A NEW GROWER ASSOCIATION IS BORN IN KENTUCKY

 

The Holiday Inn University Plaza in Bowling Green, KY where the first annual meeting of the new growers association will be held January 19.

The first annual meeting of the Kentucky Burley & Dark Tobacco Producer Association will be held at the Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Bowling Green, KY on January 19. This will be a joint meeting with the Council for Burley Tobacco, and it will be held in conjunction with the KY Commodity Conference. There is no fee to attend, but you should reserve a seat at lunch. Email KYTobaccoGrowers@ outlook.com. What you will find in Bowling Green: A program designed to help tobacco growers take control of their future. It will begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning with presentations by Will Snell, Ky. Extension ag economist, and Daniel Green, chief executive officer of Burley Stabilization Corporation on the current tobacco economy. Andy Bailey and Robert Pearce, both Kentucky Extension agronomists, will catch you up on research that can make a difference on your farm. There will be talks on GAP Connections and Federal Crop insurance, among other subjects, and the program will conclude a discussion by a farmer panel made up of Graham Boyd, executive VP, and Jonathan Renn, president, of the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina; Darrell Varner, president, of the Council For Burley Tobacco, and Al Pedigo, president of the Burley and Dark Producer Association. Adjournment should take place at 3. The Annual Breakfast with the Commissioner will be held on Friday, February 3, in the Holshouser Building at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh NC during the Southern Farm Show. Tickets can be purchased for $35 each at www.eventbrite.com/e/18th-annual-breakfast-with-the-commissioner-tickets-465942104377. Call Michael Rhodes, Executive Director, Tobacco Farm Life Museum, at 919-284-3431.   The Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina will hold its 2023 annual meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, February 3, in conjunction with the Southern Farm Show. The venue will be the Holshouser Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. It will end with lunch around 12. There is no charge, and registration is not required.   The Southern Farm Show will take place February 1 through February 3 at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, starting at 9 a.m. each day. Admission is free. A list of tobacco-related exhibitors will appear in in the next TFN issue. In other tobacco news: Some products are short already, according to the N.C. Extension tobacco team. Of most concern: ·      Admire Pro (imidacloprid), a key insecticide for early season flea beetle, aphid and thrips suppression as well as suppression of tomato spotted wilt virus. ·      Telone II (1,3-D soil fumigant), one of the major nematicides that’s applied in advance of transplanting. There are alternatives to both. Watch this space for suggestions in the next issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter. The problem may get bigger. “Supply chain issues continue to plague us. The downstream ramifications have a lot folks worried about cost.”   Tight burley supplies made for a promising season one year ago, but declining margins and unfavorable weather led to lower production again, says Will Snell, University of Kentucky agricultural economist. The value of Kentucky’s tobacco crop in 2022 may end up at around $250 million. A sign of the times: Dark tobacco may prove to have accounted for half or more of the total value of Kentucky’s tobacco crop last year. “Dark tobacco continues to benefit from stable smokeless tobacco sales coupled with virtually non-existent foreign competition,” says Snell. A better price, please! say Brazilians. The Brazilian tobacco growers association (AFUBRA) are in price negotiations this week, and they are determined that their price should go up. Benício Werner, president of AFUBRA, said before the price meeting, “What we hear from the main market researchers is that…it will still be a year of demand (in 2033). We are noticing that instead of having a 1% to 3% drop in consumption, the drop (in 2022) was only 0.2%, indicating that cigarette factories will need more tobacco.” In addition, the good quality of the production ought to be reflected in better prices. “Most (of our) farmers are producing the quality tobacco that the international market is asking for. We need to observe this because a country that exports 85% of its tobacco must be concerned” with quality.   GAP TRAINING MEETINGS IN JANUARY. For more information, call GAP at 865.622.4606 or contact your local Extension office. All meetings are in English. No charge.   Tue, Jan 24, 9 am EST. Williamston, NC Wed., Jan 25, 9 am EST. Louisburg, NC Thu. Jan 26, 9 am EST. Greenville, NC Mon. Jan 30, 9 am EST. Lillington, NC Tue. Jan 31, 9 am EST. Goldsboro, NC

