GROWERS GEAR UP ON THE NORTHERN TIER

 

Locking down labor: Elaine Trujillo of Henderson, N.C., explains the services her company—Labor Services International, an organization that helps agricultural employers obtain labor through the H2A program--offers to farmers and other H2A users. Here, she chats with Darren Wallace of Rose Hill, N.C. One challenge for 2023: The new adverse effect wage rule, she says. For more information on LSI, call 252 557 9528,

Dark production takes a hit in the Black Patch. Contracted acreage will apparently fall 10% to 55% below last season, depending on the buyer, says Andy Bailey, Kentucky-Tennessee Extension dark specialist. But bur-ley plantings may be up. “Burley supply has reached rock bottom worldwide, and the price offerings for 2023 look pretty good. If this keeps going, I could imagine that we might see more burley grown in Western Kentucky than we have had in the last 10 years”…Connecticut broadleaf is still grown in Western Kentucky but not nearly as much…“Most of our greenhouses were seeded around the 15th, and seed coats are starting to crack on trays seeded five to seven days ago...“We have had a few shortages or production problems on some varieties this spring. Seed of DT 558 dark, KT 222 burley and Tennessee 90 burley varieties may all be in short supply,” says Bailey. Most burley growers in Tennessee are seeding greenhouses or thinking about it, says Mitchell Richmond, Tennessee Extension tobacco specialist. “We had very cold weather for four days over the last two weeks. It got into the low 20s. I hope our growers delayed seeding to hold down on their heating bills. It is hard to tell about acreage just yet, he says. “But burley prices do seem to be better”…There is considerable interest in KT 222, the new—and probably last—burley variety from the Kentucky-Tennessee breeding program. It is a large, high-yielding hybrid with an erect growth habit similar in maturity to KT 215 and has high resistance to both race 0 and race 1 black shank.g or thinking about it, says Mitchell Richmond, Tennessee Extension tobacco specialist. “We have had very cold weather for four days over the last two weeks. It got into the low 20s. I hope our growers delayed seeding to hold down on their heating bills. “It is hard to tell about acreage just yet,” he says. “But burley prices do seem to be better”…There is considerable interest in KT 222, the new—and probably last—burley variety from the Kentucky-Tennessee breeding program. It is a large, high-yielding hybrid with an erect growth habit similar in maturity to KT215 and has high resistance to both race 0 and race 1 black shank. Tillage of flue-cured fields in Southside Virginia has been slowed because of rain, says Stephen Barts, Extension agent in Pittsylvania County, Va. “This is the last of March, and not much land preparation has been done.” There have been no other major issues. About the only problem has been that fumigators have had a hard time because of the weather...Most of the greenhouses here were seeded at the end of February and beginning of March, says Barts. Farmers will likely go to field in late April and early May, he says. “We expect acreage to be flat compared to last year, if not indeed an increase—that’s if all the plants in the greenhouse make it into the field.” A couple of Pittsylvania growers announced they werre quitting in the offseason, but some remaining growers may increase plantings to make up the difference. "There seems to be more optimism here than in several years,” says Barts. Temperatures in Kentucky were down into the teens for several mornings last week and daytime highs were in the 40s causing heaters to run more than normal. Fortunately, no reports of cold injury have been reported yet for greenhouses that were seeded, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky tobacco Extension specialist. Seeding in greenhouses is about 60% complete with the remaining greenhouses expected to be seeded in the next week to 10 days. Transplanting will probably begin in Kentucky in early to mid-May, he says. “Growers will be hard pressed to equal last year’s plantings. We can reasonably expect acreage to be down 10%,” says Pearce. “A few growers have indicated they will quit growing tobacco this season, and I haven’t heard of many growers planning to increase acreage who could make up the difference.” Spray drift is becoming more of a problem in Canada, says the Canadian Tobacco Research Foundation. Seedling injury in greenhouses from spray drift in the field is 0appearing more often. Action plan: Awareness of what is going on near the greenhouse and taking appropriate measures with vents and fans to minimize the entry of outside air.    In other tobacco news: A new fungicide: Theia from AgBiome blocks fungal and bacterial pathogens with multiple modes of action. It was approved by EPA last year. It can be applied on flue-cured and burley with a zero day pre-harvest interval and it targets Pythium and collar rot. Another fungicide from AgBiome, still relatively new, is Howler, which delivers broad-spectrum activity and resistance management. Target pests for Howler include target spot, brown spot and Phytophthora.

PLANTS ENJOY A MILD WINTER SEASON

Plants growing in a Kentucky greenhouse in a file shot by Christopher Bickers.

