1.   And his position in favor of ending the peanut quota system virtually assures the death of the program.

2.   As agribusiness evolved into fewer, bigger farms, the majority of peanut quotas have come to be held by non-farmers, said McLeod.

3.   Because peanut quotas add to land values, abolishing the system would erode the tax base and economic underpinnings of rural counties across the South.

4.   A peanut quota is basically a government license to grow a set amount of price-supported peanuts on a specified farm.

5.   It would also allow the sale or lease of peanut quotas across county lines and thus allow new farmers to participate in the program.

6.   The Senate did reject an amendment that would have phased out the federal peanut quota program that props up prices for many Southern farmers.

7.   The total peanut quota would be reduced to keep prices up by further limiting supplies for the domestic market.