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WHICH WAY CONTRACTED ACRES? FLUE-CURED DOWN, BURLEY STABLE?
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HOW MUCH CAN YOU AFFORD TO INVEST TO GROW YOUR 2017 CROP?
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 How to move plant trays around easily. Craig West of Fremont, N.C., and his wife Nell stopped to look at a plant tray conveyance at the Wilson Manufacturing exhibit at the Southern Farm Show. Said G.H. Wilson, "It is 20 feet long and holds 240 trays and is built so you can easily access the trays once you arrive." HOW MUCH CAN YOU AFFORD TO INVEST TO GROW YOUR 2017 CROP? Why burley growers are reluctant to buy: Rod Kuegel, who grows dark and burley near Owensboro, Ky., attended the Tobacco Show in Lexington, Ky., on January 19 and 20 and didn't notice many burley and dark growers seeking to make major investments in new equipment. "We had such a damaged crop from water in 2016 that growers are a little reluctant to make big purchases." Welcome to the February II issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter. If you haven't signed on to receive the newsletter regularly or need to change an address, please click on "Join our mailing list" and follow the prompts. For more information, you can call me at 919-789-4631 or email me at chrisbickers@gmail.com.--Chris Bickers Too much rain in July: Weather conditions last summer certainly didn't lead to enthusiasm for purchasing machinery. George Marks, who grows dark and burley near Clarksville, Tn., attended the Southern Farm Show. In an interview during the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. meeting on the Show's last day, he said the 2017 dark crop in Tennessee and Kentucky was one of the worst ever. Burley there finished badly too. "There was too much rain in the month of July. Much of both crops drowned out. A lot of us should probably look for better-drained soils to plant dark tobacco on." The yield was way down on burley at about 1,400 pounds per acre, said Marks, who is the president of the Burley Stabilization Corporation cooperative (BSC). A normal burley crop would yield 2,200 to 2,400 pounds per acre. Dark yielded about 2,400 pound per acre. Compare that to a normal yield of about 3,300 pounds per acre, Marks said. Dark did better at the market. "The outlook for dark is good right now," said Marks. "Snuff sales are still trending upward."  Cleaning trays with steam: Craig West of Fremont, N.C., stopped by the Long Tobacco Barns exhibit at the Southern Farm Show. He'd bought a Long Steaming Eagle tray steamer and expected to begin running it soon, probably four times a day, steaming 2,400 trays a day. That's enough to fill a 200-foot greenhouse. "We were forced into using the steamer, but it has proved better than methyl bromide. It does a better job of dis-ease control, but methyl bromide was easier to use." NOTE: More on the new steamers and the new easy-to-clean plant trays will appear in the next issue. Who knows how many sales will be made? Tom Pharr of MarCo Manufacturing said his trip to the show had not been very encouraging. "The traffic was not heavy. But you never know: I have 'priced' everything I have, and who knows where that will lead?" Probably the most interest at the MarCo booth was in the harvesters, but not by a whole lot. "Also, our curing controls have attracted attention," said Pharr. "I think we will make some sales." No falloff for some companies. "We have more orders than we had at this time in 2015 or 2016," said Mack Grady, president of Cureco in Seven Springs, N.C., in an interview as the Southern Farm Show. "That's a surprise to us, since we are doing the same things we did in those years." But it could just be random. "It certainly seems like this season will likely be down in production," he said. Leadership in farm labor recognized: The president of the North Carolina Growers Association, Len Wester, received the President's Award for Leadership from the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C at its meeting on February 5. Other award recipients included: Distinguished Service Award: Zane Hedgecock, chief of staff, N.C. Department of Agriculture. Extension Service Award: Matthew Vann; Lifetime Century Member: Marion Hawkins Jr. of GoldLeaf Seed; Farm Family of the Year: The  Isley Family Farms, Rockingham County; and Outstanding Directors for 2017: Brent Leggett, Nash County and Randy Smith, Lenoir County. A young farmer and a farmer organization leader were honored at the annual "Breakfast with the Commissioner" held by the Tobacco Farm Life Museum on February 5 in Raleigh at the Southern Farm Show. Brandon Batten of Four Oaks, N.C., was named "Innovative Young Farmer of the Year", sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina. Jimmy Gentry, president of the N.C. State Grange, received the Excellence in Agriculture Award, sponsored by Wells Fargo. A short course to update young N.C. growers and others on the realities of 21st Century tobacco production: 46 young N.C. tobacco growers, Extension agents, research station managers and technicians, and agronomists participated recently in the 2017 N.C. State Tobacco Short Course in Raleigh. It was conducted by the N.C. Tobacco Foundation with the N.C. State University College of Agriculture. Funding for the program was provided by the N.C. Tobacco Research Commission and the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. Participants were:
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TRANSPLANTING READY TO BEGIN
A newly seeded greenhouse near Raleigh, N.C.
The Type 14 crop is going to the field early. There was essentially no winter in Georgia and Florida, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco specialist. "We had very few days when the temperature fell below 32 degrees." As a result, plants have been making fast progress in the greenhouse. "Some plants are running away from us. A few farmers may have begun transplanting already. I am expecting a lot of the crop to go to the field in the next two weeks."
No need to wait till April 7? The recommendation most years is to delay transplanting until April 7 or later because there tends to be less incidence of tomato spotted wilt virus after that date. But because of the weather, that may not be the case this season, says Moore. "Alternate host popu-lations as well as thrips populations are already high."
If you plant early, though, Moore advises doing the best job possible of suppressing TSWV with Actigard and Imidacloprid.
No transplanting yet of flue-cured in North Carolina, but plants are progressing well in greenhouses. "It might be the best plant-growing season in many years," says Matthew Vann, specialist with the N.C. Extension tobacco team. "Thanks to the mild winter [until March 12], the N.C. flue-cured crop was seeded earlier than normal. Seeding is in fact substantially complete across the state, although there may be a few unseeded greenhouses remaining in the western Piedmont."
Variety distribution in N.C. flue-cured appears to be roughly the same as last year, says Vann, but there was a lot of interest in the new variety NC 938. "Growers looked long and hard at NC 938," he says. "It has strong black shank resistance and good yield potential." He thinks it will play a large part in N.C. flue-cured production in the future.
Just a few greenhouses have been seeded in Kentucky. "We may have a few plants breaking through but not many," says Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "Even though the 2016 season did not go well for many Kentucky growers, the feedback I am getting is that most of them are trying to grow another crop."
There doesn't seem to have been much shifting among varieties, except that a few more are planting the relatively new KT 215 because of its resistance to black shank and fusarium wilt, he says.
Should farmers sell finished products?
Two opinions
The U.S. Tobacco Cooperative Inc. (USTC) in Raleigh, N.C., recently purchased a N.J. cigarette manufacturer, King Maker Marketing Inc. of Paramus, through its consumer products division, Premier Manufacturing of Chesterfield, Mo. The acquisition added four brands to USTC's consumer products portfolio.
"Each of the brands has a solid sales history and consumer following," said USTC Chief Executive Officer Stuart Thompson. "The addition of these nationally recognized brands to our portfolio allows us to increase market share in our category and expand distribution due to our larger sales and marketing organization."
Earlier in 2016, USTC announced that Premier is now supplying Circle K convenience stores in 40 states with its cigarette brand Traffic.
Soon after the price support program ended, USTC (formerly Flue-Cured Stabilization) tried marketing some of its farmers' leaf as finished products. The big step was purchasing a cigarette factory in Timberlake, N.C. About the same time, it bought Premier, and now it has bought King. All
USTC brand cigarettes are in the value category, led by 1839, whose name commemorates the discovery of the bright curing process. The results have been good. As one source within the cooperative says, "We get high-quality tobacco from our growers, we make that leaf into a very tasty product, then we sell it at a price that is a value to consumers. The packaging and price bring them in. But the reason they come back is because they think the product tastes good."
