything from 
breakfast to dessert.
  National Peanut Month had its beginnings as National Peanut Week in 
1941. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1974.
  It is believed that peanuts originated as a food source in Brazil or 
Peru in about 950 B.C. The demand for peanuts increased in the United 
States during the Civil War, when soldiers used them as food. Today, 
Americans eat 2.4 billion pounds of peanuts each year.
  Because peanuts are not nuts but legumes, they grow in the ground and 
not on trees. The peanut plant grows above the ground, but the actual 
peanuts grow below the ground. Depending on the variety, peanuts can be 
ready to harvest in about 4 to 5 months after planting.
  George Washington Carver is considered by many to be the father of 
the peanut industry. He began his peanut research in 1903. He suggested 
to farmers that they rotate their cotton plants and cultivate peanuts.
  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nine states produce 
peanuts: New Mexico, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, 
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
  Valencia peanuts are an economic mainstay of the High Plains. Peanuts 
arrived in New Mexico in the early 1900s. The first Valencia peanut 
grown in the state was the Tennessee Red, named for its red seed coat. 
Valencias may derive their name from a connection to Valencia, Spain. 
Today, the primary varieties grown in New Mexico include Valencia A and 
Valencia C.
  Until last year, my home state of New Mexico grew more than 80 
percent of the Nation's Valencia peanuts. Valencias, sometimes called 
ballpark nuts, account for less than 1 percent of U.S. peanut 
production, but they have been a financial mainstay for many farmers in 
New Mexico for more than five decades.
  Known for their sweetness, Valencias usually have three or more 
kernels per pod. Well suited to the eastern New Mexico region, the red-
skinned peanuts have a shorter growing season than the three other 
market types: runner, Virginia and Spanish peanuts.
  Valencia peanuts have been an almost perfect crop for eastern New 
Mexico, particularly Roosevelt, Curry and Lea counties. Valencias do so 
well in the Clovis-Portales area because they face much less disease 
pressure than in other states. Valencias also thrive in the area's 
sandy soils.
  Many of our peanut farmers in New Mexico have struggled in recent 
years with a devastating drought. Nonetheless, in 2002, New Mexico's 
peanut producers still farmed 18,000 acres of peanuts valued at more 
than $10 million.
  Because of the importance of the peanut sector to my state's economy 
and traditions, I have worked to see that our interests have a place at 
the table. The 2002 farm bill established an 18-member board to provide 
consultation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on implementing the 
peanut provisions contained in that law.
  I wrote a letter to President Bush urging him to appoint Wayne Hardin 
and Jimmie Shearer to the board. I made this recommendation after both 
gentlemen were recommended to me by the New Mexico Peanut Growers 
Association and the New Mexico Peanut Research Board. I was delighted 
when the President accepted my counsel. Wayne and Jimmie are to be 
commended for their service.
  Coincidentally, March is also National Nutrition Month--a great time 
to recognize the nutritional value of peanuts. Peanuts contain mainly 
unsaturated fat and are low in saturated fat. They contain fiber and 
magnesium. Peanuts have more plant protein than any other nut. They are 
also rich in vitamin E, folate, potassium, zinc, phyosterols and 
antioxidants. Additionally, diets high in nut consumption have also 
been shown to have a beneficial effect on lowering cholesterol. With 
the embrace of low-carbohydrate dieting, peanuts are enjoying an 
amazing revival.
  As my colleagues well know, I am very interested in preventive health 
care. I was pleased by a 2002 study conducted by researchers at the 
Harvard School of Public Health that concluded women who eat peanuts or 
peanut butter five times a week can reduce their risk of developing 
type 2 diabetes by almost 20 percent. Of course, peanuts alone are not 
a panacea for good health. Physical activity, losing weight and 
changing dietary habits are key to helping stay healthy.
  Mr. Speaker, National Peanut Month provides us the opportunity to 
recognize the benefits of peanuts as well as the hard work of all the 
people in the peanut industry. I ask my colleagues to join with me in 
this celebration.

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