A MACHINERY EXTRAVAGANZA IN A TIGHT YEAR FOR FARM INVESTMENTS

Farm machinery for sale is assembled on the floor of Dorton Arena at the North Carolina State Fair Grounds in preparation for the Southern Farm Show in Raleigh on February 5, 6 and 7. The Southern Farm Show begins next Wednesday, and as always there will be a vast array of new equipment for tobacco farmers. With the grim prospects for 2020, it is much to be questioned how much demand those farmers are going to come with. But prices will probably be good, and you can probably expect opportunities for favorable credit. So if you need some labor-reducing or quality-increasing equipment, this might be the year to make a good deal. Details about the Show: It takes place in Raleigh on February 5, 6 and 7 at the North Carolina State Fair Grounds. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Admission is free and there is no charge for parking. The main parking is located on Trinity Road (off Blue Ridge Rd. just north of the Fair Grounds). For more information, go to https://southernshows.com. The annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. will take place at the Southern Farm Show on February 7. It starts at 10 a.m. in the Holshouser Building and ends at lunch. GAP training will be available afterward. SOUTHERN FARM SHOW EXHIBITS OF  SPECIAL INTEREST TO TOBACCO FARMERS Jim Graham Bldg.   102 Brock Equipment Co. 222 Evans Mactavish Agricraft. 227 Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment. 302 Hardee by EVH Manufacturing Co. Sprayers. 704 (also 8131) Agri Supply. Agricultural materials. 807 Mechanical Transplanter Company. Transplanters, seeding equipment for hemp. tobacco, and vegetables. 808 BulkTobac (Gas Fired Products). Curing equipment and controls. Kerr Scott Bldg.  1002 TriEst Ag Group. Fumigation supplies. 1015 Yara North America. Fertility products. 1107 Flue Cured Tobacco Services. Curing controls. 1104 GoldLeaf Seed Co. Tobacco seed. 1120 BeltWide Inc. Transplant technology. 1115 Transplant Systems. Greenhouse systems.   1116 Cross Creek Seed. Tobacco seed. 1121 AAA Scale Co. 1201 Carolina Greenhouse & Soil Company. 1202 Reddick Equipment Company Inc.  Manufacturer of spraying equip-ment. 1213 H&H Farm Machinery. "Building sprayers your way since 1978." 1302 Mid-Atlantic Irrigation Co. 1415 Spapperi (Italy). Setters and other tobacco mechanization. Exposition Bldg. 3127 (& 8611) Benchmark Buildings & Irrigation. Transplanters/irrigation. 3135 Southern Container Corporation of Wilson. Bale sheets and packaging.   3308 Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. 3311 Flame Engineering. Weed control with flame. 3520 First Products Inc. Fertilizer boxes for cultivators and tool bars. 3605 MarCo Mfg. Tobacco machinery. 3714 Suretrol Manufacturing. Curing Controls. Scott Tent 7025 Drexel Chemical Company. Sucker control chemicals. 7027 ABI Irrigation. Irrigation equipment. 7034 (&8012) Coastal AgroBusiness. A full-service agricultural solutions provider serving NC, SC, VA, ETN and NGA. 7302 Fairbanks Scale. 7322 Transplant Systems. A growing system company. Tent 1 5029 AmeriGas Propane. One stop shop for all propane delivered. 7334  BJ Williamson Greenhouses. Outdoors 8039 Vause Equipment Co. Farm equipment. 8208 Wilson Manufacturing. Farm trailers. 8204 Equipmax. Tobacco spray equipment. 8217 Granville Equipment. Tobacco and Hemp Machinery. 8301 De Cloet SRL. Tobacco machinery. 8510 Walters Air Assist Plant Release System. Plant release system.  8516 Mobilift of Burlington, N.C. Forklift sales and service. 8546 {& 227) Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment. IN OTHER TOBACCO NEWS... New soil treatments for 2020--The nematicide PicClor60 offers all the benefits of chloropicrin and adds enhanced nematode control by combining it with 1,3-D. While it is new for tobacco this year, PicClor60 has been one of the most widely used soil fumigation products in high value crops like vegetables and strawberries since the loss of methyl bromide. For more information, contact the manufacturer at www.triestag.com or visit the TriEst booth at the Southern Farm Show. Setting the chloropicrin record straight: Chloropicrin is sometimes described as having a soil sterilizing effect, but company representatives insist that is not true. "Chloropicrin improves soil microbiology by rebooting the microbial balance between beneficial and harmful organisms," says Drew Griffin, regional sales manager/Fumigants. "It does not sterilize the soil and it does not leave residue in the soil or plant." A still relatively new nematicide performed well in 2019. Majestene is gentle to the environment, says Hal Blackmore, southeast territorial sales manager for the manufacturer Marrone Bio. In a 2019 North Caroline State test for rootknot nematode, Majestene out-yielded Velum Prime, especially at a rate of two gallons per acre in transplant water and one gallon more 21 to 28 days later. It also suppresses wireworms. No waiting period is required after application, and it can be used in a no-till program. For more information, call Hal Blackmore at 904-570-0041. GAP Meetings in February and March   Feb 4, 10:30 am, Springfield, TN Feb 6, 10 am, Sutherlin, VA Feb 6, 6 pm, Lancaster, KY Feb 7, 1:30 pm, Raleigh, NC (at Southern Farm Show) Feb 10, 9 am, Calhoun, KY Feb 11, 10 am, Dixon, KY Feb 12, 10 am, Phenix, VA Feb 17, 6 pm, Cadiz, KY Feb 19, 1 pm, West Union, OH Feb 19, 7 pm, Gallipolis, OH Feb 24, 10 am, Kingsport, TN Feb 25, 10 am, Hopkinsville, KY Feb 26, 10 am, Owensboro, KY Feb 27,  10 am, Lexington, KY Feb 27, 5:30 pm, Central City, KY Mar 2, 6 pm, Owensboro, KY  Mar 3, 6 pm, Madison IN  Mar 3, 12 pm, Russellville, KY Mar 4, 12:30 pm, Tifton GA Mar 5, 10 am, Marion SC Mar 5, 6 pm, Greeneville TN Mar 10, 1 pm, Murray KY Visit us at booth 1104 at the Southern Farm Show.  Visit us at booth 1002 at the Southern Farm Show

