THE SEASON BEGINS

Time is running out, but the demand for new flue-curing barns continues strong. Dale Hutchins of Carolina Tobacco Services, Bennettsville, S.C., tells Tobacco Farmer Newsletter that he is still building barns, harvesters and other equipment. For barns, the point has already passed where delivery can be guaranteed by July, which is the normal delivery time. But Hutchins expects some orders for late delivery, and he will build some for future sales. "You can't sell them if you don't have them," he says. In the photo, Marty Adams (left) of Knightdale, N.C., got the word on mechanical harvesters from Hutchins at the recent Southern Farm Show.

BURLEY--In Kentucky, Extension tobacco specialist Bob Pearce expects a small increase in burley acreage, perhaps five percent. "Some limited planting is going on," he says. "Normally we would be a little farther on. I would say most of the crop is a week or 10 days behind." As soon as it dries out, planting will get going in full force, he says, and the crop could catch up quickly... In Tennessee, an earlier Extension projection placed plantings at close to last year's level, although the USDA thinks plantings will be down 12 percent in the state.

DARK--In Tennessee and Kentucky, any increase in acreage could be slight, says Andy Bailey, Extension dark tobacco specialist for both states. Planting of fire-cured and dark air-cured has barely begun. "It usually starts up around May 1, but because of the wet weather, full-scale planting probably won't get going until the end of this week," he says...In Virginia, transplanting of the small fire-cured crop was 19 percent complete by May 5, according to USDA.

  

FLUE-CURED--In Georgia and Florida, it appears that acreage increased a little, but tobacco plantings will be nowhere near fencerow to fencerow. "We expected a 10 percent to 15 percent increase, and that appears to be about right," says J. Michael Moore, Extension tobacco specialist. Planting was complete in Florida and nearly complete in Georgia at the beginning of May. "There is actually some tobacco in Florida that is ready for layby already," says Moore...In South Carolina, there will also be a modest increase in acres, says Dewitt Gooden, S.C. Extension tobacco specialist. But he doesn't have a good estimate yet. "We are a little behind in plantings, and we still lack a little of being finished," he says. "But I think all our farmers will get the acreage planted that they wanted"...In North Carolina, flue-cured growers in the East aren't much behind normal. "But they are behind where they would like to be," says Loren Fisher, Extension tobacco specialist. "Our larger growers may be farther behind than smaller ones." Fisher thinks flue-cured plantings in all of N.C. might reach 175,000 acres, although 160,000 acres--about the same as last season--may be closer to the mark...In Virginia, growers worked through Sunday trying to beat the rain predicted this week, says Lunenburg County Extension agent Lindy Tucker. Transplanting there had just begun this week. USDA estimated that through May 5, 12 percent of the Virginia flue-cured crop had been planted.

A substantial amount of GF 318--the still-new flue-cured variety developed by Gwynn Farms and marketed by GoldLeaf Seed--was planted in Georgia and Florida this year. It is comparable to NC 196 but it has mosaic resistance and is seven to 10 days earlier in maturity, says Moore. "Plant it early and it can help fill your barns until the rest of the crop ripens."

A way to save on natural gas? There could be substantial savings in the rate farmers pay for natural gas, says Larry Phipps, a certified utility broker for Options Utility Consulting. "In many cases, the current rates set by utilities do not reflect the lowest possible price," he says. "But we are able to bring competitive pricing that gives farmers the best possible rate." N.C. regulations limit the opportunity to large volume users. "But the savings can be considerable, and other states permit the rate savings for smaller farms." You can get a free audit by calling Phipps at 919 696 4228 or by email at Larry@UtilSav.com.

Steve Pratt

New grower leader: The Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association in Lexington, Ky., appointed Steve Pratt general manager in April. He had worked 17 years with the Kentucky Farm Service Agency and earlier for 18 years with the Farmers Home Administration. He replaces Brian Furnish, now owner of International Tobacco Trading Group. "This selection was a long time in coming, but I feel we have made a good selection," said Pat Raines, president of the cooperative. "I am proud to have a person in the office with the experience that Steve has working with the farmers and office staff." Pratt says he is committed to expanding overseas sales for his members. "Our goal is to increase the amount of burley tobacco we produce that meets the demands of the market." He also hopes to increase the number of contracts the cooperative signs.

Another vacancy among tobacco specialists: Scott Bissette, who held the position of tobacco marketing specialist for the N.C. Department of Agriculture, has been named to oversee the N.C. Forest Service. A new specialist will be appointed, but a schedule for choosing that person has not been set. The duties of the position may be revised, sources say.

