MARKETING A SERIOUSLY SHORT CROP

PRICES HAVE BEEN HIGH at the warehouses in N.C. that sell flue-cured leaf at auction. A representative of one of the warehouses--Tommy Faulkner, auction manager at American Tobacco Exchange of Wilson, N.C., tells TFN that sales at his house have gone very well so far. "We have had good prices and high volume," he says. "The quality is good. Our prices have been competitive with contract prices." At American Tobacco Exchange, it has ranged from $1.65 to $2.55 a pound, he says. "Farmers seem to be well satisfied with the bids. There has been little or no rejection by farmers"…Marketing this crop may prove quite a challenge since the volume seems certain to be quite short. "This crop couldn’t get out of its own way, what with the drought and then the hurricane," says Faulkner. "Now we are looking at a very short crop"... The auction warehouses serving flue-cured are all in North Carolina: two in Wilson and one in Rural Hall. There may be another shortly. TFN will keep you posted. Phone numbers and street addresses appear below. As far as the editor knows, no burley auction warehouses are operating this year. --Horizon Ltd., 1723 Goldsboro St. So., Wilson, N.C. Contact Kenneth Kelly at 252 292 8822. --American Tobacco Exchange, 10 AM, 2101 Miller Rd., Wilson, NC. Contact auction manager Tommy Faulkner at 910 585 2708. --Old Belt Tobacco Sales, 1395 Old Belt Way, Rural Hall, N.C. Call owner Dennis White for information: 336 416 6262. FLUE-CURED Georgia-Florida were probably the states worst hit by Tropical Storm Debby. “Most farmers will be significantly short of pounds,” says J. Michael Moore, Georgia Extension tobacco specialist. “We have about 50% of what we should have.” Every tobacco county in the states was affected. “We had very powerful winds—in Florida, they got up to 80 to 90 miles per hour." The winds stripped leaf off the stalk, and sometimes the whipping effect caused premature yellowing, he said. In South Carolina, where the damage to Debby was nearly as much as in GA-FL, harvest is now wrapping up. “I would expect barns to be unloaded by the end of this week if not sooner,” says William Hardee, S.C. Extension tobacco specialist. It is not a crop farmers will remember with affection. “Dry weather earlier on in the season stunted the crop, but rain in mid-July turned it around and we were in good shape except for some soilborne disease pressure." Then Tropical Storm Debby arrived, causing bad losses of yield and quality. “I would estimate there was 40% to 50% crop loss from the storm,” he says. One cheering note: Despite the challenging season, this crop seems to be moving well into the markets. In N0rth Carolina, there was a lot of tobacco still in the fields after Debby passed through, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension specialist. Deterioration was rapid in the worst areas but the condition stabilized thanks to cool weather, and the crop has responded very well considering the conditions. "Some of the leaf that has been delivered has looked pretty good," Vann says. "We are starting to see distinct stalk separation and good color being delivered. I'm hearing that we have a good orange color in this crop." Most of the leaf in the field now is ripe and ready for harvest, he adds. Virginia suffered less from Tropical Storm Debby than the other flue-cured states. Stephen Barts, Extension agent in Pittsylvania County, Va., estimated the losses in the Southside caused by all the late-season bad weather were from 10% to 15%. Now, the problem is harvesting what is left behind, and the question is whether there will be enough time to get it all in. "We will probably still be harvesting till October and maybe into November if frost holds off," he says. The long-term average first frost date is October 15 but in the last few years it has tended to be later. DARK & WRAPPER In the Black Patch, dark fire-cured growers in Kentucky and Tennessee are about halfway through harvest, says Andy Bailey, Extension dark specialist. Dark air-cured and burley harvest may be closer to 75% complete. Tropical Storm Debby wasn’t a factor here, but Tropical Storm Francine was expected to bring two to three inches of rain Thursday. “I am not sure how much this rain will help,” Bailey says…Generally, it is a pretty good crop. Most is late, having been planted in June following a wet May. “We were dry through late June, saw weekly rainfall through the end of July, and then we had an extremely dry August and early September,” says Bailey...Volume of the 2024 dark tobacco crop (both types) in the KY/TN area is estimated by USDA at: --Fire-cured: 24 million lbs. (down about 30% from 2023) and --Dark air-cured: 11 million lbs. (down about 10% from 2023). BURLEY In Kentucky, soil moisture deficits continue to worsen. Dry conditions continued this week as most of Kentucky is now under abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions. Topping is largely complete thanks to conducive weather, and the percentage cut—77%--has increased substantially, according to USDA’s September 16 report. Tobacco remaining in the field continued to be in mostly good condition at that time. Housed tobacco was in mostly fair condition, but producers need improved curing conditions. The dry weather and relatively low humidity has impacted curing conditions for the burley crop. In Tennessee, growers experienced high temperatures last week, but some regions of the state finally received rainfall pushed up from the recent hurricane down south. Tennessee continued to experience hot and dry weather conditions through that date. Because of the minimal precipitation, ponds and creeks were drying up fast. Crop conditions were also suffering with high temperatures and lack of rain. Among the regions where tobacco is grown, the Northeastern counties received some spotty showers throughout the week, but barely avoided drought status. FROM USDA's SEPTEMBER CROP REPORT The 2024 United States all tobacco production is forecast at 351 million pounds, down 6 percent from the previous forecast and down 12 percent from 2023 for comparable States. Area harvested, at 172,200 acres, is up 1 percent from the previous month but down slightly from last year for comparable States. Yield for the 2024 crop year is forecast at 2,040 pounds per acre, and 279 pounds below last year for comparable States.. Bickers Editing Service | 903-9 Shellbrook Ct. | Raleigh, NC 27609 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice