All indications are that we will have a big flue-cured crop. The NASS thinks it is going to be really big. On July 11, it projected flue-cured production at 536 million pounds, up 18 percent from 2013. Acreage was up only one percent at 232,000. For the individual states: NC--416.3 million pounds, up 15 percent, on 181,000 acres, up a little; VA--50.6 million pounds, up nearly seven percent, on 22,000 acres, up two percent; GA--35 million pounds, an unbelievable 56 per cent on 14,000 acres, up nine percent; SC--34.5 million pounds, up nearly 40 per cent, on 15,000 acres, up three percent. The highest state yield projection was 2,500 pounds in Georgia and 2,300 pounds in the other three states. Burley, dark and other types were not included in this report but will be in the one in August. Florida does not participate in the survey.
A Georgia yield of 2,500 pounds would have been "toppy" even before the hot weather of three weeks ago and continuing appearances of black shank, says J. Michael Moore, Extension tobacco specialist. "Now it seems very unlikely," he says. New incidences of black shank keep appearing, frequently on land that
A new era for NC tobacco: The long-awaited assessment on N.C. flue-cured finally became a reality on July 11. A referendum on the checkoff passed after a three-month balloting period. The assessment was approved on 88 percent of ballots in a mail-in referendum, considerably more than the two-thirds majority needed for approval. "The margin of support for this effort indicates the level of priority our farmers place on having a strong and organized voice to advocate on important issues," says TGANC President Tim Yarbrough of Prospect Hill, N.C. Buyers will collect the assessment and submit it to the N.C. Department of Agriculture for distribution to the association. Refunds can be obtained. A rate of up to 15 cents per hundred pounds of flue-cured sold in N.C. was approved, but TGANC plans to collect only 10 cents this year. Checkoff programs supporting tobacco research and export promotion in N.C. will continue.
With the approval on the referendum, growers now have an official voice to speak for them, says Yarbrough. "We can present a united front. Of course, no association's members are going to agree on everything, but we need a method of responding to issues as they arise. Six months ago, who would have thought that child labor on tobacco farms would be an issue? But Graham Boyd [TGANC executive vice president] has had to spend a world of time on this issue lately and will have to spend more. We must make sure can act quickly when questions like this are asked. The checkoff will help make it possible."
Long overdue: The statewide vote on a commodity promotion assessment for tobacco, the first ever in N.C., was long overdue. "Until now, tobacco was one of the few commodities in our state that didn't have a checkoff program to support its work," said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, himself a past TGANC board member. More details about the effect of the referendum will appear in future issues.
Four hundred years of American leaf export: In 1614, the first tobacco exported from what is now the United States made its way by ship from Jamestown, Va., to England. To honor this anniversary, a presentation on how the international trade in tobacco began will be part of the program at the Virginia Tobacco Field Day on July 30 at the Southern Piedmont Research Center. Wayne Randolph, an agriculture specialist at Colonial
DATES TO REMEMBER
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Tuesday, July 22, 2014
How much flue-cured is really out there?
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
BLACK SHANK ISN'T BACKING OFF
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| July is for touring: The N.C. Tobacco Tour will begin July 14 in Wendell and finish July 15 at the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station, Rocky Mt. Above: A presentation at the Upper Coastal Plain station on the 2012 tour. See Dates to Remember for details of other tours. |
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD, July 8, 2014
Burley
in central Kentucky is
doing well, says grower Roger Quarles of Georgetown, Ky. "It
looks as good as you could ever want it to look," he says. "The
early-set tobacco is a week or 10 days from topping, and the
later-set looks good too." He said he hadn't heard of a single
instance of black shank in the area, not even in fields that have
been hotbeds for the disease in the past. He expects harvest to start
around August 1.
Topping
has just started for
dark growers in Kentucky
and Tennessee.
Planting appears to be done. "Some dark tobacco was set out on
June 30 near Murray, Ky.," said Andy Bailey, Kentucky-Tennessee
tobacco specialist. "I think that was the last that will be
planted. A lot of our larger growers finished 10 to 12 days ago."
No serious crop problems had developed. He saw some temporary
phosphorus deficiency on some of the lower leaves, but he predicted
that the plants would recover completely. There was no plant
shortage. "I am not aware of anyone who didn't get enough
plants," he says.
Just
enough plants in Tennessee: Jay
Head of Clarksville, Tn.,who grows dark tobacco and burley, also
produces commercial plants. He thinks farmers in his area were able
to locate the plants they needed. But it was close. "I sold the
last plants I intended to sell on July 3," he says. "When
we were done, we only had 100 trays left, out of about 6,000."
Hurricane
Arthur only affected some coastal
counties in North
Carolina. In Pender
County, 30 to 50 mile per hour winds did some damage,
says Mark Seitz, Pender County Extension agent. But in
general, he says, "Arthur's worst went north." Drought
was more widely reported last week. "Tobacco is very stressed
and drawn up," said Brian Parrish, Harnett County Extension
agent, in an NASS report. "Many farmers are beginning to
irrigate their tobacco." In the same report, Joey Knight,
Caswell County Extension, said black shank is showing up in tobacco
fields in his Piedmont county, especially in the 326 variety...A
little harvesting has taken place in eastern N.C. Most farmers
have applied a couple of contacts and are getting close to MH
application, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist.
The supply of plants was adequate but some had to be brought in from
out of state, he says. "But in the Piedmont, we heard of
farmers having extra plants."
Some
growers started harvesting in South
Carolina last
week, but most, at least in the Pee Dee region, are still topping.