The burley co-ops, on the other hand, focus entirely on leaf. The Burley Stabilization Corporation (BSC) cooperative in Springfield, Tn., experimented with manufacturing products for a few years but found it was just not right for them, says BSC leader Daniel Green. "We found that finished products were not the direction we needed to go," says Green. "We sold our interest in the finished product business so that we can fully focus on our leaf tobacco business.. The way we look at it, there are people that are really good at finished tobacco products. We want to supply them with the best quality leaf possible and are not interested in trying to compete with them."
And at Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association in Lexington, Ky., there was never much interest in manufacturing finished tobacco products, says Steve Pratt, general manager. "We concentrate on contracting, processing and selling leaf tobacco," he says.
GAP TRAINING EVENTS
KENTUCKY (Burley/Dark)
March 14, 6:30 PM. Trimble County Extension Office, 3 High Country Rd., Bedford KY. Contact Kevin Perkins at kevin.perkins@uky.edu or 502-255-7188.
March 21, 6:30 p.m. Barren County High School Trojan Academy, 505 Trojan Trail, Glasgow KY. Contact Chris Shalk at chris.schalk@ uky.edu or 270-651-3818.
March 23, 1 PM. University of Kentucky, 1405 Veterans Road, Lexington KY. LYNC video training also offered at County Extension offices. Check your local office to see availability. Or contact Bob Pearce at rpearce@ uky.edu or 859 257 5110.
March 28, 6 PM. Laurel County Extension Office, 200 County Extension Rd., London KY. Contact Glenn Williams at gwilliam@uky.edu or 606 864 4167.
March 30, 6 PM. Warren County Extension Office, 3132 Nashville Rd., Bowling Green KY. Contact Joanna Coles at jcoles@uky.edu or 270 842 1681.
OHIO (Burley)
Note: The contact for all Ohio meetings is David Dugan at dugan.46@ osu.edu or 937 515 2314.
March 15, 1 PM. Frisch's Restaurant, 11157 St. Rt. 41, West Union OH.
March 15. 6:30 PM. North Adams High School, 2485 Moore's Rd., Seaman OH. In the Round Room.
March 21, 6:30 PM. Southern Hills CTC, 9193 Hamer Rd., Georgetown OH. In the Board Office.
March 22. 1 PM. Southern Hills CTC, 9193 Hamer Rd., Georgetown OH. In the Board Office. March 22. 6:30 PM. Gallia County Extension Ofc., 111 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis OH.
MARYLAND/PENNSYLVANIA (All types)
Note: The contact for all MD-PA meetings is Jeff Graybill, Pennsylvania Extension, Lancaster County, 717-394-6851.
March 27, 9 AM. Ira Hertzler Farm, 28379 Thompson Corner Rd., Mechanicsville, MD.
March 28, 9 AM. Garden Spot Fire Rescue, 369 East Main St., New Holland PA.
March 28, 1 AM. Garden Spot Fire Rescue, 369 East Main St., New Holland, PA.
March 29, 9 AM. 172 South Lime St., Quarryville, PA.
March 30, 9 AM. Turbotville Community Hall, 41 Church St., Turbotville, PA.
March 29, 1 PM. 172 South Lime St., Quarryville, PA.
VIRGINIA (Burley)
March 16, 6 PM. Lee County Extension Ofc., 33669 Wilderness Rd., Jonesville VA. Contact David Reed at threed@exchange.vt.edu or 434 292 5331.
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BLUE MOLD BREAKS OUT IN GEORGIA GREENHOUSES
FLORIDA-GEORGIA: Blue mold showed up on flue-cured plants in two south Georgia greenhouses in March. The infestations appear to be under control, and the two new fungicides Presidio and Orondis should help any future outbreaks. But Georgia Extension agronomist J. Michael Moore notes something strange. "We went 10 years without any blue mold, but now we have had it two years in a row?" Likely factor: This was "the year without a winter" in Georgia, and that may have created favorable conditions for development of blue mold. ..Transplanting is getting going. "Many plants in Florida and Georgia will soon be ready for transplanting," says Moore. "A few farmers began transplanting in the middle of last week, but this week and the next will be when it really gets going"...There continues to be a shortage of Telone II, and delivery of what is available is being delayed. "This creates a great opportunity for the new non-fumigant nematicide Nimitz from Adama," Moore says.
KENTUCKY: Is dark tobacco in serious danger from federal regulation? A federal regulation now being considered could have a disastrous effect on the marketing of smokeless tobacco products in this country. "This proposed rule would have a devastating economic impact on dark tobacco growers and businesses," Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said. "It would have the effect of banning the sale of smokeless tobacco in the U.S. Quarles asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to direct the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw the proposal because FDA had not accurately estimated the economic impact of the rule and did not propose a standard that was "technically achievable." The main problem is that the proposal would limit the N-Nitrosonornicotine level in finished smokeless tobacco products to one part per million. This limitation probably cannot be met, Quarles said.
NORTH CAROLINA--In Granville County, N.C., Extension agent Paul Westfall said cold weather has affected tobacco greenhouses there, "especially those without good air distribution from heat sources." Diseases are showing up due to high humidity and low ventilation, he said. "Several growers have reported salt damage to seedlings." In Greene County, N.C., tobacco transplants look very good in the greenhouse, says Roy Thagard, Extension agent. "I do wish we had more moisture in fields. I'm always nervous when planting season starts out dry."
VIRGINIA--The outlook appears good for Virginia flue-cured and dark fire-cured, says Bill Scruggs of the Virginia Department of Agriculture. "We are getting some much-needed rain," he says. Contract volume for conventional flue-cured appears about the same as last year. But the organic volume is down... After a period of inactivity, the Virginia tobacco growers association has resumed operating. An annual meeting is scheduled for tonight (March 28) in Halifax, with new president Jay Jennings of Chase City, Va., presiding. Watch for a report in a future issue of TFN.
KENTUCKY: Is dark tobacco in serious danger from federal regulation? A federal regulation now being considered could have a disastrous effect on the marketing of smokeless tobacco products in this country. "This proposed rule would have a devastating economic impact on dark tobacco growers and businesses," Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said. "It would have the effect of banning the sale of smokeless tobacco in the U.S." Quarles asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to direct the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw the proposal because FDA had not accurately estimated the economic impact of the rule and did not propose a standard that was "technically achievable." The main problem is that the proposal would limit the N-Nitrosonornico- tine level in finished smokeless tobacco products to one part per million. This limitation probably cannot be met, Quarles said.
A new leader for export promo-tion: Hank Mozingo (right) was elected President of Tobacco Associates at the organization's recent annual meeting in Wilson, N.C., on March 1. He had in recent years served as Vice President. He replaces Kirk Wayne, who retired at the meeting after 47 years of service with Tobacco Associates. The organization is exclusively devoted to the promotion of U.S. flue-cured exports. Mozingo will work from the organization's office in Raleigh.
GAP TRAINING EVENTS
TENNESSEE (Burley)
- April 6, 6:30 PM. Appalachian Fair Grounds, Building 1, Lakeview St., Johnson City TN. Contact Anthony Shelton at ashelton@utk.edu or 423 753 1680.
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USDA PROJECTIONS: BURLEY ACRES UP 7%, FLUE -CURED DOWN 4%
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DESPITE RAINS, PLANTING MAKES GOOD PROGRESS
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A setting crew on a farm near Kenly, N.C., prepares to head to the field again with flue-cured transplants (file photo by Chris Bickers). Torrential rains on the night of April 24 and the following morning brought field work to a halt and lead to extensive flooding in most of the flue-cured area of N.C. In Raleigh, as in many other locations, the slow-moving storm set a record on the 24th for the month of April at 4.5 inches. In Kinston, in the 30 hours starting at noon on April 24, it reached 7.04 inches. |
Much of the Tar Heel flue-cured crop had been planted by the time the rains fell. "Some growers started the week of the 4th, but most started the week of the 10th,"says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "Conditions so far have been pretty good, and we are making good progress. But with saturated soils, we may not make so much progress this week." Wednesday, fortunately, was clear.