THE OUTLOOK FOR TOBACCO IN 2023

 

A foreign cigarette factory lies inactive waiting for more leaf. But activity has been slowed by short crops in almost all countries exporting cigarette leaf. International Leaf Markets: The shortfall of supply (all types) has been estimated at 1 million kilograms, says Iqbal Lambat, c.e.o. of the leaf dealer Star Tobacco International and one of the most astute observers of the world tobacco scene. "The shortfall has been driven primarily by short crops in most origins and by a sharp increase in leaf inventory holding by the major multinationals," Lambat says. Acute shortages were experienced in Brazil, Argentina, Zimbabwe, India and Pakistan. Prices for international tobaccos have experienced an increase of at least 30% in 2022 vs. 2021. But it may not be enough. "This shortage is expected to continue in 2023 and most likely 2024 too as farmers are unable to cope with the steep increase in the cost of fertilizers and energy," says Lampat. "The higher prices in the international markets reflect 'the new norm' and a reduction is not foreseen in the future." Flue-cured: A plan for flue-cured growers in 2023-- "Plant as many contracts as you can obtain, but I don't suggest overplanting," says Rick Smith, c.e.o. of Independent Leaf Tobacco Co. in Wilson. "I don't see contract prices going up much." The 2022 crop was short, but considering the weather problems it faced, it was just about miraculous that so much was usable. "It seemed that every bale that made it to the market was bought by somebody. And it was surprising that there was very little low-grade tobacco in this crop." Don't expect the same experiences next season. Burley and Dark: Despite current demand expectations, (especially for burley), Kentucky farmers will have an opportunity again to increase acreage in 2023 because of tight supplies, says Will Snell. Kentucky Extension agricultural economist. “[But whether they do or not] will depend on contract prices and the profit opportunities available from alternative ag enterprises.” Labor costs as always will be a big factor. “The H2A wage rate is forecast to increase from $13.89/hour to $14.26/hour, putting additional upward pressure on production costs amidst stagnant yields,” says Snell. Without better profit expectations, there will likely be more attrition in the number of farms growing tobacco in Kentucky in 2023. That could cause problems for tobacco companies attempting to boost inventories, he added. Kentucky’s tobacco production (all types) is forecast by USDA to be 10% lower in the crop now being marketed. Burley production was projected down 21%. Dark fire-cured production rebounded nearly 9% as a major buyer increased contract volumes by more than 50%, following an abrupt cut two years ago. Dark air production was relatively flat.  Cigar tobacco acres declined. Demand for U.S. burley continues to fall as less expensive foreign leaf has induced U.S. burley exports to plummet while the burley import share remains relatively high.  First state tobacco meeting of the year: The GA-FL GAP Tobacco Training for 2023 will take place on January 2, 9:30 am to 10 am, UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. Ends with lunch. Free but please register. Call J. Michael Moore at 229 392 6424.    GAP TRAINING MEETINGS IN JANUARY. For more information, call GAP at 865.622.4606 or contact your local Extension office. All in English. No charge. Fri., Jan 6, 10 am EST. Marion, SC Mon, Jan 9, 9 am EST. Wilson, NC Tue, Jan 10, 9 am EST. Yanceyville, NC Wed, Jan 11, 9 am EST. Rocky Mount, NC Thu., Jan 12, 9 am EST. Smithfield, NC Thu, Jan 12, 4 pm EST. Chatham, VA Fri., Jan 13, 9 am EST. Blackstone, VA Tue, Jan 24, 9 am EST. Williamston, NC Wed., Jan 25, 9 am EST. Louisburg, NC Thu. Jan 26, 9 am EST. Greenville, NC Mon. Jan 30, 9 am EST. Lillington, NC Tue. Jan 31, 9 am EST. Goldsboro, NC Book update: I am very happy to report that I have received an unexpected number of orders for my two history books--Burley & Beyond which centers on Kentucky and Ohio, and A History of Burley Tobacco in East Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, which revolves around burley in those three states. I very quickly ran out of the copies of both that I have on hand, but I have found that more are stored at one of our printers, and I will retrieve them. If they don't have enough to fill all your orders, I will print more. I hope to have all your orders prepared and mailed by the first day of the Farm Show, or soon thereafter...Now, I have an embarrassing admission: In the last news item on this subject, I inadvertently left out the street name in the address I asked you to send orders to. If you mailed an order to that “address”, would you email your order to me again. Don’t send a check; I will invoice you once this is all straightened out. And if you would still like to place an order, please don’t send it by mail. Send an email instead, That address is chrisbickers@gmail.com. And thanks to all for your interest. VISIT OUR EXHIBIT AT THE SOUTHERN FARM SHOW, SPACE 1015.