  

  

DATES TO REMEMBER

Tobacco Barn CO2 Testing Certification Training Workshops

• May 14, 10 a.m., Jeff Davis County Extension Office, 14 Jeff Davis St., Hazlehurst, Ga.
• May 16, 10 a.m., Berrien County Extension Office, 516-A CountyFarm Rd., Nashville, Ga.
• May 22, 10:30 a.m., Candler County Extension Office, 1075 E Hiawatha St., Metter, Ga.
• May 23, 10 a.m. Huggins Family Farm, 1165 Pleasant Grove Rd., Lynchburg, S.C.

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USDA QUESTIONS: WILL THE EXPECTED BOOM IN ACREAGE REALLY MATERIALIZE?

A farmer transplants flue-cured near Raeford, N.C.

The big crop that was projected for burley and especially for flue-cured has apparently not materialized.  Or at least, not as of the first two weeks of March. That's when USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) surveyed a sample of tobacco farmers and used their responses to prepare its Prospective Plantings report, which was issued last week. Briefly, it said flue-cured growers would increase their acreage by only six percent and burley growers by only two percent. [See the state-by-state analysis below.] I say "only" because all the evidence I heard over the winter was that growers of both types were planning a much more significant acreage increase. That actually is what NASS projects for flue-cured in South Carolina (up 25 percent), Georgia (up 10 percent) and Virginia (up 10 percent). But North Carolina, the major flue-cured state, is projected up only four percent. For burley, meanwhile, Tennessee, the number two state, is projected down 12 percent, and Virginia is projected down a whopping 30 percent. In the 30+ years I have been in this line of work, I have learned that USDA reports usually have a certain amount of credibility. But I don't know about this one--it simply looks off. The high points appear below, and you can find more details athttp://www.nass.usda.gov/ (click Crops & Plants, then follow the prompts). Watch future issues of TFN for further analysis and check my blog (http://modtob.blogspot.com) for the latest news.

--Chris Bickers

USDA-NASS Prospective Plantings Report (3/28/2013) 

Flue-cured:

• North Carolina-170,000 acres, up four percent;
• Virginia-22,000 acres, up 10 percent;
• South Carolina-15,000 acres, up 25 percent;
• Georgia-11,000 acres, up 10 percent.
• All flue-cured--218,000 acres, up six percent.

Burley:

  

• Kentucky--78,000 acres, up five percent;       
• Tennessee--14,000 acres, down 12 percent;       
• Pennsylvania--5,100 acres, up nine percent;      
• North Carolina--2,100 acres, no change;      
• Ohio--2,000 acres, up five percent;     
• Virginia--1,900 acres, down 30 percent.      
• All burley--103,100 acres, up two percent.  

Fire-cured: 16,680 acres, up two percent

Dark air-cured: 5,000 acres, down four percent.

Cigar types: 4,850 acres, up nine percent. 

Southern Maryland: 2,000 acres, down 31 percent. 

In other news:

Two familiar faces in tobacco work are moving on. Danny Peek, Virginia Extension burley specialist, has been named director of the Virginia Extension's Southwest District. Peek, who is now stationed in Abingdon, is holding both positions until a new specialist is hired...Paul Denton, Tennessee Extension tobacco specialist, will retire at the end of May. The university plans to replace him, although the timetable is open. Like Denton, his replacement will divide his time between burley in Tennessee (75 percent) and Kentucky (25 percent). The only change in the job description will be that the new person will have some research responsibilities, Denton says.

By the way, neither Peek or Denton finds the Prospective Plantings projections convincing. Peek is mystified by the Prospective Plantings projection for Virginia burley of only 1,900 acres, 30 percent less than last year. "I was expecting a seven to 10 percent increase!" he says. "I can't believe our acreage will be down that much." He says that buyers still tell him that the mountain burley of Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina offers some desirable quality characteristics in the current market.

The 12 percent drop projected in Tennessee for burley seems too much to Denton. "I think by the time we finish planting we will have crept back close to last year's acreage," he says. But there has been one obstacle to increased plantings: the changed rotation rules for crop insurance. "Now, you can't get crop insurance for tobacco planted a third consecutive year [on the same land]. That apparently is going to impact more farmers than we might have expected." 

In the Piedmont of North Carolina, auction operator Dennis White of Rural Hall says he is expecting much more than four percent more flue-cured in his area. "I think that the price will lead to more acres than that," he says. He doesn't have a firm figure in mind but says that 10 percent would be closer to the mark. Whatever the increase, White expects to sell more tobacco at Old Belt Tobacco Sales warehouse this year. "We have heard from a lot of farmers who want to sell with us," he says. He has even provided contracts for a few farmers who needed them to arrange financing.

