AVERAGE QUALITY IN PROCESSED BURLEY IS GOOD NEWS FOR GROWERS

Loading boxed burley at a Burley Stabilization Corporation warehouse in Springfield, Tn.

Good news for burley growers? Steve Pratt, general manager of the Burley Tobacco

Growers Cooperative Association in Lexington, Ky., says that despite the weather,

the first burley his cooperative has processed is useable leaf. "It doesn't look
bad," he says. "The quality appears in the average range." The yield won't be average,
however. Because of the weather, this is a very short crop. Pratt thinks there is
at least 110 million pounds out there but other reliable sources have estimated 
lower. It may be a while before a definite number is obtained because burley deliveries
are coming in very slowly, says Pratt.

When a market-depressing oversupply turns into a factor in market stability: Just
six months ago, burley inventories were considered excessive. Now, the industry 
is glad to have them to ensure that burley buyers will get what they need this season.

There's not much help for burley on the demand side: U.S. burley exports have dropped

by more than 30 percent during the past marketing year as the market adjusted to
 excessive global supplies of lower-priced leaf, says Will Snell, Kentucky Extension
tobacco economist. This trend was aided by a stronger U.S. dollar and slumping product
sales in some blended cigarette markets," says Snell. Domestic demand for U.S. burley
remains relatively weak as the market reverts back to more traditional annual declines
in U.S. cigarette sales. Another factor is the continued use of a relatively high
volume of imported burley.

No hurry to seed your greenhouse. Seeding of flue-cured greenhouses should begin 

50 to 55 days before your anticipated transplanting date, and there is very

little benefit from seeding sooner, say N.C. Extension crop scientists. "Early seeding
increases heating costs as well as the potential for collar rot," they say.

Beating budworm without Belt: Registration for Belt (flubendiamide) has been canceled 

due to concerns about non-target effects on aquatic invertebrates. “Blackhawk appears 
to be essentially the only foliar-applied material we can widely recommend for tobacco 

budworm,” says Hannah Burrack, N.C. Extension Entomologist.

The 2017 Tobacco Expo will take place January 19 and 20 at the Lexington (Ky.) Convention  Center. 

Exhibitors will include Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association; Council for Burley Tobacco, Inc.;

 Arysta Life-Science; Syngenta LLC.; F.W. Rickard Seeds; Kentucky Department of Fish and 

Wildlife Resources; R. J. Equipment; Continental Industries, Inc.; AG-TECH; FarmLogic--Soil Test Pro; 

Kentucky Women in Agriculture; Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center; Kentucky 

Black Hereford Association; Workman Tobacco Seed, Inc.; Newton Seed, Inc.; AGSAFE; and Ohio 

Tobacco Museum.

There were some encouraging developments in 2016 for U.S. leaf, according to Blake

Brown, N.C. Extension economist.
* Global surpluses, especially of flavor-style flue-cured, were reduced.
* Despite continued reductions in cigarette consumption and increases in taxation
and regulation, industry profits remained strong.
* If "heat-not-burn" products catch on, it could favor leaf compared to vapor products.
* But exchange rates favored increased Brazilian production, and Brazilian flue-cured
production is up at around 1.4 billion pounds.

Opportunities for U.S. flavor-style leaf producers are in countries where smokers

are expected to 'trade up' to premium brand cigarettes, said Brown at N.C. Tobacco
Day in December.

DATES TO REMEMBER
* January 11-12. S.C. Agribiz and Farm Expo. Florence (S.C.) Civic Center. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (W) and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (T).
* January 19-20. 2017 Tobacco Expo. Opens 11 a.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. Friday.  Lexington
(Ky.) Convention Center.
* January 19. Annual Meeting, Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, 4 p.m., 

Heritage Hall, Lexington (Ky.) Convention Center (in conjunction with Tobacco Expo).
* January 20. Annual Meeting, Council for Burley Tobacco, Lexington (Ky.) Convention
Center. Noon (in conjunction with Tobacco Expo).
* February 1-3. Southern Farm Show. N.C. State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, N.C. 9 a.m.
 to 4 p.m.
* February 3. Annual Meeting, Tobacco Growers Association of N.C., Holshouser Bldg.,
N.C. State Fairgrounds. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., ending with lunch (during Southern Farm
Show).
* February 7, 8 a.m. Tobacco Expo, Robertson Co. Fairgrounds, 4635 Highway 41 North,
Springfield, Tn.