LONG DRY SPELL INTERFERES WITH CURING IN KENTUCKY

 

A scene from the tobacco-marketing past: Burley piles await sale on an unrecorded auction floor in Kentucky years ago. File photo provided by the burley growers association .

Burley quality slid precipitously in Kentucky late in the season, thanks to poor curing conditions. “We went from expecting a super crop early in the season to having one that is not real good now,” says Joe Cain, the executive director of the new Kentucky Burley & Dark Tobacco Producers Association (KBDTPA). Cain isn’t ready to estimate the volume that will be produced, but it will be lower than original expectations.   The quality of 2022 burley has been a big problem. Very low humidity has interfered with the curing of this crop. Intense drought since late September has made it difficult to get leaf in case…Not unexpectedly, this has lead to strong buyer interest in the top quality leaf that is available. Contract prices of as high as $2.35 have been reported. At the auctions in Springfield, Ky., a few bids of $2.15 have been reported…It is not clear how much burley is left to sell now. Some contract stations are still open, and the warehouse in Springfield might hold more sales if needed in the New Year. There have been three sales there to date.   There is reason for some optimism about the 2023 burley market, says Cain: “It appears that the companies are going to need more U.S. leaf.”   The last auction of flue-cured at Old Belt Tobacco Sales in Rural Hall, N.C., took place the week before Thanksgiving. “It was a good year for what tobacco we had,” says Dennis White, owner of Old Belt. “I saw some third quality tobacco sell for second quality price on auction. We didn’t get much first quality leaf—the contract stations took it all.” Generally, B2s sold for up to $1.95 on auction while good cutters sold for around $1.80. “Everyone was satisfied with the price." He doesn’t have an exact figure for the volume sold at his warehouse but says it was in the same range as last season. There would have been more but a hard freeze in November killed a lot of the remaining tobacco in the Piedmont and significantly reduced the volume brought to market late in the season. “It turned much of the leaf black,” White says. This was a very late crop in the Carolina Piedmont.   When the Chinese arrived: It was abundantly clear that orders from China appeared on the Old Belt market this season. “The last three weeks (of our auction), we noticed that the type of leaf that Chinese buyers like began bringing $2.10 or $2.15 a pound." It made for a strong finish for the market but White wishes Chinese buying would have started sooner. “Chinese orders came in too late for all the Chinese style leaf we had to get sold,” he says. “I still have some leaf of that style at my warehouse.”   There’s no doubt in White’s mind that independent auctions are here to stay for tobacco growers. “They serve a purpose. Farmers need a market to take rejections and crop failures and to get crop insurance. Where else are they going to get that?”    The first annual meeting of KBDTPA will take place January 19 at the Holiday Inn University Plaza and Conference Center in Bowling Green, Ky. The program starts at 9:30 Central Time. There is no charge to attend the meeting. There will be a luncheon for which there is no charge. But you must register to reserve a place at the lunch. Send an email to Executive Director Joe Cain at KYTobacco Growers@outlook.com to register.    Another major farmer meeting will take place in February. The Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina will hold its 2023 annual meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, February 3, in conjunction with the Southern Farm Show. The venue will be the Holshouser Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. It will end with lunch around 12. Registration not required.   The Southern Farm Show will take place February 1 through February 3 at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, starting at 9 a.m. each day. Admission is free. A list of tobacco-related exhibitors will appear in TFN in January.   REPORT FROM OVERSEAS   BRAZIL: The harvest season was officially kicked off on December 6 with a festival in Rio Grande do Sul, the leading tobacco state in the country. Harvesting has actually been going on for several weeks and normally lasts until February.   ZIMBABWE: An electricity crisis caused by low water levels in the Zambezi River threatens the cure of Zimbabwe’s flue-cured crop. "There is an immediate requirement for tobacco farmers to access concessionary-priced diesel fuel for generator use,” said the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association in a letter dated December 5. “US$300 million of irrigated tobacco is reportedly under threat.” Irrigated flue-cured farms in Zimbabwe need 24 hours of continuous power per day. “Currently, farms are getting on average seven hours of power per day...which is 30 percent of the requirements from the utility.” REFLECTIONS ON THE HISTORY OF BURLEY A few years ago I had the pleasure of writing two books about burley tobacco in the South since John Rolfe first cultivated leaf in Jamestown in the 1600s. They were very similar format: The core of both books are interviews with "old time" burley growers who have grown the crop long enough to have special insights on burley production. In addition, I have provided notes on the historical events associated with burley.  One, The Bluegrass & Beyond, concentrates on Kentucky and Ohio and their place in tobacco history. The other, A History of Burley Tobacco in East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, centers on developments in those two states. Both include a reflection on the history of tobacco auctions by my friend and co-author Billy Yeargin. I have enjoyed sharing these books with my many friends in tobacco. Now, I find I have a few extra copies of both and can sell them to anyone who asks. The number is limited but I think I have enough for everybody. If we don't, I will print some more. If you would like one, send $20, plus $10 shipping and handling to 903--9 Shellbrook Ct., Raleigh NC 27609. Be sure to specify which book--Bluegrass & Beyond or A History of Burley Tobacco in ET/WNC. Questions? Call me at 984 810 9004 or email me at chrisbickers@ gmail. com.

