DESPITE RAINS, PLANTING MAKES GOOD PROGRESS

A setting crew on a farm near Kenly, N.C., prepares to head to the field again with flue-cured transplants (file photo by Chris Bickers).

Torrential rains on the night of April 24 and the following morning brought field work to a halt and lead to extensive flooding in most of the flue-cured area of N.C. In Raleigh, as in many other locations, the slow-moving storm set a record on the 24th for the month of April at 4.5 inches. In Kinston, in the 30 hours starting at noon on April 24, it reached 7.04 inches.

Much of the Tar Heel flue-cured crop had been planted by the time the rains fell. "Some growers started the week of the 4th, but most started the week of the 10th,"says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "Conditions so far have been pretty good, and we are making good progress. But with saturated soils, we may not make so much progress this week." Wednesday, fortunately, was clear.

About 70 percent of the S.C. crop had been transplanted when the rain started. "Most fields look good," says William Hardee, S.C. area Extension agronomy agent for Horry and Marion counties in the Pee Dee. "There was a little sunscald and wind damage." The soil temperature had been very high when the plants went in, but there were no real issues to this point. "It had been hot and dry in April, so the late April storms will come in handy if it doesn't rain too much," he says. "Once we get back in the field and cultivate, I think we are looking at a good crop." He calculated that contracts had been cut by 15 to 20 percent on conventional flue-cured and 40 to 50 percent on organic tobacco.

If you received some of this excess moisture, consider adjusting for leaching. Where rain fall exceeds two inches, Vann says, consider replacing 100 percent of all nitrogen applied to date. Where rainfall is less than two inches, consider replacing no more than 50 percent. Additional adjustments can be made closer to layby if needed, based on crop response. Apply one pound of potassium for every pound of nitrogen, says Vann. "Potassium is not as leachable as nitrogen and is typically applied at a 2:1 ratio. Therefore, adjusting at a 1:1 ratio will bring the nutrients back to the preferred balance."

Remember: Auxin herbicides and tobacco do not mix. The new technologies that will allow more extensive use of auxin herbicides on cotton and soybeans set the stage for potentially damaging contamination of tobacco plantings. Drift from wind during application of 2,4-D and dicamba can lead to physical contact. Both chemicals can also vaporize and spread to neighboring fields through volatilization.

Tobacco losses from auxin herbicides cannot be measured only in pounds per acre, says Vann. "There are also losses in marketing opportunities."  Auxin herbicides are not labeled for use in production of tobacco. "Therefore, if a drift event (physical or vapor) occurs, residues of a pesticide not labeled for production can be found on cured leaves."  The response from purchasers will certainly be negative.  

Words to remember: "It is my firm belief that the damage done to the reputation of U.S. tobacco because of illegal residues is much greater than the reduced leaf yield done through physical injury," says Vann.  

And it can be even worse for organic tobacco growers. "A drift event could jeopardize organic certification," Vann says. "It would likely require a three-year interval for organic re-certification."

One way you can help yourself: "Know your neighbors and be sure they know you," says Don Fowlkes, manager of agronomy, Burley Stabilization Corporation. "If you have a neighbor who has pastures and fence rows (or crop land) that might be sprayed, be sure they know the location of your tobacco fields. Visiting them ahead of time can go a long way toward preventing problems."

Correction: The company Contraf-Nicotex-Tobacco, which TFN identified in the last issue as a Brazilian company, is actually headquartered in Germany with activity in Brazil. It has recently associated itself with  United Tobacco Company.

USDA PROJECTIONS: BURLEY ACRES UP 7%, FLUE -CURED DOWN 4%

Gearing up for planting in eastern North Carolina. File shot by Chris Bickers. USDA PLANTING PROJECTIONS Released March 31, 2016 HIGHLIGHTS: Flue-cured plantings are projected to be down four percent. The biggest percentage decrease among flue-cured states is projected for Georgia at 11 percent. N.C. acreage is projected to be down three percent...Burley plantings are projected to be up seven percent. Tennessee plantings are projected up a substantial 13 percent, with Kentucky up seven percent...Dark air-cured is projected up nine per cent...Fire-cured is projected up six percent. FLUE-CURED: North Carolina--160,000 acres, down three percent from 2016. Virginia--21,000 acres, down five percent from 2016.Georgia--12,000 acres, down 11 percent from 2016. South Carolina---12,000 acres, down eight percent from 2016. All U.S. flue-cured 205,000 acres, down four percent from 2016. BURLEY: Tennessee--13,500 acres, up 13 percent from 2016.  Kentucky-- 65,000 acres, up seven percent  from 2016. Pennsylvania-- 4,700 acres, down two percent from 2016. Virginia--1,100 acres, down eight percent from 2016. N.C.--1,000 acres, same as in 2016. All U.S. burley--85,300 acres, up seven percent from 2016. DARK AIR-CURED: Kentucky--5,300 acres, 10 percent above 2016. Tennessee--1,250 acres, up four percent from 2016. All U.S. dark air-cured--6,550 acres, up nine percent from 2016.  FIRE-CURED: Kentucky--10,000 acres, up five percent from 2016. Tennessee--7,500 acres, up seven percent from 2016. Virginia--250 acres, down four percent from 2016. All U.S. fire-cured -- 17,750, acres, up six percent from 2016. CIGAR FILLER: Pennsylvania -- 1,600 acres, same as in 2016.   SOUTHERN MARYLAND: Pennsylvania--1,800 acres, same as in 2016. ALL U.S. TOBACCO--318,000 acres, down one percent since 2016. Other tobacco news: A Brazilian connection: The leaf dealer United Tobacco Company (UTC US) of Wilson, N.C., now has a new parent company. UTC International--also located in Wilson, N.C.--will manage UTC US along with its new associated company, Contraf-Nicotex-Tobacco (CNT) of Brazil. Dirk Siemann, managing director of CNT, said, "This is an important step for our group as it will significantly widen our leaf footprint into these two important leaf markets, the U.S. and Brazil." New hotline on hot topics: GAPConnections is making available to tobacco growers a risk management hotline service designed to help growers manage their workforce and reduce their exposure to employment related liability. "The Human Resource and Legal Hotline will allow GAP Connections members to obtain guidance from experienced employment attorneys," says GAP Connections Executive Director Jane Chadwell. To access the hotline, you can call  (866) 823 - 6333 or email  LittlerHRhelp@ littler.com. Be prepared to provide your name, your GAP Connections Grower ID#, your geographic location, type of issue, your phone number and email address if available. For more informa-tion, please contact Chadwell at 865.622.4606 ext. 104 or JChadwell@gapconnections.com. We hope you have enjoyed the April I issue. If you would like a copy of each issue sent to your email address, click on Join Our Mailing List below and fill out the short question. Questions? Call editor Chris Bickers at 919 789 4631.

