-- Lanier County, Ga. -- September 25, 2012 --

Soybean Farmer Paul Folsom said "soybeans in the last couple weeks have been at an all time high, above $17 dollars a bushel."

One bushel of soybeans equals 60 pounds. Farmers are cashing in on those prices. So much so that soybean production in Georgia has increased nearly ninety percent from this time last year. Currently there are about $180 thousand acres of the crop planted in the state.

Folsom went on to say "the only way south Georgia and north Florida, or the south eastern United States, can really have a good commodity price is the example of the disaster in the midwest. And I know that's really a shame but that's the key to us making a profit."

The droughts throughout the rest of the country have bode well for local farmers, but more traditional Georgia crops like Peanuts are also seeing a big boost. Peanut production is up more than 70% over last year.

Elvin Andrews is the Lanier County Extension Coordinator. He said "there's about three factors. One of them is the weather is the first thing. We've had plenty of moisture. The temperatures haven't been real hot in 2012 like they were in 11. Plus we're planting all newer varieties which are more disease resistant."

The price of peanuts is roughly 700 dollars per ton. There are about 725 thousand acres of peanuts planted in Georgia.