Could the shortage of curing barns have depressed planting intentions of flue-cured? By all reports, used barns are selling at very high prices, and few remain available for sale. And every manufacturer of flue-cured barns I have talked to recently has told me he expects to build all the new barns his facilities will allow. 

A short course on tobacco: A group of farmers and representatives of government and allied industries participated recently in a short course designed to promote efficient, quality tobacco production held recently in Raleigh.

• Tobacco farmers enrolled in the N.C. State Tobacco Short Course included (from N.C. except as noted): Kyle Norris of Burlington; Archie Griffin of Washington; Garrett Gore and Justin Gore of Nakina; Jason Dixon of Oxford; Jordan Boyette of Clayton; Loren Thornton of Four Oaks; Peyton McDaniel of Whitakers; Phillip Watson of Whitakers; Scott Clayton of Cedar Grove; Shawn Whitt of Rougemont; Tyler Dunn and Jordon Tyson, both of Ayden; Robert Fann and Brittany Tew Fann, both of Salemburg; Curtis Godwin of Dunn; Kristal Jones of Mt. Olive; Will Sheldon Strickland of Mt. Olive; Jed Spain of Plymouth; Justin Williams of Goldsboro; Spencer Davis of Wilson; Halifax County, Va., grower Garland Comer and Pittsylvania County, Va., grower and Extension agent Stephen Barts.

• Industry and government participants included Shannon Parker of Four Oaks, Alex Sereno and Sandy Yeatts, both of Raleigh, all of the Risk Management Agency; Chris Garris of Gas Appliance Service in Greenville; Phillip Strickland of McLamb Farm Services in Dunn; and Joe West of AgriTechnologies in Clinton; Aurora Toennisson, N.C. State University graduate student in the Entomology Department of Raleigh; and five N.C. Department of Agriculture employees : John Council of the Upper Mountain Research Station, Laurel Springs; Steven Mills, Upper Coastal Plains Research Station, Rocky Mount; Blair Owens and Lloyd Ransom, both of the Border Belt Tobacco Research Station, Whiteville; and regional agronomist Dwayne Tate of Asheville.

The program was conducted by the N.C. Tobacco Foundation in partnership with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at N.C. State University. A grant from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission helped fund the program.

A make-your-own approach to creating more barn space: The most pressing problem for flue-cured growers this season was featured in one segment of the Tobacco Short Course program. The participants paid a visit to the farm of their fellow student Kristal Jones of Mount Olive and her husband Tony. The attraction was the Jones unusual approach to acquiring more barn space: They are making their own. Using local labor, Tony believes he can "home-make" a bulk barn for about two thirds of the cost of a new commercial unit. Robert Fann of Salemburg, N.C., a short course participant, was impressed. "We have enough barns this year that we don't need to get any more," says Fann. "But seeing Tony build his own barns makes me think I could do it if I had to. I want to talk to him after the season is over and find out if he thinks it is a good strategy." Besides learning opportunities like this, the short course offered "a good opportunity to make contacts with other farm people in the area that I hope to continue for years to come," Fann said. "There should definitely be a residual value from the short course."

The outlook for this season is looking awfully good

A flue-cured grower near Raleigh, N.C., clips his plants.

And that is largely because of strong demand on the foreign market. The outlook could remain positive for some time, says Kirk Wayne, president of Tobacco Associates, the U.S. leaf export promotion organization. "There is a shortage of flavor tobaccos at a time when there is fairly consistent demand. I expect this situation to last for some time." Where Wayne sees the most growth potential for U.S. leaf is Asia. "In China, there is an increasing demand for quality tobacco as the consumer base improves.  In fact, they are buying higher quality consumer products of all types." China is not able to produce the flavor style tobacco they need for quality cigarettes. "That's why they turn to us," he says. "We see similar situations in Indonesia, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Those are countries  where Tobacco Associates is paying close attention."

A new variety that performed very well in demonstrations in 2012 will be planted on about 500 farms this season. CC 143 harks back to K 326 in many characteristics but generally performs better. "It produces better quality, high to very high yields, a bright style of leaf and excellent holding ability," says Sam Baker, Cross Creek vice president. "What's more, it has very high resistance to Granville wilt and both races of black shank." Are seed sales up? Yes, says Baker who expects a three to four percent increase in flue-cured plantings this year in North Carolina and Virginia, the two states where his company does business.

Watch for the April issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter on or close to April 1. It will include a full report on USDA's planting projections for this year's crop.


What is happening in other tobacco-producing countries? Several Tobacco Farmer Newsletter readers have written recently with reports on the upcoming crop (in Canada) and the upcoming markets in Zimbabwe and Zambia.

