Report | Peanut Farmers Join Forces Against 'Big Shell'

Corporate concentration is pervasive in the United States food system, and the peanut industry is no exception. Just two companies process most U.S. peanuts, and peanuts are the 7th most valuable cash crop in the United States. They carry a farm value of over $1 billion and products made from peanuts contribute more than $4 billion annually to the national economy. But a recent antitrust lawsuit, filed in 2019 against three of the largest peanut shellers, claims that farmers aren’t getting their fair share. As a result, peanut farmers have banded together and formed farmer-owned shelling cooperatives to take on monopolies—and it’s working. Over a few short years, farmer-owned shellers have quickly gained control over more than a quarter of all peanut crops, giving farmers a stake in a guaranteed outlet to sell their products and a share in processing profits. Now, what will it take for farmers in other sectors to follow suit?

Read full report below or download here.