WHERE YOU CAN AUCTION FLUE-CURED LEAF

Making merger a reality: Kenneth Kelly (center) describes his plans for a new auction warehouse company combining Wilson, N.C., companies Horizon Ltd. and Big M Tobacco. Listening are employees Fred Sorrell (left) and Billy "Buzzard" Nichols. Kelly will manage the new auction, which will be held in the Big M warehouse in Wilson. 

There will be one new flue-cured auction this season. The Virginia-Carolina Tobacco Warehouse is located at 11621 US Hwy. 15 South in Clarksville, Va. It is roughly halfway between Raleigh and Richmond and five miles north of the N.C. state line. Call 434 736 2130 for more information. This warehouse will be operated by Mac Bailey and his family who were until recently the owners of Baileys cigarette brands and who as buyers strongly supported auction sales since they were revived about 10 years ago.

But there will be one less flue-cured warehouse in Wilson, N.C. Big M Tobacco, which occupied the historic warehouse at the corner of Goldsboro St. and Ward Blvd., has merged with Horizon Ltd., which for the last three years has conducted auctions in a building on Black Creek Road, will conduct both live and silent auctions once a week in the Big M building. Speak to Kenneth Kelly at 252 292 8822 for more information ...A long history: The Goldsboro St./Ward Blvd. building was the Liberty Tobacco ware house for many years before it was acquired by Big M. Before that it was the Centre Brick warehouse. It was built in 1950.

The American Tobacco Exchange will again offer live auctions at its location on  2101 Miller Rd. in Wilson. Call auction manager Tommy Faulkner at 910 585 2708 for more information. "This could be a good crop in this area," Faulkner says. "We have had unusually hot and dry weather up till this week. But now we have gotten some water, and the temperature has backed off."

Old Belt Tobacco Sales will conduct live auctions again this season in his warehouse near Rural Hall, says owner Dennis White. Call him at 336 416 6262 for more information. The Rural Hall area got two inches or more of rain Tuesday to end what had been a bit of a hot, dry spell. Tobacco reacted very well. "It has been a hot summer, but the temperatures have been lower since heavy rains fell on July 23," White says. Farmers in the area around Winston-Salem have just started priming. "We seem to have the best crop we've had in several years," he says. "It appears to be heavy with good quality."

Watch for a report on burley auctions in a future issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter.

In other tobacco news:

FLUE-CURED

The heat wave and drought had created some up and down crops in much of North Carolina prior to July 23. In Franklin County, N.C., north of Raleigh, some tobacco there was only knee high, while some was head height. In Craven County, between Greenville and Wilmington, heat and lack of rainfall had stressed crops and delayed field work, and insect pests had reached threshold levels in a few scattered fields.

In Virginia, flue-cured growers got relief from the heat and drought a week sooner than N.C., when rainstorms fell Monday through Thursday last week. In Greensville County on the Southside, 1 ½ to three inches fell in most places. Water was standing in some fields, causing some drowning. In some locations it was too wet to get equipment in for herbicide applications.

In Georgia, an estimated 28 percent of the crop had been harvested, while in South Carolina, 74 percent had been topped and 10 percent harvested.

BURLEY & DARK

In Kentucky, precipitation from remnants of Tropical Storm Barry fell early last week in many tobacco areas. But it was followed later in the week by excessive heat, and the crop showed signs of stress. An estimated 37 percent of the crop was blooming, and 15 percent had been topped by July 22.

In Tennessee, little field work could be done last week, due to off and on rain showers. Topping and sucker control progressed as producers could get into fields. The crop generally looks good. "However, we could use a little drier weather for a while," said an Extension agent. The USDA report estimated that 43 percent of the tobacco had been topped.

The season started out wet, and it stayed wet in Macon County, Tennessee, and Monroe and Allen Counties in neighboring Kentucky. "One farmer with 100 acres of burley got four inches of rain in two hours last Friday (July 19). It fell hard, and the soil already had had too much water," says Keith Allen, Macon Co. Extension director. I am not sure if he is going to make anything." One small bit of good news. "It has been sunny with lower humidity this week, and we have been able to get field work done."

Yield potential has definitely been lowered in this area, which lies north and east of Nashville, says Allen, but as with tobacco everywhere, good weather from now to season's end could lead to some recovery. Allen makes a very rough estimate of production in the county at 2 ½ million to three million pounds, a big reduction from the seven million plus pounds of just a few years ago. Much of that is due to reduced plantings since Alliance One ceased buying American burley before last season. It formerly bought a lot of burley in this area.

DATES TO REMEMBER

GAP Farm Safety & Compliance Events:

GAP Connections will host a number of Farm Safety & Compliance Training Events this summer. Attendees will rotate through interactive stations as they learn about safety and compliance topics required by the GAP Program. Registration is free except that at some, there will also be an opportunity to earn CPR & AED certification during the events at a registration fee of $25. You must pre-register. For more details, visit www. gapconnections .com or call GAP Connections at (865) 622-4606. Dates and places appear below.