About 70 percent of the S.C. crop had been transplanted when the rain started. "Most fields look good," says William Hardee, S.C. area Extension agronomy agent for Horry and Marion counties in the Pee Dee. "There was a little sunscald and wind damage." The soil temperature had been very high when the plants went in, but there were no real issues to this point. "It had been hot and dry in April, so the late April storms will come in handy if it doesn't rain too much," he says. "Once we get back in the field and cultivate, I think we are looking at a good crop." He calculated that contracts had been cut by 15 to 20 percent on conventional flue-cured and 40 to 50 percent on organic tobacco.
If you received some of this excess moisture, consider adjusting for leaching. Where rain fall exceeds two inches, Vann says, consider replacing 100 percent of all nitrogen applied to date. Where rainfall is less than two inches, consider replacing no more than 50 percent. Additional adjustments can be made closer to layby if needed, based on crop response. Apply one pound of potassium for every pound of nitrogen, says Vann. "Potassium is not as leachable as nitrogen and is typically applied at a 2:1 ratio. Therefore, adjusting at a 1:1 ratio will bring the nutrients back to the preferred balance."
Remember: Auxin herbicides and tobacco do not mix. The new technologies that will allow more extensive use of auxin herbicides on cotton and soybeans set the stage for potentially damaging contamination of tobacco plantings. Drift from wind during application of 2,4-D and dicamba can lead to physical contact. Both chemicals can also vaporize and spread to neighboring fields through volatilization.
Remember: Auxin herbicides and tobacco do not mix. The new technologies that will allow more extensive use of auxin herbicides on cotton and soybeans set the stage for potentially damaging contamination of tobacco plantings. Drift from wind during application of 2,4-D and dicamba can lead to physical contact. Both chemicals can also vaporize and spread to neighboring fields through volatilization.
Tobacco losses from auxin herbicides cannot be measured only in pounds per acre, says Vann. "There are also losses in marketing opportunities." Auxin herbicides are not labeled for use in production of tobacco. "Therefore, if a drift event (physical or vapor) occurs, residues of a pesticide not labeled for production can be found on cured leaves." The response from purchasers will certainly be negative.
Words to remember: "It is my firm belief that the damage done to the reputation of U.S. tobacco because of illegal residues is much greater than the reduced leaf yield done through physical injury," says Vann.
And it can be even worse for organic tobacco growers. "A drift event could jeopardize organic certification," Vann says. "It would likely require a three-year interval for organic re-certification."
One way you can help yourself:"Know your neighbors and be sure they know you," says Don Fowlkes, manager of agronomy, Burley Stabilization Corporation. "If you have a neighbor who has pastures and fence rows (or crop land) that might be sprayed, be sure they know the location of your tobacco fields. Visiting them ahead of time can go a long way toward preventing problems."
Correction: The company Contraf-Nicotex-Tobacco, which TFN identified in the last issue as a Brazilian company, is actually headquartered in Germany with activity in Brazil. It has recently associated itself with United Tobacco Company.
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BURLEY MAKES ITS WAY TO THE FIELD
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Burley transplanting in a conservation tillage field in Kentucky (file photo by Bob Pearce). |
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In Kentucky, transplanting is just getting started, with perhaps one percent of the acreage planted, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "Just a few crops have been planted, and I doubt any of them are very far along." He expects setting to get in high gear the second week of May.
It's very unlikely there will be a shortage of burley transplants this year. Farmers had to start seeding greenhouses before contracts had been offered, and some have ended up with more than were actually needed, says Pearce.
How many acres? Pearce is skeptical about the USDA's March 31 estimate of 65,000 acres of burley in Kentucky this year, seven percent more than 2016. "I think that it is overly optimistic," he says. He calculates that planted burley acreage in the state will be similar to last year.
In Tennessee planting is also just getting started, with at most two percent set, says Eric Walker, Tennessee Extension tobacco spec- ialist. Rains expected the middle and end of this week might slow things further. Farmers who manage to miss those rains can prob-ably get started, he says. Others may have to wait for the ground to dry up.
In Georgia and Florida, the crop is completely transplanted except perhaps for some stragglers, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco specialist. "There is a little replanting going on," he says. It was extremely hot the last two weeks, with air and soil temperatures in the 80s, and the stems of many small plants dried at the soil line and fell over. That will probably take up every available plant in the two states, says Moore. "But I think we will get planted everything the farmers intended."
Well under five percent of the Georgia-Florida flue cured crop is showing symptoms of tomato spotted wilt which is less than was expected, considering the warm winter and abundance of rain. "Our growers were intense in their use of Actigard and imidacloprid," says Moore. "That probably was a factor." But TSWV could still appear. "We can't be sure we have dodged that bullet," he says.
In South Carolina, the Pee Dee got plenty of rain in late April, but it was not a big problem. Since the area had been dry, the rain was welcome and benefited crops. Transplants are starting to take root nicely.
In North Carolina, 38 percent of the flue-cured crop had been transplanted by May 1. But progress varied widely between individual counties. Approximately 70 percent of the tobacco crop had been set before the rain event in Lee County, says Extension agent Zachary Taylor. "Leaching adjustments will be needed. Weed control will be a concern as many PRE herbicides have likely leached"...In Craven County, only a small per- centage of tobacco had been transplanted, so the impact was small, says Extension agent Mike Carroll.
In Virginia, only three percent of the state flue-cured crop had been transplanted by May 1, according to NASS. About one percent each of the burley and fire-cured had been transplanted...In Brunswick County, the heavy rain last week slowed down planting and left standing water in ditches and fields, says County Extension agent Cynthia Gregg. "Some producers were able to get back to planting tobacco, and others started planting tobacco this weekend."
In other tobacco news:
When making a leaching adjustment, consider using fertilizer sources absent of phosphorus, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "Phosphorus is not very leachable in the soil profile," he says. "Therefore it is likely that the nutrient is still in place. This will reduce the cost of having to re-apply nutrients."
Brazil's 2017 flue-cured crop will apparently be roughly 50 percent larger than the short 2016 crop, approximately 1,300 million pounds to 900 million pounds. "Current quality appears to be good and in line with expectations," says Peter Sikkel, chief executive officer of Alliance One International. "We are expecting similar positive crop size increases in other key markets."
