THE PRICE AT AUCTION CONTINUES TO RISE

Prices were higher for flue-cured leaf sold at auction this week (August 12 through 16), and there seems good reason to think prices across the board will continue to increase. Among the individual houses:

• The Old Belt Tobacco auction held its first sale on Tuesday, said owner Dennis White, and the results were good. "We sold 160,000 pounds at an average price of a little over $1.92 a pound," he said. "We sold a little for $2.18. X1s brought 2.05 and up, X2s $1.90 to $1.92, and X3 around $1.80. We had very little tobacco that graded less than a 3." He expects to sell every Tuesday till the season ends. The house is located at 1395 Old Belt Way, Rural Hall, N.C. You can reach Dennis White at 336-416-6262.

• The Big M Tobacco Warehouse held its second sale Wednesday and sold 150,000 pounds, said owner Mann Mullen. He didn't have a firm average price when we talked but estimated it at $2, with a top of $2.18. "Heavy cutters brought $2.15. Lugs sold for $2.01 to $2.02. There were 70,000 pounds of pickouts. Big M will auction every Wednesday till the end of the season. The house is located at 1723 Goldsboro St., Wilson, N.C. For more information, call Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033 or Greg Ray at 252-799-6061.

• The American Tobacco Exchange held a sale on Wednesday. About 200,000 pounds was sold, said Randy Brandon. There were a few sales at $2.20. Xs generally brought $2, and pickouts brought $1 a pound or less. This auction is a silent auction, and farmers don't attend the sale itself. The sales will continue every Wednesday afternoon. Deliveries can be made as late as mid morning Wednesday. The house located at 1300 Tobacco Rd., Wilson, N.C. For more information, call Brandon at 252-343-1661.

• Carolinas Tobacco Auctions of Lake City, S.C., held a sale on Wednesday and sold 200,000 pounds. Jimmy Lynch, one of the owners, didn't have an average price for the floor when I talked to him. But he said rags appeared to average $.73 a pound and the best quality grades averaged around $2.12 a pound. The very best price at the sale was $2.25 for some very high quality cutters. The next sale will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday. The house is located at 662 So. Ron McNair Blvd., Lake City, S.C.  For more information, call Lynch at 843-687-5753.

How much tobacco will we produce? 

Don't ask USDA. It issued its production projections report for August on Monday. They appear below with my calculation of how they compare to last year. But I report all this somewhat reluctantly because I continue to think that the USDA this year is not just off but way off in its estimates. My sources in South Carolina say that acreage is not way down, as USDA projects, but in fact is up, perhaps as much as 10 percent. I am reliably informed that plantings in Georgia are not up 5,000 acres as USDA projects but more likely are close to last year's level. And now, USDA has estimated that Virginia flue-cured production is up nine percent and burley production is down 35 percent. I have been told by sources in Virginia that neither projection is credible. For the next issue of Tobacco Farmer Newsletter (to be transmitted close to Labor Day), I will survey my most reliable sources and see if I can render some order on this question.

FLUE-CURED

• NC--340 million pounds, down 10%. 
• GA--30 million pounds, up 33%. 
• VA--52.9 million pounds, up 9.2%.
• SC--17.1 million pounds, down 32%. 
• All US--440 million pounds, down 7%. 

BURLEY 

• KY--148.2 million pounds, down 2%. 
• TN--21.8 million pounds, down 24%. 
• PA--12.7 million pounds, up 10.7%. 
• OH--4.5 million pounds, up 12.7%.
• NC--3.3 million pounds, down 16.4%.
• VA--3 million pounds, down 35.2%.
• All US--194 million pounds, down 5%.

OTHER TYPES

• Fire-cured--61.5 million pounds, up 14.4%. 
• Dark air-cured--14.2 million pounds, down 6.8%. 
• Cigar types--9 million pounds, down 2%.
• Southern Maryland--4.7 million pounds, down 29.5%.