• Canada: An increase in acreage of about 20 percent appears on the way in southern Ontario. Tobacco farmers are generally quite happy about this. The stretch from 2000 to 2009 was extremely hard on our industry here, and the producers deserve some optimism for a change. It looks like farmers have contracts targeting for about 62.5 million pounds for this crop. The trade was looking for a little more, perhaps 65+ million pounds, so a farmer was able to sign a contract for whatever he wanted to grow, as long he had the barns for it. But barn space was frequently an issue. Prices on used barns have escalated. Barns of the popular line De Cloet Classics (2000 series) are selling for their original purchase price--if you can find them for sale. There isn't a moth-balled yard of curing barns that doesn't have tire tracks around it, regardless of age. 

• Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's tobacco quality is good. But production will be greatly reduced due to prolonged moisture stress. I personally have put in seven hectares of dry land tobacco. Not enough significant rains have fallen yet to quench and save the dry land crop from wilting.  

• Zambia: Marketing will begin March 22. Production of the flue-cured crop should be in the region of about 25 million kilos of flue cured and about the same of burley though these figures are distorted by tobacco smuggled in from Malawi. A very wet January has affected the late flue-cured crop, which was planted in November and December and is planted by small-scale growers. The crop from these plantings has not developed well, and yields of plus or minus 1,500 pounds per acre are expected. Earlier plantings (from mid-August to October) are good to very good quality-wise but yields per hectare are down averaging around 2,800 pounds per acre when the norm should be over 3,500 pounds per acre. Merchants have told growers here that there is an oversupply of mediocre and poor quality tobacco on the world market, and only ripe oily styles will fetch top dollar. Farmers have responded to this and adjusted their growing and curing techniques accordingly. They are producing quality rather than quantity.

A note from the editor: I recently had the chance to renew an old friendship when I ran into Dwight Watson of Gold Rock, N.C. Dwight was famous for the high quality of his tobacco in the Eighties and Nineties. In 2003 he made an ill-fated trip to Washington, D.C., and ended up in legal trouble. That is all history. Now, he has retired from farming and is concerned with the disproportionate number of children of Gulf War veterans who have been born with physical abnormalities. At the time I saw him, he was setting up a foundation called Camp MP Jack to help veteran families with children special needs of this type. If it is successful, he hopes eventually it can help any child with special needs...But he still has tobacco on his mind, and right now he is very worried that the state Attorneys General and the federal lawsuit still being heard by Gladys Judge Kessler could devastate future domestic consumption. "It seems to me that the Attorneys General have sued the tobacco industry for obeying laws they made us obey," he says. Another concern: The presence of dicamba and other contaminants coming in on foreign leaf could be a problem for the American tobacco industry if they show up in manufactured cigarettes. By the way, if contaminants are really a problem, Watson suggests taking a portion of the selling price of cigarettes and using it to pay American farmers to grow tobacco organically.

ARE THERE REALLY ENOUGH BARNS TO CURE THIS CROP?

At the Long Tobacco Barn production facility in Tarboro, N.C., worker Nelson Robinson assembles a fan housing for a new box barn.

The concern just won't go away that there may not be enough flue-curing barns to meet the needs of growers in 2013. One of the reasons is the apparent rise in value of used barns: In one auction sale in eastern North Carolina last Saturday, used barns that were over 15 years old sold for only a few thousand dollars less than new barns of the same brand and type. That phenomenon has been observed frequently this winter. With the resale value of used box barns so high, it has been suggested that buyers are afraid there won't be enough new barns to go around. Could this be true? I asked four barn manufacturers who have proven reliable observers of this scene in the past for their assessment of the situation:

• Bob Pope of Long Tobacco Barn Co., Tarboro, N.C., says, "We have taken a lot of barn orders already but are not anywhere near our maximum capacity. It's just a matter of scaling up production to meet demand." Long is now completing fabrication of its first run of 2013 barns and will start its second run in mid March. The last run will come off the line beginning in mid May. That probably won't be all. "Based on what some farmers have told us, we expect to start a third run in mid-May, for delivery before the crop lets loose in the field," he says. Pope says the company's production facility (above) is the only one dedicated to manufacturing curing barns and is staffed by the same workforce that has been producing them for many years. You can reach Pope at (252) 908 3442 or bpope@long tobaccobarn.com.

• World Tobacco in Wilson, N.C., is well into its first run and has completed several barns already. "We have capacity to build more than are already on order, but we need to get new orders soon, preferably by March 15," says Eric Scaion, president of World Tobacco. "At some point, barn components that we don't make ourselves may no longer be available for this season." For more information, contact Billy Price at (252) 230-1032 or at wlpricejr@ myglnc.com.

