Press release 6-26-08: Follow-up to: "Fraudulent Farm Price Reporting to USDA!" "USDA Posted Peanut Prices Jump 50% in Two Days! Why isn't this major news in America in an election year, with all the talk about food price inflation and costly farm policy? For on Wednesday the 25th, after questions from Roebke, the USDA suddenly changed its peanut price and it's reporting days from Friday to Tuesday. These posted prices, are used to subsidize peanut farmers with counter-cycle payments if the seasonal price averages below $459/ton. So the sudden jump from $390/ton on Friday, June 20, to $585/ton on Tuesday, June 25, 2008 were continued because of audited actual farm prices received, no additional payment would be needed on the 2007 crop. So where are AG Secretary Schafer and Farm State Congressmen on this sudden change in "USDA Policy" and "Price Determination"? What about the attorney general's office, also asked by Alan Roebke (REB-key), Congressional candidate in the 7th District of Minnesota, for an independent investigation of peanut price reporting? Alan Roebke 612-805-3874 www.CongressionalChange.com Press release 6-24-08: Immediate release! Fraudulent Farm Price Reporting to USDA! Today Alan Roebke (REB-key), Candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 7th District, is asking the Justice Department and AG Secretary Schafer for an independent audit of "Farm Peanut Price Reporting to USDA." These reports set subsidy payments to peanut growers for their past, present, and future crops. Roebke intends to ask Mr. Schafer and the Attorney General "How can a high oil crop, like peanuts, be priced so far below the farm bill's target price?" when all other oil crops like soybeans and sunflowers, also covered by subsidies, are enjoying skyrocketing prices. Giving the major oil crops, "a price way above the Farm bill's target prices" limits taxpayer subsidies. America's premium oil and food crop peanuts buck all of today's high farm market trends, even though wholesale and retail peanut prices clearly enjoy today's high food prices and profits. "So what's up?" is the question that needs to be addressed to our two government leaders and departments that should be protecting taxpayers from fraud. Roebke is calling for the investigation because "there is clearly no economic basis for the unusually low peanut prices reported weekly to USDA." Roebke's research shows that peanut oil, like soybean oil and corn oil, is selling at record prices. In fact peanut oil is the highest of all major food oils, at a $1 per pound, as listed by the USDA. Industry sources tell Roebke that 90-plus percent of the 2006-2008 peanut crops were contracted at the Farm Bills target price or higher, and not at the low price reported weekly to USDA! So with only one month left in the 2007 peanut crop's marketing year, Roebke says, "It's time to send in the auditors." Otherwise, taxpayers will likely send out a counter-cycle subsidy payment only to peanut growers, about $60/acre, while all the other oil crops, like soybeans, sunflowers, etc. grown in the 7th District of Minnesota will receive nothing because of high prices. Roebke, if elected, will work to immediately replace the costly new 2008 farm bill with a market/production-cost driven farm bill, to better serve both farmers and consumers. Alan Roebke (REB-key) can reached at 612-805-3874, or www.CongressionalChange.com.