• No supplemental fertilizer 
• meant a very spindly plant 
• this season. 
• This flue-cured tobacco 
• near Sanford NC 
• got the same heavy 
• rains as most 
• N.C. fields, but the farmer 
• elected not to apply supplemental nitrogen.

ADVERTISING

A MESSAGE TO TOBACCO GROWERS Do you still need curing space? World Tobacco Inc. can help!    A limited number of just-built curing barns are complete and ready for immediate delivery from World Tobacco Inc. of Wilson, N.C. They will be sold on a first-come first-served basis. If you are interested, call Billy Price at 252.230.1032 or wlpricejr@myglnc.com. And why would you want a World Tobacco Inc. barn? In the current tobacco economy, there is no better way to increase profits than through higher efficiency. That's why more producers around the world turn to World Tobacco, Inc. They know they can rely on our "Energy" tobacco barns to save on labor costs, reduce energy consumption and cure tobacco to world-class standards. Our barns are built to the highest standards: They use only the finest quality materials with all painted stainless steel construction and 2" tongue and groove, and air tight and water tight Coldmatic panels designed to withstand thermal rippling. Our "Energy" barns deliver consistent, positive air flow along with desired humidities and temperatures.So, even in humid or difficult conditions, and regardless of stalk positions, your tobacco quality is maximized every time. Our bins are the ideal size for curing consistency.  The Evans MacTavish Agricraft heat exchanger is the most widely used heat exchanger on the bulk tobacco barn market. It has been proven to be the most efficient. It is designed to fit all the popular barns. The exchanger is made of 304 stainless steel, all welded construction. The frame is tube steel with insulated panels. So call soon at the number below, and you still may be able to save money on this year's crop with a high-efficiency bulk-curing barn.    WORLD TOBACCO INC.  2605 Nash Street, Wilson, N.C. 27896.  ● PH: 252-230-1032 ● website: www.worldtob.com ● email: info@worldtob.com

BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse    We will hold both sealed bid auctions  and live auctions.   We promise HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY  SERVICE    For more information, contact: --Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033  --Greg Ray at  252-799-6061  or --the warehouse at 252-206-1447.  EMail: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com

AUCTION MARKET OPENS STRONG,...