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REPORTS FROM THE TOBACCO FIELDS
VIRGINIA--In the Virginia Piedmont, rains were hit and miss last week, Lunenburg County Extension agent Lindy Tucker said, "Farmers received some more rain this week (ending May 14). Hay land needs it, but crop producers wish it would hold off until tobacco is finished." But the tobacco planting is making good progress. Statewide, about 31 percent of the flue-cured had been transplanted by mid-May, compared to 12 percent of the burley crop and 19 percent of the small dark fire-cured crop. NORTH CAROLINA--Transplanting of flue-cured was 73 percent complete by mid May, according to the USDA Progress Report. Moisture conditions varied: In Robeson County, transplants have suffered from rains, strong winds and cool temperatures, said Mac Malloy, Robeson Extension agent ... In Craven County, excessive rain fall of three to five inches saturated the soil and leached nutrients. Producers working to make nutrient adjustments. Approximately five percent of tobacco production will likely need to be transplanted again. Tomato spotted wilt evident in many tobacco fields, ranging from two to 10 percent common, said Craven County Extension agent Mike Carroll...But the weather was drier than expected last week in Greene County, allowing many farmers to catch up with planting. "I anticipate all tobacco growers to be finished early this week," says Roy Thagard, Greene County Extension agent. SOUTH CAROLINA--The last nine percent of the S.C. crop was planted the week ending May 14, says the USDA Progress Report says. In the Pee Dee, the major tobacco-growing area, cooler daytime temperatures, lower humidity and an adequate supply of rainfall have led to tobacco growing well in Horry County, said Extension agent Hilda Shelley. The recent rains were very welcome in this area, which had been very dry though much of April. GEORGIA--Planting is complete. In Candler County, near Savannah, it is a little dry, and a lot of farmers are waiting for some moisture. "Tobacco looks fair," said Chris Earls, Candler County Extension agent. Some replanting was reportedly continuing. KENTUCKY--Tobacco setting is moving forward steadily, says USDA's Prog-ress and Condition Report. Tobacco transplant supplies were reported as one per cent very short, three percent short, 89 percent adequate, and seven percent surplus, the report says. Twelve percent of tobacco transplants were under two inches, with 37 percent between two to four inches, and 51 percent over four inches. Just over 10 percent of the crop had been planted by mid May. In other tobacco news: Never use your tobacco sprayer to spray herbicides on pastures, says Tennessee agronomists. "Pasture herbicides are very difficult to wash out of sprayers," they says. "Because of the sensitivity of tobacco to pasture herbicides, chemicals such as 2.4-D can cause serious damage." If you have pastures to spray, have a dedicated sprayer for them. Control weeds at layby. As disrupted as weed control may have been to this point, this might be a good year to make a layby herbicide application, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. The options for herbicide application at layby on N.C. flue-cured are:
Given the concern placed on weed seed contamination in tobacco exports, it is critical that extra focus is placed on weed control management at all stages of this crop, says Vann. DATES TO REMEMBER
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SPOTTED WILT BEATS A PATH THROUGH THE BRIGHT BELT
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GEORGIA-FLORIDA--Tomato spotted wilt had appeared earlier in the season in the Type 14 states, but the pace picked up considerably in the week just ended, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco specialist. "It doubled its infestation rate to around 20 percent of plants showing symptoms, and we have older tobacco in which the infestation is as much as 50 percent.  Thesymptoms run from dead plants to ones where one or two leaves on one side are dying." The mild winter was the culprit. It allowed the survival of alternate host crops and the survival and high populations of thrips, which vector spotted wilt. "There is just so much you can do about spotted wilt, and most of it has to be done by the time the crop reaches this stage. Once the tobacco is in the field, most measures are futile." But good sucker control may help in keeping the disease from spreading. "Clean your crop up and apply flumetralin and maleic hydrazide when it is needed," Moore says. "Precise sucker control is one of the few things that can help, along with any-thing that will maximize yields and use up lost nutrients." Other practices that might help:
NORTH CAROLINA--Tomato spotted wilt has broken out with a vengeance in the coastal plain counties of N.C. "In the last two weeks, we have seen a lot  of it," says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "The timing suggests it came here from Georgia." The mild to nonexistent winter is the cause. "We have suffered losses ranging from five percent to 40 percent. So far, it looks like it will be a record year for spotted wilt. It is worse in the tobacco that was transplanted early than the later crop." So far, there's been no spotted wilt west of Raleigh. "We don't really expect it there." SOUTH CAROLINA--Much needed rain fell in the Pee Dee over last weekend as corn was starting to tassel, says Rusty Skipper, Extension agent in Horry County. But spotted wilt has broken out here too. "Tomato spotted wilt virus is more prevalent this year, and the damage is more extensive than in years past," he says."  VIRGINIA--Spotted wilt has even made an appearance in Virginia, says David Reed, Virginia Extension tobacco specialist. "There's not much, but it is more than we are used to," he says. "It is rarely a problem here." He visited a farm Friday that had two percent of its plants with symptoms. At this point, he doesn't expect to see many fields with more than four per cent....Flue-cured planting is subs-tantially complete, while dark and burley planting is at least 75 percent done, maybe more. "We got started early, then we were rained out for a while, so there is an early and a late crop: Some is just transplanted, and some of it has been laid by. All of it looks real good."  KENTUCKY--Things are going smoothly for Kentucky growers right now, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Exten-sion tobacco specialist. "The crop is in excellent shape, and we have made good prog-ress on planting. Some areas are essentially done.Perhaps 60 percent to 70 percent of the crop has been plan-ted." He reports no major problems. There's been plenty of rain. "But whenever there has been a clear day, farmers have been ready to go."... Around Danville, Ky., grower warehouseman Jerry Rankin says he and his workers have been planting till 9:30 at night. "We are catching up now, but I would say we are a good two weeks behind," he says. "Much of this area (central Bluegrass) had tremendous rainfall. But the last four days, we are beginning to get back in the fields." He estimated 35 to 40 percent of fields in the area have been set by June 1. TENNESSEE--Rain slowed things too in the Burley Belt's largest volume county, Macon in Tennessee. "We are not halfway done planting," says Keith Allen, county tobacco agent. "A lot is going to be planted. I have seen tobacco this season in fields where I have never seen it before--and I have been here 25 years." A lot will be put out, much more than last year. "We had a little more than 5,000 acres in 2016 in this county, [which is east of Nashville]. We might push 6,000 acres this season." The new acres are coming in part from land that has been in other row crops the past few years, Allen says. More reports from the field--Notes from agents of the Extension Service and of the state Departments of Agriculture:
In other tobacco news-- Flea beetles on burley: Young plants are showing some flea beetle damage in Macon County. "We put a control chemical in the setter water but in many cases it was too damp for the plant to take the chemical up," says Allen. Now, there is beginning to be some concern about the condition of plants. "There are still a lot of plants in the greenhouse," says Allen. "We have had a good greenhouse season but the longer the plants stay in the greenhouse there is more chance for disease." More on auxin drift: With the new dicamba-resistant soybeans, there is a danger in Kentucky of auxin herbicide drift on tobacco. "Not much of a problem is expected in eastern or central Kentucky, but western Kentucky [where significant acreages of grain crops are grown] may be a different story," Pearce says. "There could be potential concerns if growers don't take appropriate caution." Keep in contact with any neighbor who might be spraying an auxin, he says. "Communication is the key to preventing contamination by drift." Management change at cooperative: After three years as chief executive of the of U.S. Tobacco Cooperative (USTC), Stuart Thompson resigned in May. He has been replaced on an interim basis by Chief Financial Officer Edward Kacsuta, the company said. Thompson joined USTC five years ago as CFO. "His departure comes at a time when there were differing opinions on business strategy," USTC said. USTC is owned by flue-cured growers and based in Raleigh, N.C. DATES TO REMEMBER
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BURLEY CROP: SOME SET EARLY, SOME LATE
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Kentucky burley stands are good but not excellent, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. At least 90 percent crop had been set as of Friday. Big rains yesterday and today will slow farmers a little. The average height of tobacco in the field was 10 inches, compared to 9 inches last year.
A problem has appeared, the same one that appeared a month ago in flue-cured. "There is more tomato spotted wilt than in recent memory," Pearce says. "It is widespread." There has been enough to reduce yield, but probably not by much, since tobacco can compensate to some degree for lost plants. "At this point, we may be looking at single digit (percentage)." Tennessee has had uncharacteristic TSWV infestations too but as in Kentucky, the yield loss is not too great so far.
Tennessee experienced another later-set crop, but very little remains to be transplanted now, says Eric Walker, Tennessee Extension tobacco specialist. "Most everyone is finishing up," he says. He estimated perhaps five percent of the crop remained to go in as of Friday plus a little replanting. But heavy rains this week will probably keep everyone out of the fields for a few more days. One way or another, although the planting season was just a little longer than in a normal year, a disproportionate number of acres were planted relatively late, so some late harvesting seems likely.
The east Tennessee burley crop is 10 to 14 days behind normal, says Don Fowlkes, manager of agronomy for Burley Stabilization Corporation in Greeneville. "We were farther behind than that but we mostly got caught up the week before last when we got some good weather," he says. He too thinks 95 percent or more of the expected crop in this region has been transplanted. "We are still early in the season but so far it is looking OK." He expects a few less acres planted in Tennessee when all is said and done, but with an average yield--the 2016 yield was below average--production might be the same or greater.
In southwestern Virginia, about three percent of the burley [the type grown here] remained to be set, according to USDA. But some areas were not as far along. "Unusually rainy weather has delayed tobacco setting. Only limited field work was accomplished this week [through June 18] with heavy showers scattered about the county almost every day," said Grayson County Extension agent Kevin Spurlin. "There were reports of up to eight inches this week in portions of the county, and flash flooding was common."
In western N.C., setting was running behind. USDA estimated that 74 percent had been transplanted by June 18. In Yancey County, numerous thunderstorms and rain events that week limited field activities, said Stanley Holloway, Extension agent. "Rainfall amounts were highly variable across the county, with most areas receiving between 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches for the week."
One imponderable in Kentucky and Tennessee: The contract prices for the dark types were good, and there may well have been some substitution of dark tobacco for burley. That confuses any production estimate for these types.