 In North Carolina, most farmers have finished seeding their green-houses, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. “We have had a good growing season with few negative issues. As early as this crop was seeded, and if conditions hold, we may see earlier planting dates across the state.”   This situation is not entirely benign. It may affect the pressure from pests. “We didn't have the normal winter weather to help control pests that we usually do,” says Vann. “In particular, since we didn’t get hard weather to kill thrips in native vegetation, we could see increased infestation of tomato spotted wilt virus later.”   You can get valuable information on thrips and TSWV intensity from the web link “Tobacco Thrips Flight and TSWV Intensity Predictor,” available from the North Carolina State Climate Office.    In Georgia, plants are growing quite rapidly, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco specialist. “Everyone is thinking about going to the field a little early.” It still is considered wise to transplant after April 7 to avoid exposure to thrips and subsequent tomato spotted wilt virus.  Farmers in the two Deep South states will set out every plant produced in the two states this year. But that may not be enough, says Moore. “There were some later contracts that were signed too late for greenhouses to be seeded.” Transplanting will likely get going in earnest in March in Florida and the last week of March in Georgia, Moore says. “We would sure like transplanting to be complete by May 1.” The shortage of Admire Pro is definitely a concern for Georgians and Floridians, says Moore. He advises seeking out generic imidacloprid, which will give comparable results if you use it according to label instructions. A database for Kentucky tobacco farmers: Joe Cain, Executive vice president for the Kentucky Burley & Dark Tobacco Producers Assn., says you can gain membership into the new association by writing him at kytobaccogrowers@outlook.com. He will be particularly grateful if you would help him set up a database of growers by including your e-mail address, cell phone number, and your type(s) of tobacco. Growers of all types of tobacco, including wrappers, are eligible to join. “And not just growers are invited,” Cain says. “The association will take as members plant producers and seed producers and other related industries.   There has been some interest in the association from ‘new’ tobacco growers, says Cain. But they are not exactly new—they are getting back into burley because barns and equipment are readily available.   The Kentucky association accepts members from other states, says Cain. So far, there are members from Southern Indiana and Tennessee, with smaller representations from Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania.   UPCOMING GAP MEETINGS o Mon Mar 13, 6 pm CST, Glasgow, KY. o Tue Mar 14, 9 am CST, Murray, KY. o Tue Mar 14, 6 pm CST, Lafayette, TN. o Tue Mar 21, 9 am EST, Quarryville, PA. o Wed Mar 22, 9 am EST, New Holland, PA.

 

WHY FARMER NUMBERS KEEP FALLING

 

A scene from the first annual meeting of the Kentucky Burley & Dark Tobacco Producers Association which took place January 19 in Bowling Green. The current grower base for flue-cured tobacco in the United States is simply not sustainable, said Jonathan Renn, a farmer near Winston-Salem, N.C., at the annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina. In a brutally candid “President’s Message” Renn, who is president of the association, said, “Fewer farms growing more acres is not a healthy model for the industry. I am concerned by the large numbers of growers telling TGANC that they have already exited or will come to that determination very soon. Farm foreclosure and massive liquidation of tobacco-specific assets means retirement-aged growers are seeing accumulated net worth vanish. We call on all purchasers to help us reverse these issues and work with us to restore profitability to tobacco farmers.”   Having said all that, Renn acknowledged that there is some hope that the upcoming American crop may enjoy some rebound in market demand. “{Although} one company is reportedly making significant reductions in its [flue-cured] contracts, other information suggests planted acres could trend upward this season,” said Renn. But he said that this might be the right occurrence for the wrong reason. “We are convinced that this has more to do with the extremely limited current global inventories than anything else. What we need is real demand and multi-year contracts to offer longer-term stability.”   If U.S. flue growers are resigned to grow less tobacco, that tobacco must provide increased returns, said Renn. “The guiding principle of all business is net margins. As growers, we are losing confidence and optimism in long-term sustainability. I know purchasers grow tired of our persistent advocacy to increase prices. But we are an industry in crisis and the only action that will save is to restore profitability. And that, my fellow growers, is always about price.”   The problem of contraband: The illicit trade in cigarettes accounts for a large proportion of the total cigarettes market, said Renn. “Whoever is making these non-compliant, not-taxed products isn’t shopping for leaf in places like Wilson, N.C. “If we’re going to preserve our domestic and export markets for the long-term, then governments around the world must crack down illicit trade before it becomes the leading cigarette seller in the world.”   Looking for orders from China: It would really help flue-cured growers if China would return to the American market on a substantial basis, said Renn. “TGANC has written directly to the Chinese on many occasions during the five years since to express our appreciation for past business and to encourage in every way that we know how for them to please return to our market,” said Renn. “We held discussions with their representatives this past October while they were here and having dialog with CST.” It is the sense of TGANC that China desires U.S. full-flavor leaf. “We understand CTI resumed purchases in the past season and even issued some direct contracts in 2022,” said Renn. “It is our hope to see them expand intentions in 2023 and beyond.” Tobacco Associates (TA) will hold its 76th Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 2, 2023, at the Johnston County Agricultural Center, 2736 NC Hwy. 210, Smithfield, NC 27577. from 10 a.m. till Noon. Speakers will include Mercedes Vázquez, CEO of the International Tobacco Growers Association, will report on global leaf markets and trends; Darryl Jayson, Senior VP/Chief Analytics Officer – TMA; Bobby Wellons, Agricultural Marketing Specialist – USDA/ AMS Cotton & Tobacco Programs; and Hank Mozingo, President of Tobacco Associates. UPCOMING GAP MEETINGS o Tue Mar 7, 1 pm CST, Russellville, KY. o Mon Mar 13, 6 pm CST, Glasgow, KY. o Tue Mar 14, 9 am CST, Murray, KY. o Tue Mar 14, 6 pm CST, Lafayette, TN. o Tue Mar 21, 9 am EST, Quarryville, PA. o Wed Mar 22, 9 am EST, New Holland, PA.