Crop report: Burley transplanting behind in Tennessee, Kentucky

Tennessee and Kentucky burley growers are running way behind in transplanting because of a rainy spring. "We would normally like to see about half the crop transplanted by June 1," says Daniel Green, chief operating officer of Burley Stabilization Corporation (BSC) in Springfield, Tn. Instead, he doesn't think much more than a quarter is actually in the field. Only a few days in May were dry enough for field work. But much of Tennessee was rain free from May 31 on, and farmers made up for lost time. The first two weeks of June are a good time for setting burley, says Green, but he is not sure all of the crop will be transplanted in that time frame. How much will be planted? Acreage in the BSC states--Tennessee,  North Carolina and Virginia--may end up slightly higher than a year ago, Green estimates...In the dark tobacco areas of Kentucky and Tennessee, transplanting was about 45% complete by June 3, says Andy Bailey, KY-TN Extension tobacco specialist. Some plants have been in the greenhouse longer than desirable, he says.