• Dale Hutchins at Carolina Tobacco Services in Bennettsville, S.C., says he is not sure he can build many more curing barns by the end of June than the 110 already in the production schedule. He is willing to take orders for later delivery, but that doesn't always work. "I had to turn down one order today because the man had to have the barns on his farm by July 1," he says. Hutchins says he might possibly add another shift. "But I would need to see the demand ramped way up." For more information, contact Hutchins at (843) 479 3804 or at DALE@TobaccoEquipment.com.

• Finally, Ron Taylor of Taylor Manufacturing is frankly 
  doubtful that a shortfall of barns is likely. His company, which has been building barns for a couple of months and is selling more every day, can build a whole lot more if the orders are there. "At one time in the past, we built 15 barns a day, and we still have the same infrastructure and a core group of the individuals that built those barns," he says. "We look forward to this challenge and whatever demands it might make on us." A shortage of components could conceivably occur. "But I talk with my suppliers regularly and they all tell me they are well prepared for any additional demand," Taylor says. He thinks a greater danger is that the price of the raw materials needed for curing barns might increase so much that manufacturer margins would be reduced too low. "It is definitely a supplier's market out there," he says. But this whole discussion is speculative because "there are no credible numbers out there as to what demand is," he says. Contact Taylor at (910) 862 1000 or at tmi@intrstar.net.
  
  

There could still be help from Canada. Tytun Ltd. of Simcoe, Ontario, has made the management decision to sell bulk-curing barns in the United States this year and as of today (Wednesday) has taken orders for 14, with some other orders in the works. "We are looking for a location to build them somewhere in the states," says president Larry Huszczo. "If we have to, we will build them here, but the freight is about $4,500 per barn, so our first choice would be an American facility." One way or another, Tytun will definitely  have barns to sell. You can contact Huszczo (Hooz Cho) at  (519) 428 0044 or at Larryh@waltec.ca.

In other news:

Look for more international trade agreement negotiations in the not so distant future, says U.S. Senator Richard Burr (Republican, N.C.). That could be good for tobacco growers. "We ought to have trade agreements with everyone around the world that we can. The biggest beneficiary...is going to be a state like North Carolina, because agriculture is the 800-pound gorilla that the U.S. has to [put into] play in international markets." Burr is also optimistic about the possibility of immigration reform in 2013. "I have great hope that we are going to be able to do something this year [that will be] something that 99 percent of you would agree embraces everything you believe."

Using tobacco in a rotation along with deep tillage has improved control of Palmer's amaranth in research in North Carolina, says Matthew Vann of the N.C. Extension Crop Science department. "It buries the Palmer amaranth seed deep enough where it can't germinate," he says. The findings are part of a three-year study where a rotation of flue-cured, cotton and soybeans are tested with deep and shallow tillage, Spartan Charge and Command herbicides and hand removal of the weeds. Just one year has been completed.

A good season in Pennsylvania: Despite slightly fewer acres, growers of the tobacco types grown in Pennsylvania produced nearly 23 million pounds in 2012, said a newspaper report. That's 11 percent more than in 2011. And it is more than double what was produced in 2005, when deregulation allowed growers to plant burley for the first time. Very good weather was one of the reasons. Burley is averaging $2.05 a pound, reported Lancaster Farming. That is 10 to 15 cents more than in the past. Half the 2012 production was burley; the rest was Pennsylvania seedleaf, Southern Maryland and a small amount of dark air-cured.

WHY SO MANY FEEL SO OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2013

A bright outlook for the short term had everybody happy at the recent meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. From left, association president Brent Leggett, speaker Blake Brown of N.C. State, and association executive vice president Graham Boyd.

The outlook was bright at the Southern Farm Show in Raleigh, N.C., and the annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina [TGANC] which took place on the show's last day. "I am not sure I can remember a year in the last 20 where we had the optimism among farmers that we have this year," N.C. Extension economist Blake Brown told the growers association meeting. Cause for all the cheer? Production for the type was a healthy 473 million pounds in 2012, and the average price--at about $2 a pound--was the highest it's been since before the buyout.

  

  

Demand looks good for 2013, but will flue-cured growers be able to meet  it? TGANC president Brent Leggett, a flue-cured grower from Nashville, N.C., told his members that any grower with a reputation for producing quality leaf seemed able to sign contracts for as much as he wanted, sometimes for more than he can reasonably expect to produce. But not all those contracts were getting signed because alternatives crops wee in some cases more appealing. "Tobacco continues to find itself fighting for acres," said Leggett. "As long as alternative crops prices hover at all-time high levels--[plus] labor and social concerns--and as long as tobacco continues to creep upward in costs of production and increased exposure concerns, every grower will agonize over exactly how much to plant." So while there may be more than 500 million pounds of demand for flue-cured, Leggett openly doubted that flue-cured production would exceed 480 million pounds, barring exceptional weather. 

