The crop that washed away?

A wet burley field near Greeneville, Tn.

Reports of yield loss resulting from the heavy rains keep piling up. I spoke to a flue-cured grower near Kinston, N.C., in the Eastern Belt July 14. He told me that his tobacco has already lost one pulling because of all the water. "And now some of our fields are yellowing," he said. "Those plants won't put on the size. Some of our tobacco has flopped and won't be harvested. It looks to me like we will lose 25 percent of the crop in this area." Most of the damage came from near-daily rains starting June 17 and continuing till July 13 and amounted to 20 inches. There was especially heavy rain on July 11 and 12. But July 14 and 15 were sunny.

The situation may be even worse in southern Ohio and parts of Kentucky. After several days of off-and-on showers that saturated the soil, the area experienced heavy rainfall over the Independence Day break. When a warm sunny day followed, drowning damaged tobacco on several farms in the Ohio counties of Adams and Brown, Ohio. Making matters worse, scalding caused some quality loss, and much of the tobacco that is damaged may not be worth harvesting. "If tobacco was topped and only a couple of weeks from a normal harvest, you may be able to salvage enough of the crop by harvesting," says Ohio Extension Educator David Dugan. "But not tobacco that [was] not even in bloom yet."

Parts of Kentucky experienced similar conditions and in some cases suffered a 10% percent loss. "We have lost a portion our acreage to drowning after the big rains on July 4, 5 and 6," says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "Planting intentions in the state were in the range of 75,000 acres. But wet weather may have prevented some plantings, so we may have planted about 72,000 acres."

Speaking of plantings, I have received some respectful disagreement with some of the acreage projections from USDA that I included in the last issue. S.C. Extension tobacco specialist Dewitt Gooden emailed me last week saying, "I do not believe the USDA projected acreage of 9,000 is correct for S.C. I have been told by very reliable sources that our acreage is up five to 10 percent from 2012." Estimating acreage last year at 12,000 acres, that would put 2013 plantings at between 12,600 acres and 13,200 acres...I had the chance to talk to Georgia Extension tobacco specialist J. Michael Moore last night on the N.C. Tobacco Tour, and he still insists that the USDA projection of 15,000 planted acres is way too high. He continues to estimate plantings of 11,000 acres...In N.C., Extension tobacco specialist Loren Fisher estimates acreage at between the USDA projection of 170,000 acres and 175,000 acres.

A new leader for flue-cured growers: The U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, which serves flue-cured growers, has a new board chairman. He is grower James T. (Jimmy) Hill of Kinston, N.C., who was elected in May. It also has a new board member representing South Carolina, Dwight Stevens of Loris. Both positions were held for many years by Albert Johnson of Galivants Ferry, S.C. 

China opens an office: Johnson has since joined the staff of China Tobacco International of North America, a new division of CTIEC, the Chinese national tobacco company. It will establish an office in coming months in the Raleigh, N.C., area. Observers believe the company will try to buy flue-cured tobacco from this crop but I haven't been able to confirm this. "The company likely will buy from both leaf dealers and farmers [when it begins buying]," says Peter Thornton, assistant director for international marketing with the N.C. Department of Agriculture, who says a U.S. office was a logical next step in China Tobacco's import process. "The U.S. is the last major tobacco supplier where China doesn't have a company." Steve Troxler, N.C. agriculture commissioner, says, "My staff and I have been working to boost exports of tobacco for several years now, and we think CTI's presence in our state will mean even more opportunities for our farmers."

Opening dates: The U.S. Tobacco Cooperative has announced opening dates for its delivery stations. They are:

• Nashville, Ga.-July 23.
• Mullins, S.C.-July 25.
• Smithfield, N.C.-July 30.
• Wilson, N.C.-August 1.
• Oxford, N.C.-August 7.

Danville, Va.-August 13.