A burley field dries out in Clay County, Ky. ...BUT HOW MUCH LEAF WILL BE PRODUCED?  Reports continue to come in of the yield loss caused by the June and July rains. And some areas report a degree of recovery since the precipitation slowed down. USDA will issue its August projection later this month, and I will come back to you as soon as I can analyze it and get a better handle on what the production prospects really are. For now, let me share reports I got Friday from the Northern and Southern ends of the tobacco belt.  Kentucky--A month after the event, farmers were still reeling from the torrential rains of July 4, 5 and 6, when eight to 10 inches of rain fell over most of the tobacco-producing areas. "This was probably the most widespread damage I have seen from a single event in my career," said Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist, at the time. When Tobacco Farmer Newsletter spoke to him Friday, he continued to be pessimistic about the volume Kentucky growers will be able to produce, suggesting that abandoned fields and reduced yield might result in a 25 percent loss. One practice that could help: Proactive use of sprays for leafspot diseases.  Florida and Georgia--There was an abundance of rain in these states too but the crop seems to have fared better.  J. Michael Moore, Extension tobacco specialist for Georgia and Florida, said many Florida growers have made all but their last harvest, producing good usable leaf that is grading well. Yield will be a little short because of the rain, but nowhere near as much as in the burley states. This could wind up being a good crop for the Floridians. Georgians have had a harder time. In the Willacoochee and Nashville area, 56 inches of rain has fallen so far this year, more than it normally gets in one year, and other areas had similar experiences. "Besides drowning, we have had a good bit of nitrogen loss, and also damage to the root systems," Moore said. "Yields will be down and quality reduced." But he is putting off making a production estimate for a little longer. The loss will probably be less than what is projected in the burley states.  The auction season begins: Piedmont Warehouse of Danville, Va., conducted the first auction of the season with a sale on July 30, selling 100,000 pounds of flue-cured for an average price of $1.73 a pound. "We opened a little early to help farmers who needed it," said Jim Eggleston, sales manager. "We hope to sell 200,000 to 250,000 pounds at each sale later." Every pound attracted a buyer, and the farmers were happy with the price they received. But they will probably be happier at this week's sale, since prices from contracting companies reportedly rose almost literally overnight after the first one. That was reflected the next day, when a new auction company, Carolinas Tobacco Auctions of Lake City, S.C., sold 130,000 pounds of flue-cured for an average price of $1.93 per pound. "I would be glad to have another sale like that," said Jimmy Lynch, one of the owners of Carolina Tobacco Auctions. "It proved that the auction for tobacco works the way it should." Carolinas will hold sales at 10 a.m. every Wednesday through the season. The location is 662 So. Ron McNair Blvd., Lake City, S.C. For more information, call Lynch at 843-687-5753. Piedmont will hold sales at 10 a.m. every Thursday. The address is 301 Trade Street, Danville, Va. For more information, call Eggleston at 434-489-4292.  More auctions:  The Big M Warehouse will hold its opening sale at 10 a.m., August 7, and every Wednesday after that. The address is 1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C. For more information, call Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033 or Greg Ray at 252-799-6061 or the switchboard at 252-206-1447.  The Old Belt Tobacco Warehouse in Rural Hall, N.C., will hold its opening sale of the season on Tuesday, August 13, at 10 a.m. Sales will be held each Tuesday till the end of the season. Tobacco can be delivered starting today. The address is 1395 Old Belt Way, Rural Hall. For more information, call Dennis White at 336-416-6262. Tobacco tours coming up in the next 30 days Cross Creek Seed Inc. will hold a variety tour, Wednesday, August 7, 9 a.m. at Seven Springs Baptist Church, 5924 NC 55 East, Seven Springs, N.C. Visitors will caravan to the nearby farm of Mack Grady where they will be able to see the new variety CC 143, which features good resistance to black shank (both races) and to Granville wilt, along with yield and grade indexes comparable or better than K 326. The tour will end with lunch. Call Cross Creek Seed at 877-922-7333 if you plan to attend. The Murray, Ky., Twilight Tobacco Tour will be held on Tuesday, August 13, at the West Farm of Murray State University off St. Rte. 1660 (Robertson Rd.) starting at 5:30 p.m. It will conclude with supper around 7:30 p.m. For information, call Bob Pearce at 859-221-2465. ADVERTISING BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse    We will hold both sealed bid auctions  and live auctions.   We promise HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY  SERVICE    For more information, contact: --Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033  --Greg Ray at  252-799-6061  or --the warehouse at 252-206-1447.  EMail: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com    A MESSAGE TO TOBACCO GROWERS Do you still need curing space? World Tobacco Inc. can help!    A limited number of just-built curing barns are complete and ready for immediate delivery from World Tobacco Inc. of Wilson, N.C. They will be sold on a first-come first-served basis. If you are interested, call Billy Price at 252.230.1032 or wlpricejr@myglnc.com. And why would you want a World Tobacco Inc. barn? In the e current tobacco economy, there is no better way to increase profits than through higher efficiency. That's why more producers around the world turn to World Tobacco, Inc. They know they can rely on our "Energy" tobacco barns to save on labor costs, reduce energy consumption and cure tobacco to world-class standards. Our barns are built to the highest standards: They use only the finest quality materials with all painted stainless steel construction and 2" tongue and groove, and air tight and water tight Coldmatic panels designed to withstand thermal rippling. Our "Energy" barns deliver consistent, positive air flow along with desired humidities and temperatures.So, even in humid or difficult conditions, and regardless of stalk positions, your tobacco quality is maximized every time. Our bins are the ideal size for curing consistency.  The Evans MacTavish Agricraft heat exchanger is the most widely used heat exchanger on the bulk tobacco barn market. It has been proven to be the most efficient. It is designed to fit all the popular barns. The exchanger is made of 304 stainless steel, all welded construction. The frame is tube steel with insulated panels. So call soon at the number below, and you still may be able to save money on this year's crop with a high-efficiency bulk-curing barn.    WORLD TOBACCO INC.  2605 Nash Street, Wilson, N.C. 27896.  ● PH: 252-230-1032 ● website: www.worldtob.com ● email: info@worldtob.com

The crop that washed away?