MARKET SLUMPS FOR U.S. BURLEY-- BUT MALAWI TROUBLES COULD HELP

Burley auctions in Malawi could be severely affected by a ban on exports to the United States because of its use of illegal labor. See below for further details. File photo courtesy Star Tobacco. It was one of the worst burley crops in recent U.S. memory. "We had too much rain early, and it was hot and dry late, including the curing season," said Daniel Green, chief operating officer of Burley Stabilization Corporation. "And volume and quality were down." There was a lot of K color in the leaf. USDA had projected a nationwide crop of 100 million pounds. "But I think there was a lot of burley that never made it to the market. I am estimating 85 million pounds."   The burley market so far has been extremely sluggish, except for those few growers who managed to avoid the bad weather and produce good tobacco. "They are com-manding good prices," said Green. FYI: The only burley state that got good weather was Pen-sylvania, he add-ed.   But there is hope for new sales opportuni-ties: tobacco that is grown in Mala-wi, the worlds leading exporter of burley, has been banned from the United States since for alleged illegal labor practices. Last year, the U.S. imported 6.8 million kilos from Malawi. If the Malawians can't overcome the ban, this year's imports may be near zero. No doubt some of those orders will now be filled in the United States.   Cuba plans to increase its small burley tobacco production and plant up to 25,000 acres in the near future, some of them this year, state media on the island stand out on Monday. The increase will take place primarily in the western province of Pinar del Río, which produces the majority of Cuba's other types. Will China buy American tobacco this year or not? China trade is still a mystery, and solving it should be a top priority. "If we cannot quickly resolve the situation of escalating tariffs, China will continue to replace Virginia imports [and those of other tobacco states] with products from other countries that can enter at a lower tariff rate," said Jewel H. Bronaugh, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agri-culture in an interview with Virginia Business. "This will negate years of business nego-tiations and relationship build-ing with importers in China." Chinese customers are adapting to the new reality of essentially not being able to purchase from the U.S. and are forging relatio-nships with other producers.   The experiment with Connecticut broadleaf turned out reasonably well in Kentucky, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "It appears we planted 600 to 800 acres," Pearce says."Farmers seemed reasonably happy with the results. If there is a demand for this leaf next year, many of those who grew it in 2019 will seek to grow it again, and some new growers would like to get a chance." DATES TO REMEMBER The Southern Farm Show will take place February 5 to 7 at the North Carolina State Fair Ground in Raleigh. Watch for a special issue of TFN in about a week with more details about the Show, including an up-to-date exhibitor list. GAP Meetings   Feb 4, 10:30 am, Springfield, TN Feb 6,  10 am, Sutherlin, VA Feb 7, 1:30 pm, Raleigh, NC (at Southern Farm Show) Feb 10, 9 am, Calhoun, KY Feb 11, 10 am, Dixon, KY Feb 12, 10 am, Phenix, VA Feb 24, 10 am, Kingsport, TN Feb 25, 10 am, Hopkinsville, KY Feb 26, 10 am, Owensboro, KY Feb 27,  10 am, Lexington, KY Mar 2, 6 pm, Owensboro, KY  Mar 3, 6 pm, Madison IN  Mar 4, 12:30 pm, Tifton GA Mar 5, 10 am, Marion SC Mar 5, 6 pm, Greeneville TN Mar 10, 1 pm, Murray KY

