A SURPRISE PROJECTION FROM USDA

Concentrating on top price: Auction manager Tommy Faulkner leads an auction sale at the American Tobacco Exchange in Wilson, N.C., a year ago. Auctions for the 2019 crop will begin next week at American Tobacco and two other warehouses (see below). Photo by Chris Bickers. USDA PROJECTS A BIGGER CROP THAN EXPECTED Despite extreme weather conditions over much of the Tobacco Belt earlier this season and reduced acreage for almost all types, USDA predicted in its August production report that:  Flue-cured growers will produce a volume of 314.7 million pounds, down only 7 percent from 2018,   Burley growers will produce a volume of 105.7 million pounds, up 5.2 percent from 2018, and  Dark air-cured growers will produce a volume of 28.6 million pounds, up 7.7 percent from 2018.  But fire-cured, Pennsylvania seedleaf and Southern Maryland were all projected down substantially.  Among the individual states and types, the projections were:  Flue-cured: NC---244 million pounds, down 2.7 percent. VA--35.7 million pounds, down 15 percent. GA--18 million pounds, down 24 percent. SC--17 million pounds, down 23.2 percent. Burley: KY--90 million pounds, up 12.5 percent. TN--8 million pounds, down 11.2 percent. PA--5.75 million pounds, down 34.6 percent. VA--1.26 million pounds, down 16 percent. NC --720,000 pounds, down 36 percent. Other types: Fire-cured--47 million pounds, down 19 percent. Dark air-cured--28.66 million pounds, up 7.7 percent. Pa. Seedleaf-- 5.06 million pounds, 8.3 percent down. Southern Maryland--2.3 million pounds, down 25.3 percent.    All tobacco production was forecast at 504 million pounds, down five percent from 2018. Yield for the 2019 crop year is forecast at 2,110 pounds per acre, 280 pounds above last year. Area harvested, at 238,920 acres, is down 18 percent from last year. If realized, this will be the lowest harvested acreage on record.   AUCTION WAREHOUSE OPENINGS begin next week: August 21--Horizon Ltd., 1723 Goldsboro St. So., Wilson, N.C. Live & silent auctions. Contact Kenneth Kelly at 252 292 8822. August 21-American Tobacco Exchange, 2101 Miller Rd., Wilson, NC. Live auction. Contact auction manager Tommy Faulkner at 910 585 2708.  August 21--Coastal Piedmont, 1291 Johnston Parkway, Kenly, N.C. Auction sales. Wednesday, August 21. Contact Mickey Pegram at 270 932 1830, Roger Stanley at 919 628 9075 or the office at 919 284 0504. August 27--Old Belt Tobacco Sales, 1395 Old Belt Way, Rural Hall, N.C. Live auctions. Flue-cured and burley will be sold. Contact Dennis White at 336 416 6262 or the warehouse switchboard at 336 969 6891. September 5--Virginia-Carolina Tobacco Warehouse, 11621 US Hwy. 15 South, Clarksville, Va. Contact 434 736 2130. NOTE: All the warehouses listed above will auction flue-cured. Old Belt Tobacco will also auction burley. If any warehouses other than those listed here will be auctioning flue-cured this season, please contract me at 919 789 4631--Chris Bickers. DATES TO REMEMBER August 24, 10 a.m.-3 pm. Harvest and Hornworm Festival. Duke Homestead State Historic Site, Durham NC. For more information, call (919) 627 - 6990.