WEATHER DERAILS WHAT WAS A "BEAUTIFUL" GEORGIA CROP

Wind-damaged tobacco in South Georgia, June 22. Photo: J. Michael Moore.

First item of business: Harvest has begun. A few farmers in Florida, South Carolina and north Carolina reportedly began gathering this past week.

Weather derailed a great crop: The tobacco was “beautiful” in Georgia and Florida during the state tobacco tour in mid June, says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco specialist. “But then we got 10 to 12 days in a row where it rained. And it was a hard rain too--it came down two or three inches at a time and the drops were the size of cups.” The rain contributed to erosion and some damage to the roots. Some tobacco was drowned. “That which wasn’t has come back reasonably well,” Moore says.

But hail and wind caused even worse damage in some areas, especially the wind. “It is almost impossible to machine harvest tobacco which is badly wind-blown.” There is not much of an alternative. “Our growers are not set up for hand harvesting.” One grower told Moore that he set his windblown tobacco back up and topped it and suckered it, all at the same time. It cost him $750 per acre. “And then the next storm that came through blew it over in the other direction!” says Moore.

So what are the prospects in Georgia/Florida? Moore is staying optimistic that a quality crop may still be achievable. “But it is clear that some contracts won’t be filled,” he says.

How much acreage was planted in Georgia? Moore isn’t sure since planting ended prematurely due to a shortage of plants. “Once we ran out of plants, we quit,” he says.

The crop in South Carolina looks good so far, says William Hardee, S.C. Extension tobacco specialist. It got off to a bit of a slow start because of a cool spring, but it has really taken off the last two weeks. Farmers are finishing topping, and a few have started harvesting. One sour note: There are significant levels of tomato spotted wilt in some areas. “On average, I am seeing levels of 10 to 15 percent but in some isolated cases, it has been as high as 40 percent,” says Hardee. “Weather conditions have also been ideal for target spot development. Growers are making fungicide applications and hoping to start cropping soon to promote air circulation.”

There is a wide range of maturity in tobacco across North Carolina, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. “In the East, some farmers have started barning, while in the West some are still laying by. But  in general this crop looks pretty good, especially considering some cooler temperatures we had earlier in the season.” One problem may have arisen because of the cold: “Target spot has really flared out, and it is as serious as I have seen it in my time in North Carolina,” he says. Control measures you can use leave something to be desired. There is a cultural practice--harvesting to let the air in the canopy and let the leaves dry—and a chemical application of the chemical Quaddris. But the reentry period can be a problem.

Field day gets rained on, but central Tennessee crop is in good shape: Rob Ellis, Research Center Director at the Highland Rim AREC in Springfield, says the crop on the center grounds is in excellent shape. "We started topping last week," he says. "We began setting out the first week of May. We got rains that divided the cr0p into two parts. But both did well. Even the later planted got plenty of rain. We finished setting the second week of June." It was getting a bit dry late in June, but then an inch and a half of rain fell around lunch time during the Tobacco, Beef, and More Field Day at the center on June 29." Ellis called off the afternoon activities because of the downpour but didn't feel too bad about it. "We had growers in our county who really needed it." Now, he rates the local crop at least average and maybe a little above average.

 

The center in Springfield is doing tests on four different types: burley, dark air-cured, dark fire-cured and Connecticut broadleaf. All four types are in the field now, with Connecticut the farthest ahead. “We thought if we could get it out early, we might be able to ‘catch’ the humidity and get a better color,” Ellis says.  

Crop progress according to USDA-NASS and Extension (as of July 3) (Flue) GA--62% topped; SC--58% topped; (Burley) KY--97% planted; TN--94% planted, 5% topped; NC--48% planted.

 

DATES TO REMEMBER

• July 11 & 12. The 2023 SC Tobacco Tour begins with supper in Georgetown at 6:30 PM on July 11 at the River Room Restaurant, 801 Front St. The tour will begin on July 12 at 9 AM in Georgetown County. It will include lunch at the Pee Dee REC and end in Sumter County around 3:30. Register at form.jotform.com/2313 44605453148. More information? Call 843-222-8701 or email hardee@clemson.edu.

• July 19. 2023 NC State Tobacco Field Day, 9 AM to 12 PM at the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station, 2811 Nobles Mill Pond Rd, Rocky Mount, NC. Lunch will be provided.

• July 27. The 2023 Virginia Southern Piedmont AREC Field Day will be held at the research center at 2375 Darvills Rd., Blackstone, VA. Registration begins at 4:30 with dinner at 5, followed by tours of research field trials. An on-farm tour of research plots will be held the following day. It will begin in South Hill at approximately 8 AM and head west toward Danville. Registration forms can be found at tinyurl.com/3cwssfj5 .More information? Call 434 818-5538.