More news from the U.S. Tobacco Forum held June 23-24 in Durham, N.C.

There will be no MH on Greg Manning's flue-cured farm near Nashville, N.C. Manning started his sucker control sprays just before the Forum took place, and he used the new Strickland Bros. sprayer hood to apply his six contact applications. He said he got excellent results when he used it last year. "We covered more acres faster with the solution we had, and we got good sucker control," he said. For more information, see the company's website at www.stricklandbros.com.

How much U.S. tobacco can be irrigated? Nearly 70% of the flue-cured growers and 54% of the dark tobacco growers responding to a survey conducted by the Center for Tobacco Growers Research (CTGR) said they have the capability to irrigate, compared to just less than 30% of the burley growers. Looking at acres, only 33% of the burley acres could be irrigated compared to 44% for flue-cured and 49% for dark. To learn more, see CTGR's May newsletter at www.TobaccoGrowerResearch.com.

CrossCreek Seed re-seeded two of its greenhouses earlier this year to provide plants for farmers whose houses were damaged by tornadoes in North Carolina on April 16. The program was a success. "We ended up moving 75% of the plants, about 225 acres," said Sam Baker, vice president of CrossCreek Seed. The company will hold its annual field day August 3 at 2000 Vass Rd., Raeford, N.C. The program will run from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration starts at 8:15. For more information, call 910-904-1888 or see the website www.crosscreekseed.com.