In other tobacco news:
Be extremely pro-active when making your first contact sucker control application if you are growing residue-free flue-cured, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "The conventional rule of thumb is that first application should begin at the 50 percent button stage. But consider starting before 50 percent button is reached, possibly at the 40 percent button stage. Beginning slightly earlier should allow for sufficient control of suckers growing in some of the larger, more advanced plants."
Target spot is showing up all over some counties in eastern N.C. "We are seeing lots of target spot on tobacco," says Norman Harrell, Wilson County Extension Director. "Quadris is labeled for control of target spot in flue-cured tobacco. The fungicide works as a preventative for leaf tissue that does not have target spot and should provide about two weeks of protection. The label lists the use rates of 6.0 to 12.0 ounces per acre. In the current conditions, nine to 10 ounces per acre should be okay." If you are growing residue-free tobacco, contact your contracting company for approval to apply Quadris, he adds.
Greene County, N.C., missed many of the showers that fell last weekend, though they were all around. "Topsoil is starting to get dry, says Roy Thagard, Greene County Extension chairman. "Tobacco growers are finding budworms above threshold. They are also spraying to manage suckers and target spot."
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BURLEY TRANSPLANTING ENDS, FLUE-CURED HARVEST BEGINS
Transplanting appears to be done. One of the last to finish was the Raines burley farm in Seaman, Ohio, near Ripley, which wound up on June 13. Pat Raines, who farms with his sons Todd and Greg, says they finished just one day sooner than in 2016. But it was better because transplanting was more evenly spread out than last year, when late planting caused by rainy weather caused much of the crop to come off at the same time in late season.
For flue-cured, harvest has begun. With ample rain in the last two weeks that put
most of the crop in good condition, all Florida farmers are now harvesting, and
many in Georgia will start next week, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco
specialist.
Tomato spotted wilt nearly towed Georgia and Florida away: A quarter of the Type
14 plants show some level of symptoms of spotted wilt, says Moore. "We are
looking at perhaps a 10 to 15 percent yield loss on some farms," he adds. "This
was the most damage in years." But it would have been worse if it had come right
after transplanting. "Instead, we mainly saw it between layby and topping. I frankly
was afraid the damage would be worse based on the mild winter we had."
Blue mold is back. As bad as spotted wilt was, it hasn't been the issue in Georgia
and Florida recently. Instead, blue mold has been found now in 10 Georgia counties.
"Tobacco that is lapping in the middle now encourages the development of blue mold.
Also, temperatures have been five to seven degrees below normal lately, which favors
the blue mold organism." While some of the infection comes from about 10 greenhouses
that were identified as having the disease early in the season, there has apparently
been a spore show since then. "Blue mold has exploded since layby," says Moore. 
(Left) Blue mold spores on downstalk tobacco in south Georgia.
In North Carolina, growers are transitioning to sucker control/first harvest, saysMatthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. A handful have started harvesting.
"Given what this crop has been through it is not half bad, as long as it escaped
spotted wilt." Tomato spotted still continues to be a problem. But thrips have
moved on to other crops, and the wilt seems to have leveled off. "I think we have
seen about all we are going to see of tomato spotted wilt virus"...You would have
expected at least some spotted wilt in the Piedmont, but Vann hasn't had any reports
of it...County report: Tobacco growth is "up and down" in Caswell County because
of late plantings, said Joey Knight, Caswell County Extension agent. Moisture certainly
hasn't been short, he adds. Over a two-week period in mid June, an excess of 10
inches of rain fell.
In South Carolina, despite several inches of rainfall that impeded field work in
other crops, suckering and topping of the crop was at its peak in the week ending
June 25, said Kyle Daniel, Extension agent in Georgetown County. "Tomato spotted
wilt virus, black shank and fusarium wilt are all plaguing tobacco, but overall,
the leaf crop is good," he adds. According to the USDA, 31 percent of the S.C.
crop (all flue-cured) had been topped by the 26th.
Another change at the U.S. flue-cured cooperative: Andrew Q. Shepherd of Blackstone,
Va., is the new chairman of the board of U.S. Tobacco Co-operative, succeeding James
Hill of Kinston, N.C., according to the cooperative's website. Hill continues
as a member of the board. Earlier, Chief Financial Officer Edward Kacsuta had been
named chief executive officer on an interim basis after Stuart Thompson resigned.
Settlement fraud: An online promotion is giving consumers the erroneous impression
that they can receive money from the tobacco settlement through some sort of bond
purchase, says West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. But the fraudulent
promotion leads only to subscriptions to a monthly report filled with spurious information.
"There is no mechanism for payments to consumers [from the settlement]," said Morrisey.
"Payments are made each year to the states and territories involved in the [original]
lawsuit." Numerous other law enforcement agencies have since agreed with Morrisey's
warning.
DATES TO REMEMBER
* July 24-26. N.C. Tobacco Tour.--Monday, 3:30 p.m.: Triple B Farms, Bentonville.
5:30 p.m.: Welcome reception/dinner (tentatively scheduled for Lane's Seafoods,
McGee's Crossroads).--Tuesday, July 25: Oxford Tobacco Research Station, 7:45
am, Breakfast and Field Tour.--11 a.m. Lunch, then to Upper Coastal Plain Research
Station, Rocky Mount.--Wednesday, July 26: Lower Coastal Plain Research Station.
7:45 a.m. Breakfast and Field Tour. 11 a.m. Lunch and Tour Conclusion. Contact:
Tobacco.ces.ncsu.edu.
* July 27. VA Annual Tobacco Research Field Day, Southern Piedmont Center, Blackstone.
Registration begins at 5 p.m., dinner at 5:30 p.m., and the Field tour at
6 p.m. Contact Margaret Kenny at makenny @vt .edu or 434-292-5331.
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USDA PROJECTS: FLUE-CURED PLANTINGS DOWN FOUR PERCENT, BURLEY UP ONE, DARK UP SIX
| From: | Bickers Editing Service |
| Subject: | USDA REPORTS: FLUE PLANTINGS DOWN, BURLEY & DARK UP |
| Preheader: | |
| Reply: | chrisbickers@gmail.com |
projections for the major types broken out by state, with percentage change at the end of each line.
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HARVEST BEGINS IN EARNEST
Looking to the sky: Farmer Brandon Batten demonstrated how he uses a
drone on his tobacco near Four Oaks, N.C., as part of the N.C. Tobacco Tour
on July 24. There is definitely a future for drones in tobacco production. says
N.C. Extension tobacco specialist Matthew Vann. "The first use might be as a harvesting
aid, to take some guess work out of deciding when to harvest," he says.
BURLEY--The Bluegrass of Kentucky and nearby areas began to get some moisture in
early August after a dry spell, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist.
"We still need more, but if we can get some timely rain, we should have good potential
for reasonably good yield for this crop." Farmers are well into topping, with some
at the beginning stages of cutting, he says. According to USDA, 48 percent of the
Kentucky tobacco (all types) and 69 percent of Tennessee tobacco (all types) had
been topped by August 6.
DARK--The dark tobacco crop of Kentucky and Tennessee is one of the better in the
last 10 years, says Andy Bailey, Extension dark tobacco specialist. "It looks good
overall, much better now than a few weeks ago. A little of it is on the dry side
where it hasn't gotten much rain in the last three weeks. A few are irrigating."
There was some fear about angular leaf spot on the dark types, but it hasn't been
too bad. "But you have to be on the watch for it because at this point there is
only one treatment--streptomycin," says Bailey.
FLUE-CURED-- By the end of the first week of August, N. C. flue-cured growers had
been harvesting for four to five weeks, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco
specialist. "We will be going hot and heavy from here on," he says. Initial curings
have been good. "We have produced some pretty good lower stalk tobacco so far. I
commend growers for that, particularly as we consider what this crop has been through."
The tomato spotted wilt crisis is over, says Vann, and statewide it wasn't the disaster
it appeared to be. "It's a little early to predict how much we lost to it, but I
wouldn't be surprised if it pushes five to 10 percent for the state, especially
since some of the larger acreage counties were the hardest hit. There were a few
areas where losses exceeded double digits."