New leaders for the Council for Burley Tobacco: Rod Kuegel of Owensboro, Ky., is the new president of the Council for Burley Tobacco. Other officers are Scott Travis of Cox's Creek, Ky., vice president; Hampton Henton of Versailles, Ky., Secretary, and Eddie Warren of Richmond, Ky., treasurer. They were elected at the Council's recent annual meeting in Lexington, Ky. A new board of directors was also elected. Besides Kuegel, Travis, Henton and Warren, they are David Chappell of Sparta, Ky.; Todd Clark of Lexington, Ky.; Greg Harris of Richmond, Ky.; Al Pedigo of Scottsville, Ky.; Shane Wiseman of Winchester, Ky.; Bob James of Lexington, Ky., and Kenneth Reynolds of Abingdon, Va.

Tobacco tours coming up in the next 30 days: The S.C. Tobacco Tour starts with registration at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, July 23, at the Tobacco Facility at the back of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center near Florence. Later, the tour will visit a farm using a wood-fired boiler for curing. The tour will end in midafternoon. For more information, contact Dewitt Gooden at 843-662-3526 or by email at  dgooden@clemson.edu.  The Virginia Tobacco Field Day will be held at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research & Extension Center (two miles east of Blackstone on Rt. 40) on August 6. After a dinner at 5 p.m., the field day will begin at 6 p.m., ending about 8:30 p.m. Note: A forage and livestock field day will be held August 7 starting at 9 a.m. For more information, go to Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331 or makenny@vt.edu. The Kentucky Corn, Soybean and Tobacco Field Day will be held August 1 from 7:30 a.m. until noon at the UK Research Farm in Princeton. An irrigation forum will follow at 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Andy Bailey at 270-365-7541, ext. 240.  Cross Creek Seed Inc. will hold a variety tour on Wednesday, August 7, starting at 9 a.m. at Seven Springs Baptist Church, 5924 NC 55 East, Seven Springs, N.C. 28578. Visitors will caravan to the nearby farm of Mack Grady and see various varieties, then will end up back at the church for lunch. You will be able to see the new variety Cross Creek is so high on: CC 143, which features good resistance to black shank (both races) and Granville wilt along with yield and grade indexes comparable or better than K 326. Call Cross Creek Seed at 877-922-7333 if you plan to attend.

BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse    We will hold both sealed bid auctions  and live auctions.   We promise HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY  SERVICE    For more information, contact: --Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033  --Greg Ray at  252-799-6061  or --the warehouse at 252-206-1447.  EMail: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com

New president for USTC

The U.S. Tobacco (flue-cured) Cooperative has a new board chairman. He is grower James T. (Jimmy) Hill of Kinston, N.C. It also has a new member representing South Carolina, Dwight Stephens. Both positions were held for many years by Albert Johnson of Galivants Ferry, S.C., who recently joined the staff of China Tobacco International of North America, a new division of CTIEC, the Chinese national tobacco company, to be located in the vicinity of Raleigh. 

SURPRISES IN USDA'S ACREAGE REPORT

A burley field ready to take off in June near Boone, N.C.

USDA issued its planted acreage report at the end of June. It showed flue-cured up five percent and burley up one percent--hardly the avalanche of plantings that some observers (including the  editor of this publication) predicted just a few months ago. There was one big surprise, so big I am not sure we should believe it. South Carolina flue-cured acreage, which was projected to be up 25 percent in USDA's March Prospective Plantings Report (see TFN, April 3, 2013), is now projected be down 25 percent. Another drastic change: Ohio burley was projected at 2,000 acres in March but now is pegged at 2,500 acres (an increase in that time period of 25 percent). And another: In Georgia, a one third increase in plantings since last year was projected. "I don't see how we could have 15,000 acres (5,000 acres more than 2013) as projected by USDA. We had enough plants for a bigger crop but had to discard many of them because no one wanted them." Moore estimates Georgia plantings at about 11, 000 acres, same as last year. 

Below are the numbers from USDA's June projection with the percentage change from last year. Feel free to check back here in about a week for more details. 