A LAST LOOK AT THE 2022 AMERICAN TOBACCO CROP And a report on Brazil's outlook for 2023

 

A worker loads burley stalks on a truck at an East Tennessee farm as the season comes to an end. File photo by Christopher Bickers. USDA'S FINAL WORD ON THE U.S. CROP: In its last estimate of tobacco production this year, USDA projected flue-cured production as down a little from 2021 (9.1%), while burley was projected down a lot (22%). Among the smaller types, fire-cured and Pennsylvania seedleaf were up 2% and 9.5% respectively, while dark air-cured and Southern Maryland (which is grown almost exclusively in Pennsylvania) were down 2.1% and 42%. Particulars follow, shown by type with percentage change from a year ago:  Flue-cured—284.7 million pounds, down 9.1%; Burley—65.6 million pounds, down 22%; Fire-cured--50.2 million pounds, up 2.1%; Dark air-cured—24.6 million pounds, down 2.1%; PA seedleaf —9.2 million pounds, up 9.5%; Southern Maryland—440,000 pounds, down 42%. (Source: USDA Crop Production Report, Oct. 2022) TENNESSEE: The last of the 2022 tobacco crop has been in the barn for several weeks, says Mitchell Richmond, Tennessee Extension tobacco specialist. “Most of the burley has been stripped, and the dark crop is not far behind”...Burley may have dodged a bullet in the barn: It was very dry when curing began, and there was fear that a quick cure would occur. This certainly did happen in some areas of the tobacco belt, but other areas seemed to have recovered from some of those issues. Burley yield seemed to be slightly better than average for growers who had access to the rains that did fall, says Richmond. For those who didn’t, the yield was average or slightly below…Richmond doesn’t have an estimate of total burley production in Tennessee yet, but he finds the most recent USDA projection of 4.5 million pounds credible...Connecticut in Tennessee? Some, though not all, of the Connecticut broadleaf grown in Tennessee this season did quite well, with good yield and a really good price. But is there a future for Connecticut broadleaf in the Volunteer State? It’s hard to tell. Richmond does not expect much of an increase in 2023. “It is a high-risk, high-reward crop, requiring intense management,” he says. “If you have a contract for one of the dark types (as many Central and Northwestern Tennessee growers did this year) you probably would rather grow dark.” But Richmond says a few farmers in East Tennessee, where dark has not traditionally been grown, are considering planting the Connecticut type in 2023. BRAZIL: More acreage in 2023--but not much more: A projected increase in plantings for the 2023 market in southern Brazil appears to have taken place. But it is not fencerow to fencerow--the volume projected from these plantings is about 8% more than in 2022, somewhat than had been expected. Farmers in southern Brazil (where almost all of the country’s flue-cured and burley is produced) have planted enough to harvest 604.73 million kg in 2023—7.95% more than in 2022, reports AFUBRA, Brazil’s tobacco growers association. AFUBRA