The blue mold scare in North Carolina this summer turned out just to be a scare.
"We had only two farms where it was a problem, one in Caswell County and one in
Madison County." Damage was minimal, he adds.
Georgia farmers are well into their second harvest. "Farmers will try to fulfill
their crop throw for cutters," says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco
specialist. "Once they have finished with that, we will see more last-over harvesting."
There has been an unusual disease problem in the Deep South, says Moore: frogeye
leafspot. "It can be very damaging if it causes several holes on a leaf. These yellow spots can run together and cover much of the leaf. This may lead to low quality
tobacco coming out of the barn." Fortunately, Quadris can be used against it and
is well worth the cost. But when you see frogeye you need to jump on it, he says.
An accelerated harvest schedule--within reason--can also help.
Surprisingly, spotted wilt wasn't a big problem in Georgia: Damage was less than
in an average year, even though the mild winter weather had seemed to set the
stage for a bad season.
Harvest report: According to NASS, 66 percent of the flue-cured in Ga., 40 percent
in S.C., 27 in N.C. and 22 percent in Virginia had been harvested by August 6.
Irrigation going great guns: Many farmers in all states are irrigating. "We are
starting to get dry in most places, and some (burley) tobacco farmers are starting
to irrigate," says Ronnie Barron, county agent in Cheatham County north of Nashville.
Irrigation is going full swing in some areas of N.C. "Tobacco (flue-cured) is being
irrigated here due to lack of rainfall," says Paul McKenzie, Warren County (N.C.)
Extension agent." Many farmers have made the first pass on harvesting tobacco, he
adds.
IN PASSING: George Marks (left), a burley and dark tobacco
grower near Clarksville, Tn., died at the end of July. He was
for many years the farmer president of the BurleyStabilization Corporation and lead the cooperative through a period of rapid evolution. He will be remembered primarily for guiding the cooperative's move from its traditional
home in Knoxville, Tn., to Springfield, Tn., near Nashville. The move proved beneficial since it brought the cooperative nearer to the majority of its farmer-members after
the buyout. He will be remembered by the editor of this publication for always giving a straight answer to a straight question.
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INCREASES LIKELY IN BURLEY AND DARK VOLUME
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| This harvest crew on a Southside Virginia farm bales flue-cured leaf. |
USDA has projected 14 percent more burley production and five per cent more flue-cured production in 2017 compared to last year based on its July grower survey. Even more impressive, the dark air-cured and fire-cured crops are projected to rise a whopping 59 and 40 percent over the weather-damaged 2016 crops for these types. Small increases were projected for the minor types Southern Maryland and Pennsylvania seedleaf. Following are the projected volumes by state and type including the percentage change since 2016.
FLUE-CURED:
- North Carolina--352 million pounds, up six per cent.
- Virginia--47.25 million pounds, down two percent.
- Georgia--28.75 million pounds, up one percent.
- South Carolina-- 26.4, up six percent.
- All flue-cured--454.4 million pounds, up five percent from the 2016 crop.
BURLEY
- Kentucky--120 million pounds, up 12 percent.
- Tennessee--23 million pounds, up 46 percent.
- Pennsylvania--11.7 million pounds, down six percent.
- Virginia--2.3 million pounds, down eight percent.
- North Carolina--1.89 million pounds, up five percent.
- All burley--160 million pounds, up 14 percent.
FIRE-CURED
- Kentucky--32 million pounds, up 46 percent.
- Tennessee--22 million pounds, up 32 percent.
- Virginia--840,000 pounds, up 61 percent.
- All fire-cured--55.34 million pounds, up 40 percent.
DARK AIR-CURED
- Kentucky--13.5 million pounds, up 75 percent.
- Tennessee--3.25 million pounds, up 38 percent.
- All dark air-cured --16.75 million pounds, up 59 percent.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
- Pennsylvania--4.5 million pounds, up eight percent.
PENNSYLVANIA SEEDLEAF
- Pennsylvania--4 million pounds, up four percent.
Auctions begin: Big M Tobacco Warehouse and Horizon Ltd. Warehouse, both in Wilson, N.C., and both selling by sealed bids, kicked off flue-cured auctions for the year with sales on August 16. Kenneth Kelly, owner of Horizon Ltd., said that theofferings at his house, all downstalk, were limited. But it appeared to him that as of now, very good quality is coming out of the east, and the weight is average to slightly above average. "It is certainly sellable," he says. "Prices might be a little better than last year, but we will need to sell more to be sure of that." The buyers were a similar group of dealers and small manufacturers as in years past, he adds. Old Belt Tobacco Sales, in Rural Hall, N.C., which conducts live auctions, will hold its first sale on August 22.
For more information, call Horizon at 252 292 8822; or Big M at 919 496 9033 (or at the switchboard at 252 206 1447), or Old Belt at 336 416 6262 (or at the switchboard at 336 969 6891. EDITOR'S NOTE: Any other flue-cured auctions are invited to email their operating information to chris bickers@gmail.com for inclusion here. And watch for a list of burley auction warehouses in the near future.
Be sure to inspect burley barns well before housing, says Don Fowlkes, manager of agronomy for Burley Stabilization Corporation. "Tier poles should be structurally sound and safe," he says. "Make sure the ventilation doors work properly. Consider making ventilation doors or barns which don't have them, especially if the barn is located in a low area that doesn't get much air flow. And be sure that the roof doesn't leak."
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HEADING OFF HURRICANE DAMAGE
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| The effects of flooding on burley, from 2013 storm. |
HOW TO HEAD OFF HURRICANE DAMAGE
Now is the time to think about--and take action to avoid--possible losses in the
field and curing barns as a result of the hurricanes and/or storms that are on
the way, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia-Florida Extension specialist. "We have growers
expecting to be harvesting for four to five weeks," he says. "Even without a direct
hit, outer bands from a hit north of us could result in massive losses of the best
tobacco in the state."
While the natural tendency is to harvest as much as possible before any storm, you
may want to think ahead and not harvest any more than you can cure before damaging
winds arrive, Moore says. "Additionally, those same winds could result in downed
power lines and interruption of power to curing barns filled with tobacco that
cannot stand long periods of time without circulating air, heated or not."
If you have generators in place, it is possible to cycle on and off a single barn
before moving to the next barn, and maybe the next, before returning to the first
one allowing for enough air to complete the cure or keep the tobacco from being
totally lost before power is restored.
Energy isn't the issue with air-cured barns. But Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension
tobacco specialist, suggested it might be a good idea to close up your burley barns
if you are expecting very high winds along with rain, in order to keep the water
out. "You would want to get right back out and open it up again once the weather
has passed," he says. "You want to get the air moving again."
Dark tobacco harvest began over three weeks ago in the Black Patch, but most remainsin the field, says Andy Bailey, Extension dark tobacco specialist. This is beginning
to look like a very big crop for both dark types, Bailey says, with the USDA estimates
of 55 million pounds for fire-cured and 16 million for air-cured both seeming credible.
"This crop is definitely better than last year and I would say probably better than
the year before." The increase is a result both of better yields and of greatly
increased plantings in response to buyer demand after the very short 2016 dark crop.
Reduced tillage of one sort or another is definitely catching on in the Black Patch.
Bailey estimates that close to 40 percent of the acreage is now planted strip till.
That would amount to about 9,000 acres. And no-till planting is also catching on,
with probably 500 acres planted this way. "Most of this is in western Kentucky,
with lesser amounts in northwest Tennessee. There is a savings on land preparation,
and at harvest time, you are likely to have less dirt in the leaf because of the
residue."
The Tennessee burley crop has a lot of potential, says Eric Walker, Extension tobacco
specialist. In middle and northern Tennessee, harvesting is well under way but still
has a way to go. The eastern counties of Tennessee are not as far along in harvest,
but as of the last day of August, burley there still looked good. "But we got a
lot of rain last night which resulted in some flooding," he adds...Through August
28, USDA estimated that 29 percent of Tennessee tobacco had been harvested.
