National Peanut Buying Points Association President Larry Cunningham (left) presents the Buying Point of the Year Award to Tommy Dollar (right) of Dollar Farm Products, Inc. of Bainbridge. Also accepting the award is Barbara Fitzgerald (center) of Dollar Farm Products, Inc. TIFTON - Dollar Farm Products, Inc., managed by Tommy Dollar of Bainbridge, Georgia, has been selected as the Peanut Buying Point of the Year. The award was recently presented during the National Peanut Buying Points Association Annual Summer Educational Conference near Cordele.

Tommy is president of Dollar Farm Products Co., Inc., Dollar Family Farms, Miller County Gin, Decatur Gin Company and chairman of the board and director of First United Ethanol, Inc and director of the American Peanut Growers Group, Inc. Larry Cunningham, president of the Association said, "Tommy Dollar has built a diverse business that not only gives his farmers a chance to make every dollar possible from their production but builds jobs in a rural community desperately needing jobs."

Cunningham said, "His customers depend on Tommy for more than just supplies. He sits down with each one, looks at all of their information and then gives his best advice." Dollar Farm Products was created by Tommy's grandfather, Joe Dollar Sr. in 1939. Tommy's father, Hubert Dollar ran the business until 1994 when Tommy started management. Hubert, former president of the Southern Peanut Warehouseman's Association, was involved in the business until his death in 2001. Tommy remains a director of ChemNut, Inc. and the Park Avenue Bank.

Tommy and his wife Audrey have been married 25 years and have three children. Anna Beth lives in Atlanta, Garet Franklin is manager at Riverbend Ford and Hugh works at Dollar Farm Products when not attending ABAC in Tifton.

Other award winners include James W."Bill" Dickens, of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., as the recipient of the Pioneer Award. Bill invented the pneumatic peanut sampling machine and grading equipment used to grade peanuts. U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R), GA of Moultrie, GA & Washington, D. C. received the Peanut Impact Award for helping to save the peanut section of the Farm Bill. Cunningham said, "If Senator Saxby Chambliss had not been in the U.S. Senate this year, the U.S. farmer would not likely have a 2008 Farm Bill."