FLUE-CURED: 

• NC--170,000 acres, up 3.6%. 
• VA--23,000 acres, up 15%. 
• GA--15,000 acres, up 36%. 
• SC--9,000 acres, down 25%. 
• All US--217,000 acres, up 5.3%

BURLEY: 

• KY--78,000 acres, up 5.1%. 
• TN--13,000 acres, down 18.7%. 
• PA--5,100 acres, up 8.5%. 
• OH--2,500 acres, up 31.5%.
• NC--2,300 acres, up 9.8%.
• VA--1,700 acres, down 37%.
• All US--102,600 acres, up 1.1%.

OTHER TYPES: 

• Fire-cured--18,400 acres, up 13.5%. 
• Dark air-cured--5,000 acres, down 3.8%. 
• Cigar types--4,850 acres, up 8.6%.
• Southern Maryland--2,000 acres, down 31%.  

 Crop reports from the field

In southern Ohio, Pat Raines of Seaman, Oh., says he thinks acres are increasing in his state. "Many growers expanded their contracts. Some people who had stopped producing before got back in this year." The weather delayed transplanting on many farms. "Based on plant sales, I would say we are 75 to 80 percent finished [on June 14]. If the weather turns off well, we could still have an excellent crop. But some fields in Ohio might get washed out if there are heavy rains later." 

In northern Kentucky, a lot of burley was still being planted after June 15 in the Maysville, Ky., area, says Eldon Ginn. Some of the increase is planted by existing farmers who are expanding and some by new growers or by growers who are returning to the crop. Ginn knows of one farmer who increased his burley plantings from 150 acres last year to 400 acres this year.

In the Bluegrass of Kentucky, Jerry Rankin of Danville, Ky., says, "We are a little behind where we normally are, maybe a week to 10 days. The plants didn't grow as fast because of the cool weather." He thinks production may fall short of goals. "A lot of tobacco ground is going into row crops," he says. "Hay, alfalfa and wheat in silos, along with corn and soybeans, have all been competing for land with tobacco." 

In western Kentucky, says burley and dark grower Rod Kuegel of Owensboro, Ky., farmers generally like to have all of their tobacco planted by June 15, but they didn't make that deadline this season. "It appears now that it will be well into July before we finish transplanting. That is not what we want to see. We don't want to have to cut tobacco at Halloween."

In southwest Virginia, burley grower Kenneth Reynolds of Abingdon, Va., says he finished transplanting probably 10 days later than usual because of the weather. Planting was nearly complete by mid-June. Most lands have been planted. He thinks planted acreage is at least stable. "It may be up but not by a significant amount." 

In the Highland Rim of Tennessee, Bill Maksymowicz, agronomist for the Burley Stabilization Corporation, Springfield, Tn., says he traveled extensively in Tennessee and Kentucky visiting burley farms in recent weeks. "We are wrapping up transplanting. Some topping began last week. We are a little later than the last two years." He has seen few foliar diseases and no black shank or blue mold.  

In eastern North Carolina, Mitch Smith, Pitt County, N.C., Extension chairman, says tobacco there has enormous potential. "But the rain needs to stop. There could be water damage already, and it could interfere with our ability to apply contacts." There may already be an impact on yield. "In a rainy season, the crop tends to ripen very quickly," he says. "That can lead to a lower weight." 

In the Piedmont of North Carolina, there's been a lot of rain, says Dennis White, owner of Old Belt Tobacco Sales warehouse in Rural Hall, N.C. "Early set tobacco has had too much water," he says. "The later tobacco will more likely be the best of this crop. Some farmers started pulling last week (starting July 1). Most will start in the next two weeks, with the last ones starting the third week in August." 

On the border between the Carolinas, Ben Teal of Patrick, S.C., says there are a lot of different stages of growth in the field, and some fields had topped out by June 20. "Most of mine is looking pretty good except for the fields that got drenched by Andrea. That tobacco yellowed up and is short." There has been a change in his variety choice recently: He has increased the proportion of K 326 that he plants. "We have been able to plant on fresh land the last two years. That has allowed us to plant K 326. We also plant some CC 700. It produces well on sandy land."

In Florida, growers have an "outstanding" crop, says Extension specialist J. Michael Moore, who covers both Florida and Georgia. "They have had plenty of rainfall, but it hasn't been much of a problem: They are used to handling water." Harvest is well under way. "I believe a substantial amount of leaf will be ready for delivery the week of July 22, when stations open." He projects planted acreage at 1,100 acres, about the same as last year, although there might be a small increase.