The flue-cured tobacco that has been harvested so far in North Carolina seems to
has cured pretty well, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "You
would have to say the quality is good considering the stresses it went through,"
he says. Up till now, the leaf has been holding in the field. But that may be changing.
"A lot of leaf is ripening very fast on the stalk," says Vann. "Farmers want to
get the leaf out of the field and into the barn as fast as they can." Try to avoid
any stress that will hasten ripening, he adds. "You sure don't want to agitate this
crop."...Through August 28, USDA estimated that 47 percent of the N.C. flue-cured
crop and 12 percent of the N.C. burley crop had been harvested.
With good weather, harvest of the South Carolina flue-cured crop may be complete
in two weeks, says William Hardee, S.C. area Extension agronomy agent for the Pee
Dee. Right now, his rough estimate is that 75-80 percent has been harvested... This
season will be remembered for tomato spotted wilt that started early and kept coming
well into the season. Horry and Marion counties averaged 40-50 percent spotted wilt
infestation with some individual fields reaching up to 70 percent. "However, most
of our growers have managed it well by sending folks ahead of the harvester to clean
out the trash tobacco in the field, and having their barn help pick it out as well,"
says Hardee.
With all the skips in the rows, you also worry about the tobacco that's left having
too much fertilizer and staying or curing green. "Fortunately, we have had consistent
rainfall in most of this area, which has really helped us manage fertility and
curability of this crop," says Hardee. "Even though we have lost some yield, the
overall quality and weight of the tobacco has been very good so far."
Farmers are now getting some soilborne disease infestations, mostly bacterial wilt,
says Hardee. "But with it coming a little later in the season, most growers have
been able to stay ahead of it. I hope that will continue to be the case, but with
all the rain we've had the last few weeks and the possibility of a hurricane, who
knows?"
Fusarium shows up in Virginia: The fungal disease Fusarium wilt was identified on
burley earlier in the summer. It was found in Scott County in the southwestern corner
of Virginia. County Extension agent Scott Jerrell says, "This is highly unusual
for burley in this area."
Early harvest in Virginia: Several flue-cured farmers in the southwestern Virginia
county of Brunswick have finished pulling tobacco in some fields and have begun
to prepare the land for fall/winter cover crops, according to county Extension agent
Cynthia Gregg. USDA estimates 46 percent of the flue-cured had been harvested by
the end of August, a little early for this state.
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WILL THE BURLEY CROP MAKE IT INTO THE BARN BEFORE FROST?
A migrant harvest crew from Latin America hand picks flue-cured leaf on a farm near Raleigh, N.C., in this file photo by Chris Bickers.
An early frost in Kentucky could find much of the burley crop unharvested, says. grower-warehouseman Jerry Rankin of Danville, Ky. He has looked around at the progress of harvest and added up the number of workers available to finish the job--and he is concerned. "It's not so much that the crop is late, although some of it is. It is that we are behind in getting it cut and to the barn. Labor is too short to make up that difference before October 2, when we expect to get our first frost."
The labor crunch is also being felt in Tennessee and southwest Virginia, says Don Fowlkes, manager, agronomy, Burley Stabilization Corporation (BSC). "I think we will get this crop harvested and barned. But it would help if H2A arrivals were more dependable. There is little local labor and the productivity is reduced."
It seems likely that at least some of this Tennessee burley crop is not going to stay in the field long enough to achieve maximum yield. "Our farmers are not going to be able to wait," says Fowlkes. "It is a late crop, and they will have to harvest it a little early to get it all in before first frost." Normally, you like to leave tobacco in the field four to five weeks after topping. "But they might (but hopefully won't) have to cut some of this crop in three weeks or less," he says. Be prepared to close up your barn if it needs it, Fowlkes says. "With late hung tobacco, there is more risk of freeze damage," says Fowlkes. "And there is more risk of green color from cold winds. You want to be able to close the barn."
Burley prospects better: While the long-term outlook remains uncertain, the burley market is definitely in a more balanced position than it was at this time last year, says Daniel Green, chief operating officer, BSC. "The 2017 USA burley crop will likely end up in the range of 150-160 million pounds or just over 13.5 percent of total world production. It appears that world production of burley should total just over 1.1 billion pounds for 2017, more than 15 percent less than 2016." Based on current cigarette production, approximately 1.2 billion pounds of burley are currently needed worldwide to satisfy demand, resulting in a slight, short-term shortage. "African volumes will rebound quickly and any shortage that results in increased sales of flavor burley should be satisfied by the end of 2018."
Blown away? When the rain and wind of Hurricane Irma reached south Georgia on Sunday, perhaps 30 percent of the crop was still in the field, says J. Michael Moore, Extension tobacco specialist. By the time it passed through, maybe half had been blown down or had its leaves blown off or otherwise been rendered unsalvageable. And Moore wasn't too optimistic about what survived. "The leaves were beaten by the strong winds and that may cause them to mature so rapidly that farmers won't be able to pick them before they deteriorate. So it could be that very little of the remaining Georgia crop will make it to the buyer.
Florida was luckier. All of its tobacco was out of the field when the storm arrived, although some was still in the barn, says Moore.
Power outages as a result of the hurricane were the stuff of worldwide news reports. Loss of quality in barns that lost power were a serious threat to the tobacco in them, but many Georgia growers forestalled that problem by obtaining emergency generators of one type or another before the power went out, says Moore.
Diseases in the East: In eastern North Carolina, much of the upperstalk tobacco in the field is getting hammered by black rot, says Roy Thagard, Greene County Extension agent. Other diseases such as black shank and Granville wilt also continue to progress. "There is a fear that tobacco farmers will get poor grades for their tobacco going forward," Thagard says...In the Pied-mont, growers are harvesting tobacco as quick as barn space will allow, says Charles Mitchell, Franklin County, N.C., Extension agent. "We have seen an enormous amount of Granville wilt this year with some black shank as well." But there was one bit of good fortune: "We dodged a bullet when Hurricane Irma shifted westward," Mitchell says...In the mountains of western N.C., harvest of burley is nearly complete in Yancey County, says Stanley Holloway, County Extension agent... The season's first frost--a patchy one in some low-lying areas--took place on September 8 in Watauga County, in the N.C. mountains.
USDA issued its September Crop Report on September 12. But because it is based on a farmer survey conducted between August 25 and September 6, it is already out of date because storm activity. For the record, the production estimates for each type (but not the producing states) follow. Each projection is compared to the projection in the August report. Flue-Cured: 473 million pounds, up four percent from the August Crop Report. Burley: 160.5 million pounds, no change. Dark Fire-Cured: 59.6 million pounds, up seven percent. Dark Air-Cured: 20.3 million pounds, up 21 per cent. Southern Maryland: 4.5 million pounds, no change. Pennsylvania Seed leaf: 4.16 million pounds, no change.
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WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE THE HURRICANE?
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CROP CONDITIONS AFTER IRMA
FLUE-CURED
NC: Hurricane Irma did little damage to North Carolina burley or flue-cured, even though there was more tobacco still in the field in early September than is normal, said Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "The rains we received were light compared to Georgia and Florida," he said. "We dodged a bullet"...Holdability was an issue in flue-cured resulting from those rains that did fall, along with many days of 90-degree high temperatures. "We have some tobacco struggling to 'hold' in the field," says Vann. "As a result, it is too early to make a prediction of volume. But if anything, it might be a little below average." Note: An early frost could be a disaster for N.C. flue-cured growers this year. "But if it comes around the normal date, I think farmers will be able to get their crop in," Vann said.
VA: Much of the flue-cured crop was still in the field when Irma passed through, but the state was spared the heaviest rains. Now, rain would be welcome. "It's dry--we could use some rain," says Extension agent Lindy Tucker In Lunenburg County in the Piedmont. "[But] tobacco is coming along." USDA estimates that 92 percent of the state's flue-cured tobacco had been harvested by October 1.
GA, FL and SC: Harvest is complete. For more on Irma in Georgia, see below.
BURLEY
KY: There had been an extended late season heat wave but it finally ended on September 27 with the passage of a strong cold front through the area, USDA said. USDA reported that 88 percent of the crop had been harvested and 12 percent had been stripped. Some houseburn was reported.