Will there be enough plants to go around? Charles Tart of Dunn, N.C., sells greenhouse transplants with capacity to supply 700 acres. "We are booked solid already," Tart said. "If I had three more greenhouses, I could have booked them too."

Is tobacco becoming politically acceptable once again as an economic force in the Tar Heel state? One positive indication might be that the governor of North Carolina addressed the N.C. growers association meeting for the first time in more than 10 years. The new N.C. governor, Pat McCrory (right), said agriculture will be the segment of the economy that helps get N.C. out of the current recession. "The tobacco growers are going to lead the way for us," said McCrory. He plans to help. "When I go on international trips, one of the first things I'm going to mention is tobacco exports," he said. 

  

  

It was a good show for equipment manufacturers. "This show has certainly been the best of the four farm shows I have attended," said Eric Scaion, president of World Tobacco Inc., a curing barn manufacturer in Wilson, N.C. Afterward, he added, "I have a good feeling for this year. The coming season could be the best for our company"...Bob Pope of Long Barns in Tarboro, N.C., said his company sold some barns at the show and had some serious inquiries as well. "Farmers are not beating our doors down, but sales are better this year than they have been." Long is still taking orders but there is some urgency for getting your order in, he said. "We can take orders for new bulk barns as late as April." 

Bringing the infrastructure back up to date. The farmers who visited the Cureco® Inc. exhibit at the show seemed to be excited about 2013, said Mack Grady and Galen Creel. "We have received a very good reception," said Grady, whose company manufacturers the Cureco automatic tobacco barn temperature and humidity controls. "We have more orders than usual for this time of year." The controls were going primarily into existing barns, Creel said. "But we are also receiving orders from farmers who are buying new barns. These will be installed when the new barns are delivered to the farm. The update of the tobacco infrastructure has begun." Fuel savings, time management because of less time spent adjusting barn conditions and better quality tobacco are the main benefits of automatic curing controls, said Grady. The ability to monitor barns via Internet is another advantage. Anyone who buys controls from Cureco will get professional installation, service and technical support from the Cureco team. [Editor's note:  In the January issue I reported that one can buy Cureco controls built into a new barn at the factory.  I have been reliably informed that the only way to get a real Cureco control is to purchase directly from Cureco Inc. at 252-569-1714.]

World burley production headed up: Higher global prices--reflecting the depleted level of non-committed stocks-are expected to lead to a more than 20 percent increase in world burley production in 2013 as Africa and South America rebound, said Will Snell, Kentucky Extension economist, in the recent Kentucky Agricultural Economic Outlook for 2013. "If labor issues can be addressed, price incentives provided, and a decent growing/curing season evolves, market conditions may enable the Kentucky tobacco industry to approach $400 million in sales for the 2013 crop," said Snell.

Dark types stable: Dark air-cured and fire-cured prices and plantings should stay relatively constant this year, said Snell. Sales of smokeless products that use dark tobacco are expected to grow. Fire-cured production in this country rose three percent in 2012 to 53.3 million pounds, while dark air-cured production fell seven percent to 14.9 million pounds. Prices in 2013 may be close to or slightly higher than 2012 averages: $2.56 per pound for fire-cured and $2.28 per pound for dark air-cured.

_______________________________________

 

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Manufacturers will be looking to sell harvesters and barns at the Southern Farm Show. In 2012, representative Len Erdelac described the DeCloet Italy lastover harvester to Nathan and Travis Unruh of Greenville, N.C.

SHOW TIME FOR TOBACCO 

The Southern Farm Show takes place in Raleigh, N.C., this week, and perhaps we will learn there whether there will be enough curing barns to go around this season. Manufacturers will be at the show looking for orders. "We have already received a number of them and can handle more," says Billy Price of World Tobacco Inc. "We would like to have all orders in by the end of February if we can, so we can be sure to deliver them to the farm no later than June 15. But we will accommodate later orders if we can." Price says his company is exhibiting this year for the first time with Evans MacTavish Agricraft of Wilson, N.C., which manufactures the barns for World Tobacco. The show takes place January 30, 31 and February 1 at the North Carolina state fairgrounds. For details and directions, go to the website http://www.southernshows.com. For a report on the show and on the growers meeting, watch for the next issue of TFN in early February.

The show will end with the Annual Meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina in the Holshouser Building on Friday, February 1. It starts at 10 a.m. and ends after a sponsored lunch...On the same day, the East Tennessee/Southwest Virginia/Western North Carolina Tobacco Expo will be held at the Appalachian Fairgrounds on Lakeview Street in Gray, Tn. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and activities conclude at 1 p.m., with GAP training available afterward (see below). For more information, call the Greene County Extension office at 423-798-1710... On February 5, the Tennessee --Kentucky Tobacco Expo is scheduled in Springfield, Tn., starting at 9 a.m. and running till 3 p.m. GAP training is available afterward (see below). The location is the Robertson County Fairgrounds Community Building 4635 Hwy. North in Springfield. For more information, call the Robertson County Extension office at 615-384-7936. 