• August  5, 5 p.m. Danville, KY. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.
• August 5, 5 p.m. Danville, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 9 a.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 9 a.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. $25.
• August 7, 2 p.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 2 p.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Includes CPR Certification(Growers only). $25.
• August 9, 9 a.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Free.
• August 9, 9 a.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.
• August 9, 2 p.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Free.
• August 9, 2 p.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.

A FIVE PERCENT SMALLER FLUE-CURED CROP?

A flue-cured field in Wilson, N.C.

USDA PROJECTION:

Flue-cured production in the United States has been projected at 320 million pounds by USDA. That would be five percent less than in 2018 and the lowest production for this type on record. Area harvested, projected at 159,000 acres, is 20 percent below last year and 6,000 acres less than USDA projected in March. Yield for the 2019 flue-cured is forecast at 2,015 pounds per acre, 303 pounds above last year. USDA will estimate production of burley and other types and flue-cured again in August.

Field reports:

FLUE-CURED

In Virginia, in Greensville County in the southeast corner of the state, almost all tobacco has been topped, the county agent reports. Two rain events last week brought much needed moisture. In neighboring Brunswick County, storms last weekend brought wind and spotty showers. The rain helped, but more is needed 

In North Carolina, a good rain is also needed in much of the Piedmont. The high temperatures and  humidity are leading to stress, says Paul Westfall, Extension agent in Granville County. "Tobacco is looking good in some areas, not so good in others." Topping and sucker control is under way, he adds. 

In South Carolina, 100 percent of the crop has been planted, 45 percent has been topped, but none harvested. In Georgia, all has been planted, 68 percent has been topped and roughly seven percent has been harvested.

BURLEY AND DARK

In Kentucky, the crop is 95 percent set with 12 percent in bloom.

In Tennessee, all but seven percent of the crop has been set, and nine percent topped. In Cheatham County, just west of Nashville, pop up showers, producing heavy rain at times, reportedly kept most or the field work to a minimum last week. Some tobacco was topped and sucker control applied. In Wilson County, just east of Nashville, spotty rains across the county caused feast for some growers and famine for others. "Feast folks cannot get field work done, and famine folks need rain," said Extension agent A. Ruth Correll.

In Virginia, Grayson County in the Blue Ridge mountains had yet to see a significant dry spell of the type you expect most years by July 8. But it reportedly has not been excessively wet, meaning that growing conditions have been good.

In western North Carolina: 96 percent of the burley crop had been set by July 8. Weather conditions last week were reportedly on the warm side with slightly above average temperatures. Scattered rain showers and afternoon thunderstorms limited some field activities in Yancey County, on the Tennessee line--most areas receiving between 1.75 to three inches of rain for the week.

In other tobacco news:

Another foreign competitor! The southwest African country of Namibia is cooperating with a Chinese company in a proposed joint venture to create a 10,000-hectare tobacco-producing operation in the country's northeast. To put that in perspective, that level of plantings would be about equal to what South Carolina and Georgia together planted last year. The venture has obtained some but not all of the government approvals it will need for the project, which will also produce corn. The type to be grown has not been specified but is assumed to be flue-cured, since that is what China has typically imported. Whatever the type, the tobacco will be  100 percent exported to China.

DATES TO REMEMBER

• July 22, 8:30 a.m. N.C. Organic Commodities Field Day. Ends 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch. Cunningham Research Station, 200 Cunningham Rd., Kinston, N.C.
• July 23, 9 a.m. Tobacco Tour-Field Day, Upper Coastal Plain Research, 2811 Nobles Mill Pond Rd., Rocky Mount, N.C. Ends approximately 3 p.m.   Register at  ncsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ex791rQ0C8LZ5dj.
• August 13, 9 a.m. The Kentucky Burley Tobacco Industry Tour will be held at the University of Kentucky Spindletop Research Farm in Lexington. It will end about 3 p.m. Please note: The event will last one day only.

GAP Farm Safety & Compliance Events:

GAP Connections will host a number of Farm Safety & Compliance Training Events this summer. Attendees will rotate through interactive stations as they learn about safety and compliance topics required by the GAP Program. Registration is free except that at some, there will also be an opportunity to earn CPR & AED certification during the events at a registration fee of $25. You must pre-register. For more details, visit www.gapconnections.com or call GAP Connections at (865) 622-4606. Dates and places appear below.

• August  5, 5 p.m. Danville, KY. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.
• August 5, 5 p.m. Danville, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 9 a.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 9 a.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. $25.
• August 7, 2 p.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 2 p.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Includes CPR Certification(Growers only). $25.
• August 9, 9 a.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Free.
• August 9, 9 a.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.
• August 9, 2 p.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Free.
• August 9, 2 p.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.

HARVEST BEGINS IN THE DEEP SOUTH

There's been some early black shank in Georgia (above) but so far it has been manageable, in part because of adoption of a three-pronged control strategy. "Our growers have done a good job of finding resistant varieties and then implementing the three-step control program: Orondis and Ridomil in the transplant water, Presidio at first cultivation and Ridomil at layby cultivation,"says J. Michael Moore, Extension tobacco specialist. "It should be followed on any farm that has a history of black shank."

