Who will plant what in 2012?

The Prospective Plantings Report for 2012 was issued Friday by the National Agricultural Statistical Services, and it shows that the hoped-for increase in flue-cured plantings will apparently not take place. The report, based on a farmer survey conducted in March, indicates that flue-cured plantings be down six percent, down to  194,500 acres. All producing states were down except Virginia, which is projected up eight percent to 21,000 acres. But burley plantings are projected up seven percent, with major relative increases in Tennessee and Virginia.

FLUE-CURED: Georgia--10,000 acres, down 15 percent. N.C.--150,000 acres, down six percent. S.C.--13,500 acres, down 13 percent. Virginia--21,000 acres, up eight percent. All flue-cured--194,500 acres, down six percent.

BURLEY: Kentucky--68,000 acres, up four percent. Tennessee--16,000 acres, up 14 percent. Virginia--2,700 acres, up 35 percent. Pennsylvania--4,400 acres, down 12 percent. N.C.--2,000 acres, down 13 percent. Ohio--1,600 acres, no change. All burley--94,700 acres, up seven percent. 

OTHER TYPES:

--Southern Maryland: Pennsylvania—2,900 acres, down three percent.

--Fire-cured: Kentucky—8,700 acres, down four percent. Tennessee—6,900 acres, no change. Virginia—350 acres, down 12 percent. All fire-cured--15,950 acres, down three percent.

--Dark air-cured: Kentucky--4,000 acres, down nine percent. Tennessee—1,100 acres, no change. All dark air-cured--5,100 acres, down seven percent.

--Cigar types: Pennsylvania (Filler)--2,000 acres, up 18 percent. Connecticut/ Massachusetts (Binder) 2,000 acres, up 12 percent. Connecticut/ Massachusetts (Wrapper)--800 acres, down four percent. All cigar types--4,800 acres, up 11 percent.

See the April issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter, out early next week, for more details.