President Jimmy Carter took over his parents' peanut farm in 1953 after his father died. Though his initial plan was to manage it just as his father had — buying and reselling seed — he decided to try his hand at actually growing the peanut seeds, and was able to expand the business and increase profits.

By the time Carter began his bid for the presidency, Carter Farms had between 2,000-3,000 acres of farmland, which he controlled 91% of. His brother, Billy Carter, managed daily operations at Carter Warehouse — a peanut warehousing business — but when Jimmy Carter became president, his farm was placed into a blind trust.

Changes in management combined with three consecutive drought years plunged the farm into financial trouble, and by the time Jimmy returned, he was over a million dollars in debt. The family tried to recover from the debt, but they couldn't continue maintaining the farm, and eventually, made the difficult decision to sell it.