Southern Farm Show Exhibitor Update. Following is a list of businesses who would like a visit from you at their exhibits at the Southern Farm Show, January 30-February 1.

• #222 World Tobacco Inc., exhibiting with Evans MacTavish Agricraft.  Curing barns.  
• #807 Mechanical Transplanter Co., Inc. Transplanters, seeding equipment and other related items for tobacco and vegetables. 
• #808 BulkTobac (Gas Fired Tobacco). Tobacco curing equipment, curing controls, poultry brooders, pig heating, space heaters. 
• #1002 TriEst Ag Group, Inc. (formerly Hendrix & Dail). Fumigation supplies.
• #1104 GoldLeaf Seed. Tobacco seed.
• #1116 Cross Creek Seed. Tobacco seed along with tobacco transplants, greenhouse tray sterilization/steaming, tray washers and seeders. 
• #1220 F.W. Rickard Seeds, Inc. Flue-cured, burley and dark tobacco seed. 

• #3135 Southern Container Corporation of Wilson Inc. Packaging, bale sheets and wire. 
• #3605 MarCo Manufacturing Co. / Powell Manufacturing Co.  Mechanical harvesters (flue-cured and burley) and other equipment. 
• #3714 Cureco, Inc. Curing controls. 
• #5027 Flue Cured Tobacco Services LLC. Curing controls. 
• #8011 Taylor Manufacturing, Inc. Curing barns and other tobacco equipment. 
• #8104 Evencure Systems. Curing barn systems. 
• #8127 Carolina Tobacco Services. Powell curing barns, mechanical harvesters, heat exchangers. 
• #8128 DeCloet Italy, exhibiting with S & P Equipment Co. Curing barns, mechanical harvesters, and other tobacco equipment. 
• #8205 Walters Air Assist-Plant Release System.
• #8217 Granville Equipment. Wide variety of tobacco equipment from the fields to the barns. 
• #8301 Tytun Ltd. Curing barns and other tobacco equipment. 
• #8617 Long Tobacco Barn Company, LLC. Curing barns and related agricultural equipment, including barn service parts.  

Bridging the GAP: Several Good Agricultural Practice meetings are scheduled soon. Find below the date and location of each meeting and the phone number to call to assure a place is available.
•  February 5, 10 a.m. Scottsburg VA. Scottsburg Volunteer Fire Department. Contact: Halifax County Extension Office at 434-476-2147 or Stephen Barts (sbarts@vt.edu).
•  
• January 31:  GAP training at 5 p.m. Eastern Time with production meeting to follow. Woodford County Extension Office. Versailles, KY.  Contact (859)-873-4601.
• February 1: Production Meeting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time with GAP training immediately following lunch about 12:30 p.m. Larue County Extension Office.  Hodgenville, KY. Contact: (270) 358-3401.
• February 1: 1:30 pm Eastern Time. Following the East TN/Southwest VA/Western NC Tobacco Expo, Commercial Building #2, Appalachian Fairgrounds, Gray, TN. Call Paul Denton at 865-974-8839 or the UT Washington County Extension office at 423-753-1680 for more information.
• February 4:  GAP training at 5:30 Eastern Time with production meeting to follow. Garrard County Extension Office. Lancaster, KY.  Contact (859)-792-3026.
• February 5:  GAP training at 5 p.m. Central Time with production meeting to follow. Adair County Extension Office. Columbia, KY.  Contact (270)-384-2317.
• February  5: GAP training at 2 p.m. Central Time Following the TN/KY Tobacco Expo, Robertson County Fairgrounds, Springfield, TN. Call Paul Denton at 865-974-8839 or the Robertson County Extension office at 615-384-7936 for more information.  
• February 12: Production meeting at 10 a.m. Central Time with GAP training at 11:20 Central Time.  Center Church of Christ, Center, KY. Contact: (270)-524-2451.    
• February 12:   GAP training at 5 p.m. Central Time with production meeting to follow. Allen County Extension Office. Scottsville, KY.  Contact (270)-237-3146.
• February 21:  Production meeting at 10 a.m. Central Time with GAP training at 11 a.m. Central Time.  Breckinridge County Extension Office, Hardinsburg, KY. Contact: (270) 756-2182
• February 26:  10:30 a.m. Central Time.  Macon County Fairground, Lafayette, TN. Call the Macon County Extension office at (615)-666-3341 for more information and to reserve a place.
• February 27:  GAP training at 1 and 6 p.m. Eastern Time followed by production update.  Washington County Extension Office. Springfield, KY.  Contact: (859) 336-7741.

