THE STARS OF THE FARM SHOW: DISEASE-RESISTANT VARIETIES

 

A bunch of new to fairly-new flue-cured varieties are on the market, and many could help farmers in the battle to beat declining yields. At the Southern Farm Show, Paul Sodoma (right) of GoldLeaf Seeds told Adam Mitchell of Surry County, N.C., about GoldLeaf’s new variety GL 365. A strong market for seed: Seed companies may have had the best experience among exhibitors at the show. It was if farmers still weren’t sure of what equipment they will need to grow this crop, but they were sure of what seed they wanted to plant. Among the comments from companies: Sam Baker of Cross Creek Seed said he approached the show with apprehension that farmers would be so pessimistic about this crop because of the increased cost of inputs that they would be reluctant to maintain their plantings. “But our farmers seem to be buying roughly the same amount of seed as last year,” he said. “Right now, we might be looking at flat acreage for 2023.” Cross Creek has a strong variety in CC 145. “It has good black shank and Granville wilt resistance and good yield and quality.” Kimberly Foley said the farmers who visited the Foley Seed and Service exhibit showed a lot of optimism and were indeed quite cheerful about the upcoming crop. Foley’s new PVH 1920 variety might almost have been too much of a draw—supplies had sold out by the end of the first day of the show. But more is coming in before the end of the sowing season. PVH 1920, which was developed in partnership with Profigen, features very good resistance to Granville wilt and medium resistance to black shank. “We believe has a place all over the flue-cured-growing area but it will be best suited to the Eastern Belt of North Carolina,” said Foley. GoldLeaf Seeds had a hot new variety of its own on display at the show. “GL 365 could be the ‘latest and greatest’ of the high-black-shank-resistant varieties currently coming on the market,” says Marion Hawkins III, president of GoldLeaf. “GL 365 is the second highest black shank resistance variety based on a three-year average in the North Carolina Official Variety Test with a 94% survival rate.” In other news from the show, the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina held an economic panel discussion that covered the outlook in 2023 for the major tobacco types as part of its annual meeting: FLUE-CURED What’s causing flue-cured yields to slide? Jonathan Renn, Surry County, N.C., farmer and president of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C., told the association’s annual meeting that he identifies seven factors in the downward trend in N.C. flue-cured yield. They are: Target spot--It is becoming quite prolific and can wreck yields by as much as 400 pounds per acre. Extended harvesting--We leave the crop in the field longer so that it is overripe at harvest, depleting yield. Dry leaf systems--By passing the cured leaf through tumblers and picking lines to remove NTRM, as much as 200 pounds per acre of such waste can be reduced. It used to be delivered to auction. Cultivation Practices--Many farmers have reduced nitrogen levels to achieve a particular type of finished cure. N makes weight, so we can expect some yield reduction. In addition, less MH is being applied, and that too has an effect on tonnage. Weather--This factor is beyond our control. But certainly weather accounts for 10% or greater in crop impact on a typical season and when we experienced major weather events it can be much greater. For example, we recorded Hurricane Ian in 2022 as well as early October frost. Weather easily diminished the crop by 20 million pounds.  BURLEY The quality of 2022 burley in the U.S. turned out slightly better than expected, according to buyers, "but it was still sub-par,” says Will Snell, Kentucky Extension ag economist. “Prices will end up higher, but profitability will be lower given lower yields and inflated input prices.” Adequate supplies of burley have been accessible to tobacco companies in recent years. That is in part because of a shrinking market composed of ample lower-priced leaf alternatives and the introduction of many new “nicotine” products that contain limited or no tobacco leaf. But burley supplies in the world market are extremely tight relative to anticipated demand, Snell says. “So I would anticipate that burley buyers will be offering the remaining growers an opportunity to increase their burley pounds in 2023 to accommodate tight inventories.” This could happen even as the decline in domestic cigarette volume accelerates and burley leaf exports plummet to negligible levels.   Contract pricing for 2023 burley will be crucial for production. “Frankly, without significant price increases across the board for the 2023 crop, I would expect a continued rapid exit of burley growers,” says Snell.  A continued attrition among growers is likely this year. The last official count from the 2017 Ag Census indicated that around 2,600 farms were growing tobacco in Kentucky in 2017. “I would anticipate this number will hover around 1,000 farms when the 2022 Census data becomes available,” he says. “Less than 1,000 farms will likely remain in the industry in 2023.”   DARK & WRAPPER The outlook for dark has changed abruptly, and not for the better, says Snell. Smokeless tobacco product sale volumes continue to grow, but after many years of good sales, traditional snuff product sales have been significantly affected by the rapid expansion of alternative smokeless products…which do not contain dark tobacco leaf. Consequently, contract volumes for dark fire-cured for 2023 may be lowered to as manufacturers adjust inventory levels. “[This] may cause growers to consider cigar-style tobaccos as a viable substitute,” says Snell.    ASSOCIATION HONORS  Awards for 2023: TGANC conferred a number of awards again this year. They were: Outstanding Director—David Hinnant, Wilson County. Farm Family of the Year—Stuart Pierce Farms, Hertford County. North Carolina Lifetime Century Member—Rick Smith, Wilson, Distinguished Service Award—David Zimmerman, President, Southern Farm Show. Extension Service Award—Ramsey Lewis, NCSU tobacco breeder. Watch for more reporting on the Southern Farm Show in the next issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter. DATES TO REMEMBER GAP TRAINING MEETINGS, FEBRUARY AND MARCH For more information, call GAP at 865.622.4606 or contact your local Extension office. All meetings are in English. No charge. o Thu Feb 9, 9 is EST, Yadkinville, N.C. o Thu Feb 9, 6 pm CST, Cadiz, KY. o Mon Feb 13, 4:30 pm CST, Franklin, KY. o Tue Feb 14, 2 pm CST, Mayfield, KY. o Tue Feb 14, 5 pm EST, Abingdon, VA. o Tue Feb 21, 10 am CST, Hartsville, TN. o Wed Feb 22, 10 am CST, Hopkinsville, KY. o Thu Feb 23, 10 am EST, Mt Sterling, KY. o Mon Feb 27, 6 pm EST, Madison, IN. o Tue Feb 28, 9 am EST, Shelbyville, KY. o Tue Feb 28, 6 pm EST, Cynthiana, KY. o Wed Mar 1, 9 am EST, Seaman, OH. o Wed Mar 1, 6 pm EST, Maysville, KY. o Thu Mar 2, 6 pm EST, Lancaster, KY. o Fri Mar 3, 10 am CST, Hardinsburg, KY. 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.  Bickers Editing Service | 903-9 Shellbrook Ct., Raleigh, NC 27609 Unsubscribe chrisbickers@gmail.com Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by chrisbickers@gmail.com powered by

