 |
How to move plant trays around easily. Craig West of Fremont, N.C., and his wife Nell stopped to look at a plant tray conveyance at the Wilson Manufacturing exhibit at the Southern Farm Show. Said G.H. Wilson, "It is 20 feet long and holds 240 trays and is built so you can easily access the trays once you arrive."
HOW MUCH CAN YOU AFFORD TO
INVEST TO GROW YOUR 2017 CROP?
Why burley growers are reluctant to buy: Rod Kuegel, who grows dark and burley near Owensboro, Ky., attended the Tobacco Show in Lexington, Ky., on January 19 and 20 and didn't notice many burley and dark growers seeking to make major investments in new equipment. "We had such a damaged crop from water in 2016 that growers are a little reluctant to make big purchases."
Welcome to the February II issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter. If you haven't signed on to receive the newsletter regularly or need to change an address, please click on "Join our mailing list" and follow the prompts. For more information, you can call me at 919-789-4631 or email me at chrisbickers@gmail.com.--Chris Bickers
Too much rain in July: Weather conditions last summer certainly didn't lead to enthusiasm for purchasing machinery. George Marks, who grows dark and burley near Clarksville, Tn., attended the Southern Farm Show. In an interview during the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. meeting on the Show's last day, he said the 2017 dark crop in Tennessee and Kentucky was one of the worst ever. Burley there finished badly too. "There was too much rain in the month of July. Much of both crops drowned out. A lot of us should probably look for better-drained soils to plant dark tobacco on."
The yield was way down on burley at about 1,400 pounds per acre, said Marks, who is the president of the Burley Stabilization Corporation cooperative (BSC). A normal burley crop would yield 2,200 to 2,400 pounds per acre. Dark yielded about 2,400 pound per acre. Compare that to a normal yield of about 3,300 pounds per acre, Marks said. Dark did better at the market. "The outlook for dark is good right now," said Marks. "Snuff sales are still trending upward."
Cleaning trays with steam: Craig West of Fremont, N.C., stopped by the Long Tobacco Barns exhibit at the Southern Farm Show. He'd bought a Long Steaming Eagle tray steamer and expected to begin running it soon, probably four times a day, steaming 2,400 trays a day. That's enough to fill a 200-foot greenhouse. "We were forced into using the steamer, but it has proved better than methyl bromide. It does a better job of dis-ease control, but methyl bromide was easier to use." NOTE: More on the new steamers and the new easy-to-clean plant trays will appear in the next issue.
Who knows how many sales will be made? Tom Pharr of MarCo Manufacturing said his trip to the show had not been very encouraging. "The traffic was not heavy. But you never know: I have 'priced' everything I have, and who knows where that will lead?" Probably the most interest at the MarCo booth was in the harvesters, but not by a whole lot. "Also, our curing controls have attracted attention," said Pharr. "I think we will make some sales."
No falloff for some companies. "We have more orders than we had at this time in 2015 or 2016," said Mack Grady, president of Cureco in Seven Springs, N.C., in an interview as the Southern Farm Show. "That's a surprise to us, since we are doing the same things we did in those years." But it could just be random. "It certainly seems like this season will likely be down in production," he said.
Leadership in farm labor recognized: The president of the North Carolina Growers Association, Len Wester, received the President's Award for Leadership from the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C at its meeting on February 5. Other award recipients included: Distinguished Service Award: Zane Hedgecock, chief of staff, N.C. Department of Agriculture. Extension Service Award: Matthew Vann; Lifetime Century Member: Marion Hawkins Jr. of GoldLeaf Seed; Farm Family of the Year: The
Isley Family Farms, Rockingham County; and Outstanding Directors for 2017: Brent Leggett, Nash County and Randy Smith, Lenoir County.
A young farmer and a farmer organization leader were honored at the annual "Breakfast with the Commissioner" held by the Tobacco Farm Life Museum on February 5 in Raleigh at the Southern Farm Show. Brandon Batten of Four Oaks, N.C., was named "Innovative Young Farmer of the Year", sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina. Jimmy Gentry, president of the N.C. State Grange, received the Excellence in Agriculture Award, sponsored by Wells Fargo.
A short course to update young N.C. growers and others on the realities of 21st Century tobacco production: 46 young N.C. tobacco growers, Extension agents, research station managers and technicians, and agronomists participated recently in the 2017 N.C. State Tobacco Short Course in Raleigh. It was conducted by the N.C. Tobacco Foundation with the N.C. State University College of Agriculture. Funding for the program was provided by the N.C. Tobacco Research Commission and the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. Participants were:
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.