By Horace McQueen
For many years, the peanut was a mainstay crop on many East Texas farms. Those who grew up in “goober country” recall the peanut was a profitable crop. Then government took its toll on local producers. It got to a point where it was unlawful to grow peanuts unless you had an “allotment” to grow. Then the rules changed and those allotments could be sold and peanut production could be moved from the home county to elsewhere in Texas. Farmers on the Plains south of Lubbock ended up with East Texas peanut allotments. Those peanut raising areas in the sandy soils in Cherokee, Smith, Henderson, Anderson and Houston Counties are no more and only a fond memory for many residents..