SHOW TIME APPROACHES

The Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina will hold its annual meeting for 2023 on the last day of the Southern Farm Show, as it did last year (above). The Southern Farm Show is back in Raleigh this week with as much up to date tobacco equipment and supplies as you are likely to see anywhere. Sad to say, there has been still more attrition among the exhibitors since the 2022 Show. But those who are coming look like good ones. Below is list of exhibitors who are seeking the business of tobacco farmers (derived from the Southern Farm Show website). The 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 and parking are free. And at the end of the three days, plan on attending the Commissioner's Breakfast at 8 am and the Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina meeting at 10 am, both in the Holshouser Building, both on Friday. SOUTHERN FARM SHOW EXHIBITS OF  SPECIAL INTEREST TO TOBACCO FARMERS   Jim Graham Bldg.   222 Evans Mactavish Agricraft. 227 Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment.  302 Hardee by EVH Manufacturing Co. Sprayers.  704 @8720 Agri Supply. Agricultural materials. Kerr Scott Bldg.  1002 TriEst Ag Group. Fumigation supplies.  1104 GoldLeaf Seed Co. Tobacco seed. 1107 Flue Cured Tobacco Services. Curing controls. 1015 Yara North America. Fertility products. 1116 Cross Creek Seed. Tobacco seed. 1120 BeltWide Inc. Transplant technology.     1201 Carolina Greenhouse & Soil Company. 1202 Reddick Equipment Company Inc. Spray equipment.  1213 H&H Farm Machinery. “Building sprayers your way since 1978.” 1306 Foley Seed and Service. a family owned tobacco seed company. 1311 Transplant Systems. Greenhouse systems.           Exposition Bldg. 3127 (& 8609) Benchmark Buildings & Irrigation. Trans-planters/irrigation. 3135 Southern Container Corporation of Wilson. Bale sheets and packaging.   3306 Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. 3311 Flame Engineering. Weed control with flame. 3520 First Products Inc. Fertilizer boxes. 3605 MarCo Mfg. Tobacco machinery. 3712 Suretrol Manufacturing. Curing Control.  Scott Tent 1315 Drexel Chemical Company. Sucker control chemicals. 7034 (&8012) Coastal AgroBusiness. A full-service agricultural solutions provider. Outdoors 8204 EquipAg. Tobacco spray equipment.  8217 Granville Equipment. Tobacco and Hemp Machinery.  8301 De Cloet SRL. Tobacco machinery. 8516 Mobilift of Burlington, N.C. Forklift sales and service.   227 Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment. In other tobacco news: The new Kentucky Burley & Dark Tobacco Producers Assn. got off to a strong start when it held its first annual meeting in Bowling Green, Ky., on January 19. Just short of 100 growers and others gathered at the University Plaza Holiday Inn in Bowling Green, Ky., to track a course for the future of burley and dark. The discussion was fruitful. Executive vice president Joe Cain said he sensed a definite “atmosphere of hope” for the future among the farmers he talked to at the meeting. “Of course, some weren’t as positive as others." Where the association must go--Al Pedigo of Scottsville, who was elected president at the meeting, said, “The new association is all about bringing producers together to strengthen our efforts to improve the long-term viability and profitability of the tobacco