President Benicio Albano Werner said the increase in production area was no surprise. “The past crop was, for a large part of [our] tobacco growers, very profitable,” he said. “This encouraged some producers to increase their planted area”...The increase would not in fact make up for the reduction of the season before. Production dropped nearly 11% in 2022 compared to 2021. According to AFUBRA, the volume in southern Brazil was only 560.18 million kgs in 2022, 10.9% less than in 2021 (Source:  Kohltrade Tobacco Trading).  UPDATE How to claim Stabilization Settlement funds The deadline is fast approaching: Current and former tobacco growers should complete a Proof of Claim Form for funds available from the Tobacco Stabilization Lawsuit Settlement. The form is a means of claiming any funds due FC Membership Owners as a result of their sales to Stabilization during 1967 through 1973 and remaining No Net Cost Funds paid by growers on each pound marketed from 1982 through 2004. What is the FC Membership Number? It is a number that all growers were required to have in order to participate in the Stabilization-operated Price Support Program. If you don’t have a number, help is available: The firm conducting the settlement disbursement has all the records of Stabilization and can link grower names and address changes through the years to their FC Membership Numbers and any refunds that are due. Funds due to a FC Membership Number can only be calculated after Proof of Claim forms are submitted and approved.  Claim forms must be received at the address in California by December 12. Submitting a Proof of Claim Form for the FC Membership Number of deceased growers must be made by the authorized legal representative (Administrator) of the legal owner and requires legal documentation of inheritance to include Wills, Letters of Administration or Letters of Testamentary, and an open estate in which to deposit the refunds from which to write checks to the appropriate heirs. Those interested in this approach should contact their Probate Court to understand the process of probating an estate. A warning: Notification of deserving individuals has been hampered by inability to obtain current addresses to replace the pre-911 Rural Route addresses on file when the FC Membership was assigned. Those who know others who should have grown tobacco and may not be aware of this settlement should help to share the word.  A copy of the qualified settlement fund (QSF) Procedures, along with additional relevant information, Frequently Asked Questions, and the Proof Of Claim Form can be viewed:https://omniagentsolutions. com/ lewis settle mentclasstrust. An on-line option is available to those who are original owners of the FC Membership Numbers and have their numbers. However, there is no known source of the number if you don't have it. (This article was written by J. Michael Moore, Extension Agronomist-Tobacco, Univ. of Georgia... Email: jmmoore@uga.edu. Note: You can call Moore at 229-392-6424. He asks that you send a text message before you call.)