"Generally, the crop looks pretty good," says William
Hardee, area Extension agronomy agent for Horry and Marion counties.
"We have some tobacco that looks great around the Green Sea and
Nichols area (near the North Carolina line). Some is chest high now."
But other tobacco doesn't look so good. "Some looks like it
was stunted by the heavy rainfall," Hardee says. There have been
few problems. "I have seen a bit of tomato spotted wilt virus
and a little bacterial wilt and black shank, but not much," he
says.
Extreme
heat is making it difficult for Georgia and Florida growers
to apply sucker control chemicals, says J. Michael Moore, Extension
tobacco specialist for the two states. And that is not all that is
making this crop difficult in the Deep South. "Heavy
infestations of black shank continue to occur," Moore says. "We
see plants melt down more quickly now than normal, again because of
the heat." A curious note: "There's been extensive damage
this season in fields that had reasonable rotations," says
Moore. "And it doesn't seem to matter what the variety is."
The
four types grown in Pennsylvania all
got off to a good start, says Jeff Graybill, Pa. agronomy Extension
educator. "I would describe the condition of the tobacco crop as
good to excellent," says Graybill, who is stationed in
Lancaster. "We have good uniform stands, and I have had very few
calls on disease issues." The supply of plants was tight, but
Graybill says as far as he knows, no fields went unplanted. He
estimates acreage at close to 9,000, a little more than last year.
Burley accounted for more than 3,000 acres, Southern Maryland for
about 3,000, Pennsylvania seedleaf around 2,500 and Green River dark
air-cured perhaps 300 acres. Green River is still relatively new in
Pennsylvania, but Graybill says farmers have been successful in
producing marketable leaf of this type.
OUTSIDE
THE U.S...
Zimbabwe
will exceed 200 million kilograms in sales for
the first time in quite a while, if it hasn't already. Auction and
contract markets in Zimbabwe are well on their way to selling the
country's largest crop in 14 years, said the Tobacco Industry and
Marketing Board (TIMB) last month. TIMB said that 193.1 million
kilograms had been sold at the country's three auction floors and at
contract facilities through the eightieth day of marketing (June 16),
32 percent more than in the same period last year. At least 125 total
sales days are expected. If daily sales average--as expected--a
million kilograms a day, the total would come in at around 230
million kilograms. That would be short of the previous high of 260
million kilograms in 1998 but better than the 227 million kilograms
of 2000, the last time volume exceeded 200 million.
The
Canadian flue-cured crop is
up and growing, says Fred Neukamm, chairman of the Ontario tobacco
board. "We are three to four weeks from topping," he says.
"The crop is about on schedule, or maybe a few days behind. It
is getting to the point that we could use some rain. Some growers are
beginning to irrigate." Because of the cold and the cloudy
weather experienced this winter, the plants didn't "toughen"
in the greenhouse. "But in the field, the crop is not too bad,
considering." Production is expected to be down slightly from
2013. "Both acreage and poundage are down by six percent, and
two fewer growers contracted to grow tobacco this year," he
says.
Ontario
growers have benefited considerably since
Grand River Enterprises (GRE) began selling leaf to China two years
ago. The company, which processes leaf in a factory in Simcoe, Ont.,
is owned by the Six Nations Indian reservation, which is located on
the edge of the Ontario leaf production area. GRE is now the number
two buyer of Ontario leaf, after Alliance One.
INDUSTRY
NOTE
Who
will own Lorillard? Or RJR? Or Santa Fe? The speculation
has been rife in recent months about possible sales or mergers of
cigarette companies neighboring or associated with RJR. A respected
tobacco financial analyst has predicted that an acquisition of
Lorillard by RJR is all but a sure thing. Bonnie Herzog of Wells
Fargo Securities says she believes there is a 90 percent chance it
will happen. She also thinks that such a deal could result in a sale
or spinoff of RJR's subsidiary Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company,
which could be worth as much as $6 billion, about 166 percent more
than what Reynolds paid for it.
Still
another possibility: British
American might buy more of R.J. Reynolds' stock than the 42 percent
it currently owns. It could potentially buy a controlling share,
assuming regulatory agencies approve.
DATES
TO REMEMBER
- July 10, 8:15 a.m. South Carolina Tobacco Tour, Pee Dee Research and Education Center, 2200 Pocket Rd., Florence, S.C. The tour will end at 3:30 in Sumter County.
- July 14, 3 p.m. N.C. Tobacco Tour. Edwards Farm, 200 Salem Church Rd., Wendell, N.C. 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner (registration required), Fargo Cattle Company, 1007 Shepard School Rd,, Zebulon, N.C.
- July 15, 8 a.m. N.C. Tobacco Tour. Upper Coastal Plain Research Station, 2811 Nobles Mill Pond Rd, Rocky Mt., N.C. Ends with lunch at noon.
- July 30, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Virginia Tobacco Field Day. Southern Piedmont AREC, Blackstone, Va. Contact: Margaret Kenny, 434-292-5331 or makenny@vt.edu.
- July 31, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grains and Tobacco Field Day. UK REC, Princeton, Ky. Contact: 270-365-7541 ext 264.
- August 4-5. Lexington, Kentucky. Tobacco Industry Tour. Contact: Bob Pearce, (859) 257-5110.
- August 7, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tobacco Twilight Tour, Murray State University West Farm, Murray, Ky. Contact: Andy Bailey, tobacco specialist, at 270-365-7541 ext. 240.
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