HARVEST BEGINS IN THE DEEP SOUTH

FLUE-CURED

Harvest has begun in Florida and Georgia. "But just by a few farmers," says Moore. "It will get going in earnest starting next week." It appears to be a good crop so far, he says. "We are finishing topping and sucker control now." Plantings in Georgia and Florida appear to have been reduced 30 to 35 percent, says Moore. "We might wind up with acreage in the 8,250 acre range," he says. He doesn't see much interest in growers in planting beyond their contracts. 

South Carolina: Farmers haven't started harvesting. "Normally, we would expect to start by the first week of July but that isn't happening this year," says William Hardee, S.C. area Extension agronomy agent. "The crop is just not

ready. Due to the dry weather, we are a little behind schedule, and in some areas, we have seen some premature    flowering." Scattered thunder storms accom-panied by winds blew down tobacco, mainly in the GreenSea/ Nichols area. "Wounded roots opened the door for serious bacterial wilt infestation," says Hardee.  Note: Plantings are definitely down in South Carolina. Hardee says acreage--which was around 14,000 acres last season--could be as low as 10,000 this year.

North Carolina: Farmers have experienced extreme heat and drought since early May. "But it's been broken by extreme rainfall in short spurts or isolated thunderstorms that build almost out of nowhere," says Matthew C. Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "All things considered, we really do have a fine crop with a lot of potential remaining ahead of us."

Rain is in the forecast, and farmers will gladly take it, says Vann. "I'd argue that a good soaking rain that gives us an inch or a little more will finish pushing most of this crop into flowering. 

There have been few widespread issues in N.C. There was some sand blasting and hail early on that resulted in replanting. "Since then, the major issue has been excessive rain, felt hardest in parts of eastern Wake County," Vann says. 

Virginia: In Greensville County, topping will reportedly start soon. First observations of hornworm eggs and larvae feeding on tobacco leaves were made last week.

BURLEY AND DARK

Kentucky: Heavy ongoing rains in June in western Kentucky damaged burley and dark. "One farmer nearby got nine inches of rain in eight days," says Rod Kuegel of Owensboro. "We didn't get quite that much but I expect to have to bush hog sometobacco, which is something we rarely do."  For the area, he thinks there has already been a 20 percent loss.

Tennessee: All but eight percent of the crop had been set by June 30. Four percent had been topped. In Macon County near Nashville, an overa-bundance of rain and storms have halted set-ting and all field work. In Cheatham County, also near Nashville, very little field work could be done last week until Friday or Saturday due to pop-up thunderstorms with heavy rains. In Robertson County, north of Nashville, angular leafspot has appeared in dark fire-cured on several farms.

North Carolina: 91 percent of the burley crop has been planted. Drier weather conditions last week allowed growers to get into fields in Yancey County in the mountains.

DATES TO REMEMBER

• July 22, 8:30 a.m. N.C. Organic Commodities Field Day. Ends 12:30 p.m., followed by lunch. Cunningham Research Station, Kinston, 200 Cunningham Rd., Kinston, N.C.
• July 23, 9 a.m. Tobacco Tour-Field Day, Upper Coastal Plain Research, 2811 Nobles Mill Pond Rd., Rocky Mount, N.C. Ends approximately 3 p.m.  Register at  ncsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ex791rQ0C8LZ5dj.
• August 13 9 a.m. The Kentucky Burley Tobacco Industry Tour will be held at the University of Kentucky Spindletop Research Farm in Lexington. It will end about 3 p.m. Note: The event will last one day only.

GAP Farm Safety & Compliance Events:

GAP Connections will host a number of Farm Safety & Compliance Training Events this summer. Attendees will rotate through interactive stations as they learn about safety and compliance topics required by the GAP Program. Registration is free except that at some, there will also be an opportunity to earn CPR & AED certification during the events at a registration fee of $25. You must pre-register. For more details, visit www.gapconnections.com or call GAP Connections at (865) 622-4606. Dates and places appear below.

• July 9, 10 a.m. New Holland, PA. English. Free.
• July 11, 9 a.m. Wylliesburg, VA. English. Includes CPR Certification(Growers only). Registration $25.
• July 11, 9 a.m. Wylliesburg, VA. English / Spanish. Free.
• August  5, 5 p.m. Danville, KY. English. Includes CPR Certification(Growers only). $25.
• August 5, 5 p.m. Danville, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 9 a.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 9 a.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. $25.
• August 7, 2 p.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Free.
• August 7, 2 p.m. Hardinsburg, KY. English. Includes CPR Certification(Growers only). $25.
• August 9, 9 a.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Free.
• August 9, 9 a.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.
• August 9, 2 p.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Free.
• August 9, 2 p.m. Gallatin, TN. English. Includes CPR Certification (Growers only). $25.