THE LAST OF THE 2022 CROP MAKES ITS WAY TO THE MARKET

 

Season comes to end: Some of the last of the 2022 flue-cured crop was tied by hand, cured in an old barn and sold at the N.C. State Fair in October, using old-time methods. There was a contest for best looping (see below). Photo courtesy N.C. Department of Agriculture. As best as can be told, all of the 2022 crop that will be harvested has been harvested. Any that might have still been out in November was probably killed by very cold weather in the middle of the month. Here is what Tobacco Farmer Newsletter has learned about the end of the season in the northernmost tobacco-producing states... NORTH CAROLINA -- The flue-cured crop here turned out better than would have been predicted a month or six weeks earlier, says Matt Vann, North Carolina Extension tobacco specialist. “We had above average yield [that was] better than a year ago in most places, and I think it has sold better than last year,” he says. All flue-cured is harvested (or abandoned) now, he says. He thinks most of the small amount left in the field late in the season was killed by frost. But it wasn’t much. “I surveyed County Agents and we don't think there was more than a couple hundred acres worth that was completely lost, though more was damaged to a small degree,” says Vann… What is the major lesson growers should learn from the last two seasons? Irrigate if you can. That was particularly apparent in 2021 and 2022. “Those were two seasons that were critically short on rain, and our tobacco felt it,” says Vann. If you have the water resources for it, irrigate. KENTUCKY--There is still some concern about the quality of late harvested burley, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. “Farmers have been trying to keep it in the barns as long they can,” he says. “We are doing what we can to improve the color. But it has been very cold, and color doesn’t change much in those conditions. There have been a few fronts that went through the Bluegrass lately, but it has been dry most of this month.” The early crop on the other hand has been selling well, getting good quality grades so far, Pearce says. VIRGINIA--Frost in mid October was a big problem for many growers in the Danville area. “Hardly any farmers totally escaped the effects of frost,” says Stephen Barts, Extension agent in Pittsylvania County. “The loss was substantial. But generally, our yield is average or slightly below, our quality is better than in 2021 and our tobacco has sold well so far. But the profit isn’t good because of the high cost of production. When we have such a narrow profit margin after average yield and at least average quality, there is discouragement”…Pittsylvania, the major tobacco-producing county in the Southside, now produces almost entirely flue-cured. Burley was a factor for many years but Barts says it’s almost all gone now. But there is a little dark Virginia and Connecticut broadleaf grown in the county. BLACK PATCH--This season will be remembered in the Black Patch for the very dry fall, says Andy Bailey, Kentucky-Tennessee Extension dark specialist. “We were 6.5 inches below normal rainfall in September and October.  Tobacco harvested from mid September on looks pretty rough. It went into the barn so dry that the cure was really affected.” But tobacco cured earlier looks pretty good. “I have heard of prices of $2.20 to $2.27 for burley.” The Black Patch had some problems with early frost too but not much was still in the field when it set in. “Some dark fire-cured had been cut and was waiting to go into the barn. This was harder to cure. The midribs were full of moisture.”…Some burley is grown in this area and it took a beating from the weather this season. “There is real concern about the usability of much of our burley,” says Bailey…On the other hand, the Connecticut broadleaf in western Kentucky and central Tennessee turned out well again this year. In other tobacco news: A dynasty in tobacco tying? The Maple Hill Loopers won the Tobacco Looping Contest at N.C. State Fair in October. The team, made up of Ken Jones and his wife Sandy of Maple Hill and Michael Sunday of Hendersonville, has won the contest eight times. Once the hands were tied and cured (see photo), they were sold in a mock auction. REPORT FROM OVERSEAS ZIMBABWE Tobacco sales here ended on October 21, and the Tobacco Industry Marketing Board (TIMB) reported both volume and value were up from the previous year. The value, according to TIMB, was US$650 million, up 10.3 percent from the US$589 million value of last year’s crop. The increase in value was generated almost entirely by higher prices since the volume was up only up 0.765 percent. A total of 212.7 million kilograms of tobacco were sold this season, up from [approximately] 211.1 million kilograms in 2021, said TIMB…The Zimbabweans have vast ambitions for expansion in the next three years. “The increase in tobacco sold [this season], as well as the value, is evidence of our efforts as an industry to establish a US$5 billion industry by 2025,” said TIMB.

THE END OF THE GROWING SEASON NEARS

 

Once again, the burley of Western N.C., like this field in Buncombe County, has some of the last tobacco of the season to be harvested. Some hadn't made it to the barn at the beginning of this week. File photo by Christopher Bickers.