In Georgia, rainy weather has caused some losses but Moore thinks Georgia farmers have about a 95% crop with what appears to be some good quality tobacco. "It has been very wet all across Georgia, but most of the tobacco has held up well. Most has been topped and suckered and is ready for that final growth spurt. Some re-fertilization is taking place."  

In other news from Georgia--

• Spotted wilt incidence was low compared to what was expected, considering the mild winter. Early in the season--when the plant was most vulnerable--the statewide incidence was about eight to 10 percent, he says. "Since then, it has climbed to closer to 15 percent, but infections that late only cost you a few leaves, not the whole plant."
• There was at most a one percent incidence of black shank so far.
• Control of budworm has been good, thanks largely to extensive use of Coragen.
• Rain fell nearly every day the week of July 4, delaying sucker control sprays and the start of harvest.
• There are a number of new growers. Moore knows of 11 operations that are growing tobacco this year that weren't a year ago. "They range from young high school graduates just starting out to growers who have given up on tobacco since the buyout but kept their equipment and are coming back in."

• There was a brisk market in used equipment over the winter. "I think all the used barns, transplanters and cultivators that have just been lying around were bought by active tobacco growers."

Marketing news Another burley auction for 2013: Roger Wilson of Mt. Sterling, Ky., says that a live auction will be held this year at Clay's Tobacco Warehouse. For more information, contact Wilson at 859-498-6722.   Here's an optimist: Dennis White, owner of the Old Belt Tobacco Sales warehouse in Rural Hall, N.C., tells Tobacco Farmer Newsletter, "If anyone has tobacco ready to market and needs money before delivery stations open, I will buy it now at contract prices, from any location." If you're interested, call White at 336-416-6262. White will announce the opening date of sales at his warehouse soon.   Orders for flue-curing barns seem to have subsided as harvest approaches. But manufacturers tell me they are still working two shifts a day seven days a week to get all the orders met. One told me that he took his last official order for barns for this crop on June 11, but may sell a few more if he has any to spare before the harvest crunch. He and another manufacturer told TFN they have had indications that some farmers may go ahead and order barns for next season, to be built after the current traffic jam is over. Tobacco tours coming up in the next 30 days The N.C. Tobacco Tour begins at 6:15 p.m., Monday, July 15, with dinner at the Brass Lantern Steak House, 515 Spring Branch Road, Dunn, N.C. Tuesday July 16, the tour begins at 7 a.m. in the parking lot of the Dunn Hampton Inn, 100 Jesse Tart Circle (Exit 73, Interstate 95). Stops include research stations in Kinston and Rocky Mount and three farms. Wednesday, July 17, the tour begins at 7:30 a.m. at Edwards Farm, 100 Salem Church Rd., Wendell. Stops include the Oxford research station and two farms. The tour ends with lunch at 12 p.m. in Oxford. For more information, go to http://plantpath.cals.ncsu.edu/north-carolina-flue-cured-burley-tobacco-tour. Or contact Mina Mila at 919-513-1291 or at almila@ncsu.edu. The S.C. Tobacco Tour starts with registration at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, July 23, at the Tobacco Facility at the back of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center near Florence. Later, the tour will visit a farm using a wood-fired boiler for curing. The tour will end in midafternoon. For more information, contact Dewitt Gooden at 843-662-3526 or dgooden@clemson.edu.  The Virginia Tobacco Field Day will be held at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research & Extension Center (two miles east of Blackstone on Rt. 40) on August 6. After a dinner at 5 p.m., the field day will begin at 6 p.m., ending about 8:30 p.m. Note: A forage and livestock field day will be held August 7 starting at 9 a.m. For more information, go to Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331 or makenny@vt.edu.

BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse    We will hold both sealed bid auctions  and live auctions.   We promise HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY  SERVICE    For more information, contact: --Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033  --Greg Ray at  252-799-6061  or --the warehouse at 252-206-1447.  EMail: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com