industry for all tobacco producers. We want to do this by banding together to address the critical issues we are facing.” All this is admittedly a tall order. Some of the most important short-term challenges in Kentucky are high input costs, scarce and expensive labor and contracts that need to be written earlier to allow better plan better planning, said Cain. See you next January. The association’s plan now is to hold its next annual meeting in late January of 2024, probably again in Bowling Green.   Officers of the Burley and Dark Tobacco Producer Association for 2023 are: Al Pedigo, Scottsville, chairman; Darrell Varner, Versailles, vice chairman; Penny Greathouse, Midway, secretary; and Jason Wade, Springfield, treasurer.   What to do if you can’t find Admire Pro? Supplies of the insecticide Admire Pro are reportedly coming up short. But there are some alternatives, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. “Consider generic imidacloprid products, or materials with other active ingredients, like Platinum, Durivo and Verimark.” The biggest thing, says Vann, is that “growers need to look at the product labels and understand what the appropriate application rates are for each product. There is variation.”   It appears that Telone II will be hard to get too. “The major alternative to Telone II will be materials based on chloropicrin (Pic Plus, Pic 100, etc.),” We've been told there's an ample supply of chloropicrin this year.” Telone II (1,3-D soil fumigant) is one of the major nematicides that’s applied in advance of transplanting. UPCOMING EVENTS A Breakfast with the Commissioner, Friday, February 3, Holshouser Building, N.C. State Fairgrounds, Raleigh N.C. Tickets available for $35 each at www.eventbrite.come/18th-annual-breakfast-with-the-commissioner-tickets-4659 42104377. For more information, call the Tobacco Farm Life Museum at 919-284-3431. The Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina annual meeting, 10 a.m., Friday, February 3, Holshouser Building at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.    GAP TRAINING MEETINGS, FEBRUARY AND MARCH For more information, call GAP at 865.622.4606 or contact your local Extension office. All meetings are in English. No charge.   GAP TRAINING MEETING DATES   o Wed Feb 1, 9 am EST, New Bern, N.C. o Fri Feb 3, 1:30pm EST, Raleigh, N.C. o Mon Feb 6, 9 am CST, Dixon, KY. o Tue Feb 7, 8 am CST, Springfield, TN. o Wed Feb 8, 9 am CST, Dover, TN. o  Thu Feb 9, 9 is CST, Owensboro, KY. o Thu Feb 9, 9 is EST, Yadkinville, N.C. o Thu Feb 9, 6pm CST, Cadiz, KY. o  Mon Feb 13, 4:30pm CST, Franklin, KY. o  Tue Feb 14, 2pm CST, Mayfield, KY. o  Tue Feb 14, 5pm EST, Abingdon, VA. o Tue Feb 21, 10 am CST, Hartsville, TN. o Wed Feb 22, 10 am CST, Hopkinsville, KY. o  Thu Feb 23, 10 am EST, Mt Sterling, KY. o Mon Feb 27, 6 pm EST, Madison, IN. o Tue Feb 28, 9 am EST, Shelbyville, KY. o Tue Feb 28, 6 pm EST, Cynthiana, KY. o Wed Mar 1, 9 am EST, Seaman, OH. o Wed Mar 1, 6 pm EST, Maysville, KY. o Thu Mar 2, 6 pm EST, Lancaster, KY. o  Fri Mar 3, 10 am CST, Hardinsburg, KY. 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, 6pm CST, Lafayette, TN. o Tue Mar 21, 9 am EST, Quarryville, PA. o  Wed Mar 22, 9 am EST, New Holland, PA.  VISIT OUR EXHIBIT AT THE SOUTHERN FARM SHOW, SPACE 1015.

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