GAP TRAINING EVENTS

INDIANA (Burley)
* February 21, 1 p.m. Saddle Club, 710 Fairgrounds Rd., Scottsburg IN. Contact Megan
Voyles at mvoyles@purdue.edu or 812-752-8450.
* February 21, 6 p.m. Switzerland County Extension Ofc., 708 West Seminary St., 
Vevay IN. Contact Kyle Weaver at keweaver@purdue.edu or 812-427-3152.
* February 24 1 p.m. Orange County Extension Ofc., 205 East Main St., Paoli IN. 
Contact Paul Vining at vining@purdue.edu or 812-723-2107.

KENTUCKY (Burley/Dark)
* January 17, 5:30 p.m. Cumberland Co. Extension Ofc., 90 Smith Grove Rd., Burkesville
KY. Chelsey Pickens at capick3@uky.edu or 606-387-5404.
* January 20, 9 a.m. Heritage Hall, 430 West Vine St., Lexington KY. Contact Bob
 Pearce at rpearce@uky.edu or 859-257-5110.
* January 24, 6 p.m. James E. Bruce Convention Ctr., 303 Conference Ctr. Dr., Hopkinsville
KY. Contact Andy Bailey at abailey@uky.edu or 270-365-7541.
* January 26, 11 a.m. Owensboro Convention Ctr., 501 W 2nd St., Owensboro KY. Contact
Andy Bailey at abailey@uky.edu or 270-365-7541.
* January 26, 6 p.m. Woodford County Extension Ofc., 184 Beasley Rd., Versailles
 KY. Contact Adam Probst at adam.probst@uky.edu or 859 873-4601.
* January 27, 9 a.m. Shelby County Extension Ofc., 1117 Frankfort Rd., Shelbyville
KY. Contact Corinne Belton at corinne.belton@uky.edu or 502-633-4593.
* January 27, 1 p.m. Henry County Extension Ofc., 2151 Campbellsburg Rd., New Castle
KY. Contact Levi Berg at levi.berg@uky.edu or 502-845-2811.
* January 30 6:30 p.m. Pendleton County Extension Ofc., 45 David Pribble Dr., Falmouth
KY. Contact Lindie Huffman at lindie.huffman@uky.edu or 859-654-3395 3480
* January 31, 5 p.m. Blewitt-Bradley Building, 309 North High St., Franklin KY. 
Contact Jason Phillips at jrphil0@uky.edu or 270-586-4484 .
* February 2, 6 p.m. Webster Co. Extension Ofc., 1118 US Hwy 41A, South Dixon KY.
Contact Vicki Shadrick at vshadric@uky.edu or 270-639-9011.
* February 7, 9 a.m. Green Co. Extension Ofc., 298 Happyville Rd., Greensburg. KY.
Contact Ricky Arnett at ricky.arnett@uky.edu or 270-932-5311.
* February 9, 6 p.m. Lincoln County Extension Ofc., 104 Metker Trail, Stanford KY.
Contact Will Stallard at will.stallard@uky.edu or 606-365-2459.
* February 22, 10 a.m. Pulaski County Extension Ofc., 18 Parkway Drive Somerset 
KY. Contact Beth Wilson at beth.wilson@uky.edu or 606-679-6361.
* February 28, 6 p.m. Allen County Extension Ofc., 200 East Main St., Scottsville
KY. Contact Steve Osborne at sosborne@uky.edu or 270-237-3146.
* March 7, 6 p.m. Nicholas County Livestock Barn, 1471 Concrete Rd., Carlisle KY.
Contact Clay Stamm at clay.stamm@uky.edu or 859-289-2312.
* March 9, 6 p.m. Owen County Extension Ofc., 265 Ellis Hwy, Owenton KY. Steve Musen
at steve.musen@uky.edu or 502-484 5703.
* March 21, 6:30 p.m. Barren County High School Trojan Academy, 505 Trojan Trail,
Glasgow KY. Contact Chris Shalk at chris.schalk@uky.edu or 270-651-3818.

TENNESSEE (Burley)
* January 30, 10 a.m. Stewart County Visitors Ctr., 117 Visitors Ctr. Lane, Dover
TN. Start time not final. Contact Joe Griffy at jgriffy1@utk.edu or 931-232-5682.
* February 7, 8 a.m. Robertson Co. Fairgrounds Bldg., 4635 Highway 41 North, Springfield
TN. GAP Training will be held in conjunction with Tobacco Expo, with sessions beginning
at 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Contact Eric Walker at ewalke22@utk.edu or 731-394-0389.
* February 20, 5 p.m. Montgomery County Extension Ofc., 1030 Cumberland Heights 
Rd., Ste. A, Clarksville TN. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Contact Rusty Evans at jevans1@utk.edu
or 931-648-5725.

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