BLUE MOLD BREAKS OUT IN GEORGIA GREENHOUSES

FLORIDA-GEORGIA: Blue mold showed up on flue-cured plants in two south Georgia greenhouses in March. The infestations appear to be under control, and the two new fungicides Presidio and Orondis should help any future outbreaks. But Georgia Extension agronomist J. Michael Moore notes something strange. "We went 10 years without any blue mold, but now we have had it two years in a row?" Likely factor: This was "the year without a winter" in Georgia, and that may have created favorable conditions for development of blue mold. ..Transplanting is getting going. "Many plants in Florida and Georgia will soon be ready for transplanting," says Moore. "A few farmers began transplanting in the middle of last week, but this week and the next will be when it really gets going"...There continues to be a shortage of Telone II, and delivery of what is available is being delayed. "This creates a great opportunity for the new non-fumigant nematicide Nimitz from Adama," Moore says.

KENTUCKY: Is dark tobacco in serious danger from federal regulation? A federal regulation now being considered could have a disastrous effect on the marketing of smokeless tobacco products in this country. "This proposed rule would have a devastating economic impact on dark tobacco growers and businesses," Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said. "It would have the effect of banning the sale of smokeless tobacco in the U.S. Quarles asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to direct the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw the proposal because FDA had not accurately estimated the economic impact of the rule and did not propose a standard that was "technically achievable." The main problem is that the proposal would limit the N-Nitrosonornicotine level in finished smokeless tobacco products to one part per million. This limitation probably cannot be met, Quarles said.

NORTH CAROLINA--In Granville County, N.C., Extension agent Paul Westfall said cold weather has affected tobacco greenhouses there, "especially those without good air distribution from heat sources." Diseases are showing up due to high humidity and low ventilation, he said. "Several growers have reported salt damage to seedlings." In Greene County, N.C., tobacco transplants look very good in the greenhouse, says Roy Thagard, Extension agent. "I do wish we had more moisture in fields. I'm always nervous when planting season starts out dry."

VIRGINIA--The outlook appears good for Virginia flue-cured and dark fire-cured, says Bill Scruggs of the Virginia Department of Agriculture. "We are getting some much-needed rain," he says. Contract volume for conventional flue-cured appears about the same as last year. But the organic volume is down... After a period of inactivity, the Virginia tobacco growers association has resumed operating. An annual meeting is scheduled for tonight (March 28) in Halifax, with new president Jay Jennings of Chase City, Va., presiding. Watch for a report in a future issue of TFN.

KENTUCKY: Is dark tobacco in serious danger from federal regulation? A federal regulation now being considered could have a disastrous effect on the marketing of smokeless tobacco products in this country. "This proposed rule would have a devastating economic impact on dark tobacco growers and businesses," Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said. "It would have the effect of banning the sale of smokeless tobacco in the U.S." Quarles asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price to direct the Food and Drug Administration to withdraw the proposal because FDA had not accurately estimated the economic impact of the rule and did not propose a standard that was "technically achievable." The main problem is that the proposal would limit the N-Nitrosonornico- tine level in finished smokeless tobacco products to one part per million. This limitation probably cannot be met, Quarles said.

A new leader for export promotion:  Hank Mozingo (right) was elected President of Tobacco Associates at the organization's recent annual meeting in Wilson, N.C., on March 1. He had in recent years served as Vice President. He replaces Kirk Wayne, who retired at the meeting after 47 years of service with Tobacco Associates. The organization is exclusively devoted to the promotion of U.S. flue-cured exports. Mozingo will work from the organization's office in Raleigh.

GAP TRAINING EVENTS

TENNESSEE (Burley)

• April 6, 6:30 PM. Appalachian Fair Grounds, Building 1, Lakeview St., Johnson City TN. Contact Anthony Shelton at ashelton@utk.edu or 423 753 1680.