MARKETING SEASON NEARLY COMPLETE

Farmers flow into a past Southern Farm Show. This year's show will take place February 5 to 7 in the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, N.C. See below for further details. Photo by the editor.

Tobacco stripping in Kentucky was estimated as of January 2 at 82 percent complete, said USDA in its December Crop Progress and Condition report. "[That] put[s] progress on par with historical levels for this juncture," the report said. December, by the way, marked the third straight month with above normal rainfall in Kentucky after a drought.

But many burley farmers suffered less-than-favorable curing conditions, says Ryan Quarles, commissioner of agriculture in Kentucky. The curing season was unfavorable in some areas of Kentucky "In my area of the state [the Bluegrass],

Visit us at the Southern Farm Show, booth 808.

the tobacco didn't properly cure," said Quarles, who's from Georgetown. "And now over the last couple of weeks, we've seen tobacco companies straight up reject buying tobacco that was grown this year, which means for a lot of our producers, they've lost the market." He told the Owensboro (Ky.) Messenger-Enquirer that he's heard from tobacco growers who are dropping the crop in 2020 because of poor returns and increased labor costs.

Lack of rainfall in the hottest parts of July and August damaged burley in upper east Tennessee, says Jason Crouch of Oak Hill Farm near Johnson City, Tn. "[We] probably didn't do as well in the field as we would've hoped," Crouch told TV station WJHL "It burnt up a little bit in the field and lost some weight." Crouch will grow tobacco again in 2020.

But the number of leaf producers in the area has really dropped in recent years. Anthony Shelton, Extension agent in Washington County, remembers that 20 years ago, "You couldn't drive two miles without seeing tobacco--here, there and everywhere," he said, "Now, you have to really get off the beaten path to find tobacco fields."

Uncertainty continues among most tobacco producers. "I don't know of a grower in North Carolina that has a plan for next year," Brent Leggett, Nashville, N.C., told National Public Radio at the end of last year's growing season, "Survival is the plan right now." N.C. commissioner of agriculture Steve Troxler added, "The question is, if I raise it, is it going to be profitable? And, you know, if you're not going to turn a profit, then why would you do it?"

OVERSEAS REPORT

Zimbabwe signup down: Registrations by farmers to grow tobacco in Zimbabwe in 2020 is 15 percent lower than a year ago, says the online publication Spotlight Zimbabwe. "Truth be told, farmers have lost interest in tobacco farming," said the Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Shadreck Makombe. "They felt cheated from last season. The cost of labor input was not commensurate with their earnings."