A report on field conditions BURLEY, DARK AND WRAPPER KENTUCKY--Harvest in Kentucky was completed several weeks ago, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. Most is still curing but some has been stripped. The early cut portion looks okay, he says, while the middle has a bright color. The late-cut crop is in rough condition. “It was very dry in September and October in much of the burley belt. Our tobacco badly needs humidity in the barn to bring it in and out of order,” Pearce says. His advice: “If you have late -cut burley in the barn, be patient. Let it hang as long as you can. Hopefully, it will come in and out of case multiple times to help even out the color.” Some Kentucky farmers are wetting the floors of their barns to bring in additional moisture. “But as dry as the air has been, it has been difficult to keep the moisture in the barn long enough to produce a color change in the leaf”…A good statewide burley yield seems well within reach, says Pearce. But he doesn’t have an estimate yet. TENNESSEE--The October drought was also intense in north central Tennessee. As a result, Connecticut broadleaf grower Jason Evitts of Hartsville, Tn., wasn’t able to finish stripping until last week. That was at least a month later than he had planned. But the crop seemed to have turned out reasonably well, he says. “We wanted to get a 2,000-pound yield but it looks more like 1,900.” The yield was helped by the fact that Evitts is able to irrigate. “If we hadn’t had irrigation, drought would have been a much bigger issue.” Evitts grew three acres of the Connecticut type this year along with two acres of dark air-cured. But for the first time in 100 years, no burley was grown on the farm. “The wrapper types give me a better chance to make a profit,” he says. NORTH CAROLINA: This state is substantially the only burley production area with unharvested acres. NASS estimated that through October 30, 12 percent of the state's burley remained to be cut. Quality is becoming a concern as moisture is needed to bring housed tobacco into case. FLUE-CURED EASTERN N.C.--The volume brought to sale at auction has been high all season, and the buyers are still buying, says Kenneth Kelly, owner of Horizon warehouse in Wilson. "The price has gone up and down," he says. "Lugs and primings have sold well, and pickings have sold very well. But better quality leaf could have sold better." When will it end? Kelly doesn’t have a set date for his last auction, but they will continue selling at Horizon for at least two weeks after the primary markets close...This market may well be remembered for the disruption caused by export buyers coming in late with vague requirements for leaf quality. “I hope the industry will review this situation over the winter,” Kelly says. WESTERN N.C.--Lugs and cutters produced in this area were better quality than expected, says Dennis White, owner of Old Belt Tobacco Sales, a warehouse in Rural Hall near Winston-Salem. “Lugs have sold for around $1.35 a pound, cutters for $1.65 to $1.70, and good sound leaf brought from $2.05 to $2.10,” he says…But the weather was not good in the Piedmont. “It was dry, then it was wet, then it was hot…The crop was very late.” By the way, there was still some leaf in the field in the Piedmont as late as last week, White says.   In other tobacco news: Burley production outside the U.S. was lower for the 2022 crop, while prices for it were much higher, says Will Snell, Kentucky Extension ag economist. In August, it was reported that burley grower prices this past season were up 33 percent in Argentina, up 36 percent in Malawi and up 73 percent in Brazil. How much burley does the industry want? In its October U.S. crop report, USDA estimated the current American burley crop at nearly 66 million pounds. “Based on current inventory levels and forecast leaf exports and domestic needs, the industry would likely prefer a U.S. burley crop in the 75 to 80 million pound level,” says Snell. A tip for farmers seeking compensation as part of the flue-cured cooperative settlement: You don’t need the FC membership number to document membership in the coop, says the Georgia Farm Bureau. “This information is included in the files provided to the attorneys and the firm charged with settling their claims,” the organization said in a statement. A possible advantage of growing Connecticut broadleaf: Its short season might allow for some labor efficiency if harvest can be completed before burley or dark harvest begins, say Andy Bailey and Bob Pearce of the Kentucky Extension Service.