HOW MANY BARNS WILL BE ENOUGH?

Curing barns near Dunn, N.C.

The looming shortage of barns to cure the 2013 crop is especially urgent for flue-cured growers, who were very short on barn space in 2012 anyway and appear to be looking at more contract pounds. The age of the existing barns could make the problem worse. "A lot of our flue-cured barns are 20 to 25 years old," says Jay Boyette, commodity director for the North Carolina Farm Bureau. "At some point we will have to replace them. That time may have come. Even if it hasn't on individual farms, it is clear that as time marches on, this will become more of an issue." With the crop American flue-cured growers had last year and the prices it received, there will certainly be more demand for tobacco this year, and some new barns will have to be purchased. Boyette recommends you make any needed arrangements soon. "It's not like 15 years ago. Back then, a manufacturer might build barns on spec. Now, no one is going to build barns without a solid order, maybe even a guaranteed one. There is no readily available inventory of any tobacco equipment anywhere."

A new barn should be as heat efficient as possible, says David Reed, Virginia Extension tobacco specialist. Look for a unit that gives 11 to 12 pounds of cured leaf per gallon of fuel and is as well insulated as possible. And insulate the barn pad, he advises. The payback on that is very quick. Even if the crop was the same size as last year's, some new barns would be needed. "We don't have enough curing capacity now," says Reed. "Much of the 2012 flue-cured crop here was cured in October, mainly because the farmers didn't have enough barns to cure any faster." That is playing chicken with the average first frost date, October 15 in most of Virginia's flue-cured area. 

Two more bulk barn manufacturers have come to the attention of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter: Carolina Tobacco Services of Bennettsville, S.C., has an all-steel 10-box barn that has gotten good results in recent curing efficiency tests. For more information, call Dale Hutchins at 843-479-3804...World Tobacco Inc. in Wilson, N.C., is selling two models this season. The actual assembly is being done by Evans MacTavish, also of Wilson. For more information, call Billy Price at 252-230-1032. Other manufacturers of bulk barns previously reported: Long Tobacco Barn Company LLC in Tarboro, N.C. Call Bob Pope at 252-824-3794. Taylor Manufacturing of Elizabethtown, N.C. Call Ron Taylor at 800-545-2293. MarCo Mfg. of Bennettsville, S.C. Call Tom Pharr at 843-479-3377. Tytun Ltd. of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. Call 519-428-0044. DeCloet SRL, Italy. Call Len Erdelac at 519-983-0432 in Ontario.

There is no great demand among burley growers for new barn space, at least not yet, says Paul Denton, Kentucky-Tennessee Extension tobacco specialist. "Whatever enthusiasm growers felt about the prices for the 2012 crop have been tempered by the problems they faced in finding harvest labor." But if there turns out to be a need for new curing facilities later this year, Denton doesn't think it will be met with traditional tall barns. "I think that outdoor curing structures or low-profile barns would be better choices. You would want the lowest possible initial cost." 

If more barn space is needed, burley farmers are more likely to seek unused existing barns than to build new ones, says Daniel Green, chief operating officer of the Burley Stabilization Corporation in Springfield, Tn. "It takes a lot to build a conventional barn, and although the outlook for burley is good, there is a lot of uncertainty in the short term." There are many unused barns remaining from the years when growers produced much more than they will in 2013. Unfortunately, they are frequently not in the areas where growers are expanding.  

___________________________________________________________________________ A BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA TOBACCO   The perfect gift for tobacco people Written by historian Billy Yeargin, this softcover book from History Press recounts the Bright Leaf's contribution to Tar Heel history. A terrific gift for tobacco-oriented individuals. Price is $21.99. Also available: A companion work called "Remembering North Carolina Tobacco," also by Yeargin. Price is $19.99. To order, specify which or both books you want and send check or money order to Billy Yeargin at 112 N. Webb St, Selma NC 27576. For more information email Yeargin at tobhistry@aol.com.

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Come see us at the Southern Farm Show, Exhibit 8617.

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Editor's Note: The next issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter will cover tobacco machinery on display at the Southern Farm Show and other winter shows, plus details on the Tobacco Grower Association of North Carolina's annual meeting. Watch for it in late January. If you want more information about Tobacco Farmer Newsletter--or to share your thoughts--call me at 919-789-4631. Or send me an email at chrisbickers @gmail.com. Or use the comment apparatus on this blog. --Chris Bickers

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Visit us at Exhibit 808 at the Southern Farm Show.