DATES TO REMEMBER

The Southern Farm Show starts Wednesday, February 5, and runs through Friday at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Gates open at 9 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Admission is free and there is no charge for parking. For more information about the Show, go to https://southernshows.com. 

Growers meet: The annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association will take place at the show on Friday, February 7. It starts at 10 a.m. in the Holshouser Building and ends at lunch. GAP training will be available afterward.

Tobacco-related exhibitors include (by building and exhibit number):

Jim Graham Bldg.  

• 102 Brock Equipment Co.
• 222 Evans Mactavish Agricraft.
• 227 Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment.
• 302 Hardee by EVH Manufacturing Co. Sprayers.
• 704 (also 8131) Agri Supply. Agricultural materials.
• 807 Mechanical Transplanter Co. Transplanters, seeding equipment for tobacco, vegetables and hemp.
• 808 BulkTobac (Gas Fired Products). Curing equipment and controls.

Kerr Scott Bldg. 

• 1002 TriEst Ag Group. Fumigation supplies.
• 1015 Yara North America. Fertility products.
• 1107 Flue Cured Tobacco Services. Curing controls.
• 1104 GoldLeaf Seed Co. Tobacco seed.
• 1120 BeltWide Inc. Transplant technology.
• 1115 Transplant Systems. Greenhouse systems.  
• 1116 Cross Creek Seed. Tobacco seed.
• 1121 AAA Scale Co.
• 1201 Carolina Greenhouse & Soil Company.
• 1202 Reddick Equipment Company Inc.  Manufacturer of spraying equipment.
• 1213 H&H Farm Machinery. "Building sprayers your way since 1978."
• 1302 Mid-Atlantic Irrigation Co.
• 1415 Spapperi (Italy). Setters and other tobacco mechanization.

Exposition Bldg.

• 3127 (& 8611) Benchmark Buildings & Irrigation. Transplanters/irrigation.
• 3135 Southern Container Corporation of Wilson. Bale sheets and packaging.  
• 3308 Tobacco Growers Association of N.C.

• 3311 Flame Engineering. Weed control with flame.
• 3520 First Products Inc. Fertilizer boxes for cultivators and tool bars.
• 3605 MarCo Mfg. Tobacco machinery.
• 3714 Suretrol Manufacturing. Curing Controls.

Scott Tent

• 7025 Drexel Chemical Company. Sucker control chemicals.
• 7027 ABI Irrigation. Irrigation equipment.
• 7034 (&8012) Coastal AgroBusiness. A full-service agricultural solutions provider serving NC, SC, VA, ETN and NGA.
• 7302 Fairbanks Scale.
• 7322 Transplant Systems. A growing system company.

Tent 1

• 5029 AmeriGas Propane. One stop shop for all propane delivered.
• 7334  BJ Williamson Greenhouses.

Outdoors

• 8039 Vause Equipment Co. Farm equipment.
• 8208 Wilson Manufacturing. Farm trailers.
• 8204 Equipmax. Tobacco spray equipment.
• 8217 Granville Equipment. Tobacco and Hemp Machinery.
• 8301 De Cloet SRL. Tobacco machinery.
• 8510 Walters Air Assist Plant Release System. Plant release system. 
• 8516 Mobilift of Burlington, N.C. Forklift sales and service.
• 8546 {& 227) Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment.

DATES TO REMEMBER

GAP Meetings

Jan 6, 9 am, Wilson, N.C.

Jan 7, 9 am, Winston Salem, NC

Jan 8, 9 am, Rocky Mount, NC.

Jan 9, 8 am, Kinston, NC.

Jan 10, 9 am, Goldsboro, NC.

Jan 13, 9 am, Williamston, NC.

Jan 14, 9 am, Blackstone, VA.

Jan 14, 9 am, Greenville, NC.

Jan 15, 4 pm, South Hill, VA.

Jan 16, 8:30 am, Oxford, NC.

Jan 16, 4 pm, South Chatham, VA

Jan 17, 9 am, Smithfield, NC...