TN: Temperatures had also been unseasonably warm in much of Tennessee but cooled considerably the last few days of September. No precipitation for over two weeks had resulted in extremely dry conditions. "Very dry weather," reports Extension agent Chris Ramsey in Sullivan County, Tn. USDA estimated 85 percent had been harvested.
NC: Hurricane Irma was not a factor at the Upper Mountain Research Station. Superintendent Tracy Taylor says, "We had some rain--maybe two inches--and there were strong winds, but the tobacco got through it just fine." All the station burley is now hung in barns and appears to have potential for good quality. "And I think the yield will be fine," he says. "We were late getting planted, but the crop caught up and turned out well." He expects it will be graded around Christmas. In Yancey County, Extension agent Stanley Holloway says, "Burley producers are concerned with the less-than-ideal curing conditions resulting in a lot of variegated cured leaf color." USDA estimated 61 percent of the state burley crop was harvested by October 1.
VA: Cutting and barning was proceeding in southwest Virginia. "Harvest progress slowed a bit due to rain from Hurricane Irma," says Kevin Spurlin, agriculture agent in Grayson County. "But effects from the storm itself were minimal."
In other tobacco news...
No dicamba disaster in 2017: There were only eight complaints of dicamba drift damage on tobacco in North Carolina this year, Professor Alan York of North Carolina State University was reported as saying at the Blackland Cotton Field Day in Belhaven, N.C., last month. York suggested that a mandatory buffer might be appropriate around tobacco plantings and said he would support tighter record keeping, including time of day of spraying, wind speed and direction, along with estimated distance to tobacco. "That will not keep someone from spraying beside a tobacco field if they want to, but perhaps it would make them think twice," he said in Southeast Farm Press.
Assessing the hurricane damage: Still no hard numbers of dollar loss by tobacco growers to Hurricane Irma, but Georgia was by far the hardest hit. Georgia Extension tobacco specialist J. Michael Moore provided this report on the effects in his state. "We estimate that we lost 15 percent of the crop in Georgia to the storm in the form of leaves dropped in the field. There will probably be additional losses in the form of lowered quality in the leaves that survived and those in curing barns where power was interrupted.
Irma passed through Georgia on Monday September 11. Many areas reported six to 10 inches of rainfall with wind speeds of 50 to 70 mph. As much as 30 percent of the crop remained in the fields at that time. Harvesting continued until Saturday night. Sunday was breezy, with rain starting late in the afternoon in Tifton. "Generally, from 50 percent to 60 percent of the leaves still on the stalks were blown off, and others were bruised and torn as they whipped in the wind." Some leaf had to be abandoned because it deteriorated rapidly after the rains of Irma. Harvesting was finished by September 27.
It could have been worse: The losses would have been higher except that many farmers had purchased or rented generators to keep their curing barns going. Without these, the barns would have shut off when the electricity went out and the leaf could have suffered damage before it went back on.
Planting restraint urged in Brazil: The tobacco growers association of Brazil urged growers this spring to reduce plantings for the 2017/18 crop if they can. if not, they should plant no more than in the year just ended. Benicio Werner, president of the national organization, AFUBRA, said there is a worldwide decrease in consumption. "We cannot let farmers produce a quantity of tobacco that the market does not absorb," he said in an interview with Radio Gazeta. His recommendation--588.5 thousand tons of all types, including 520 thousand tons of flue-cured, 60 thousand tons of burley and 8.5 thousand tons of common "shed." The volume of the 2016/17 crop has been estimated at 695 thousand tons.
Grower numbers in Zimbabwe nearly triple: The number of growers who have registered to grow tobacco in 2017/18 has risen to 21.331 from 7,131 in 2016/2017, a 199 percent increase, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board.Farmers in Zimbabwe seem to have been satisfied with the average price of $2.97 per kilo that tobacco sold for this season and the 185.6 kgs that they produced and sold.
The demand for Malawian burley in the coming season is 130,000 tons, said the Tobacco Control Commission (TCC) of Malawi in September. For flue-cured, it is 25,000 tons and for dark fire-cured it is 5,000 tons, for a total of 160,000 tons. That would be up from 152,000 tons in the season just ended but still less than the year before. TCC also said that Malawi sold 106,000 tons of tobacco out of the 152,000 produced this year, and it was worth US$212 million. The size of the crop is controlled through a system of registration of farmer intentions and issuance of production quotas.
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HOW MUCH TOBACCO DID YOU REALLY PRODUCE THIS YEAR?
The last USDA production estimate for 2017 was issued earlier this month. It included extremely optimistic estimates for flue-cured, burley and the two dark types. But several normally reliable sources have suggested that the projections--especially for Kentucky burley and N.C. flue-cured--may be way too high. Take the USDA projections (following) for what they seem to be worth and I will try to get a more credible report in the next issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter about a week from now.
FLUE-CURED
- North Carolina--374.9 million pounds, up nine percent.
- Virginia--49.5 million pounds, up two percent.
- Georgia--25 million pounds, down 12 percent.
- South Carolina--22.8 million pounds, down seven percent.
- All flue cured--472.2 million pounds, up 9.8 per cent.
- Kentucky--132.3 million pounds, up 23.9 percent.
- Tennessee--18 million pounds, up 11.1 percent.
- Pennsylvania -- 11.25 million pounds, down 9.8 per cent.
- Virginia--2.36 million pounds, down 6.1 percent.
- North Carolina--1.7 million pounds, down five percent.
- All burley--165.6 million pounds, up 18.5 percent.
FIRE-CURED--57.9 million pounds, up 46.5 percent.
DARK AIR-CURED--19.44 million pounds, up 94 percent.
PENNSYLVANIA SEEDLEAF--4 million pounds, up four percent.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND--2.5 million pounds, no change.
In other tobacco news...
Flue-cured growers and many with a sentimental attachment to the type came to the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh on October 13 to celebrate this year's crop. Flue-cured leaf was brought down from the nearby Oxford Research Station to provide the basic material for the fair's annual tobacco-tying contest. As the contestants tied their leaf on strings, several growers reviewed their experiences growing bright tobacco in 2017.
Hustling to finish harvest: Carl Watson, the tobacco research specialist responsible for growing the crop at the Oxford, research station, said he expected that harvest on the station would continue until the end of thisweek. "That's quite late for us," he said. Several farmers north of the station are still harvesting too. I have seen some of them 'borrowing' barns from neighbors who are finished, to speed things up. But if we can avoid extremely cold weather, I think this crop will all get out of the field." It got dry during harvest, said Watson. "We were having a problem of bruising of the leaves. So, we quit harvesting for a time and watered again."
Good quality: Sam Crews of Oxford, N.C., said poundage was down on his farm. "But it was generally good quality. The top of the stalk looked good. I am sure this crop will fare well in foreign markets."
Lowerstalk short: Thomas Shaw of Henderson, N.C., north of Durham, said his crop was average. "The wet weather early was a problem, but we overcame that." Heat late in the season delayed harvest, and he finished October 11, late for his area. "We are a little short on pounds, due to the weather extremes. The heat early took its toll, leaving us a little short on lower stalk leaf. Then at harvest, some fields were too wet and some too dry. Selling this crop has been a challenge."
Harvest of the Kentucky burley crop is probably complete by now, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "But some of it hasn't been in the barn long." Difficulty obtaining labor slowed harvest on some farms, and tropical storms slowed some others. "Still, we had a favorable stretch of weather to get the last of the crop in, and curing got off to a good start." Curing seems to be going fairly well for the first tobacco that was harvested early. But the later-harvested could face a problem if temperatures turn downward. "An average of 60 to 90 degrees is ideal for curing," says Pearce. "If it is lower, you run the risk of curing green."
Editor's Noter: I hope you have enjoyed the October II issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter. If you haven't signed on to receive the newsletter to your email address, or if you need to change an address, please call me at 919-789-4631 or email me at chrisbickers@gmail.com.--Chris Bickers
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FLUE-CURED AND BURLEY PROJECTIONS KEEP DROPPING
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