A wet burley field near Greeneville, Tn.

Reports of yield loss resulting from the heavy rains keep piling up. I spoke to a flue-cured grower near Kinston, N.C., in the Eastern Belt July 14. He told me that his tobacco has already lost one pulling because of all the water. "And now some of our fields are yellowing," he said. "Those plants won't put on the size. Some of our tobacco has flopped and won't be harvested. It looks to me like we will lose 25 percent of the crop in this area." Most of the damage came from near-daily rains starting June 17 and continuing till July 13 and amounted to 20 inches. There was especially heavy rain on July 11 and 12. But July 14 and 15 were sunny.

The situation may be even worse in southern Ohio and parts of Kentucky. After several days of off-and-on showers that saturated the soil, the area experienced heavy rainfall over the Independence Day break. When a warm sunny day followed, drowning damaged tobacco on several farms in the Ohio counties of Adams and Brown, Ohio. Making matters worse, scalding caused some quality loss, and much of the tobacco that is damaged may not be worth harvesting. "If tobacco was topped and only a couple of weeks from a normal harvest, you may be able to salvage enough of the crop by harvesting," says Ohio Extension Educator David Dugan. "But not tobacco that [was] not even in bloom yet."

Parts of Kentucky experienced similar conditions and in some cases suffered a 10% percent loss. "We have lost a portion our acreage to drowning after the big rains on July 4, 5 and 6," says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "Planting intentions in the state were in the range of 75,000 acres. But wet weather may have prevented some plantings, so we may have planted about 72,000 acres."

Speaking of plantings, I have received some respectful disagreement with some of the acreage projections from USDA that I included in the last issue. S.C. Extension tobacco specialist Dewitt Gooden emailed me last week saying, "I do not believe the USDA projected acreage of 9,000 is correct for S.C. I have been told by very reliable sources that our acreage is up five to 10 percent from 2012." Estimating acreage last year at 12,000 acres, that would put 2013 plantings at between 12,600 acres and 13,200 acres...I had the chance to talk to Georgia Extension tobacco specialist J. Michael Moore last night on the N.C. Tobacco Tour, and he still insists that the USDA projection of 15,000 planted acres is way too high. He continues to estimate plantings of 11,000 acres...In N.C., Extension tobacco specialist Loren Fisher estimates acreage at between the USDA projection of 170,000 acres and 175,000 acres.

A new leader for flue-cured growers: The U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, which serves flue-cured growers, has a new board chairman. He is grower James T. (Jimmy) Hill of Kinston, N.C., who was elected in May. It also has a new board member representing South Carolina, Dwight Stevens of Loris. Both positions were held for many years by Albert Johnson of Galivants Ferry, S.C. 

China opens an office: Johnson has since joined the staff of China Tobacco International of North America, a new division of CTIEC, the Chinese national tobacco company. It will establish an office in coming months in the Raleigh, N.C., area. Observers believe the company will try to buy flue-cured tobacco from this crop but I haven't been able to confirm this. "The company likely will buy from both leaf dealers and farmers [when it begins buying]," says Peter Thornton, assistant director for international marketing with the N.C. Department of Agriculture, who says a U.S. office was a logical next step in China Tobacco's import process. "The U.S. is the last major tobacco supplier where China doesn't have a company." Steve Troxler, N.C. agriculture commissioner, says, "My staff and I have been working to boost exports of tobacco for several years now, and we think CTI's presence in our state will mean even more opportunities for our farmers."

Opening dates: The U.S. Tobacco Cooperative has announced opening dates for its delivery stations. They are:

• Nashville, Ga.-July 23.
• Mullins, S.C.-July 25.
• Smithfield, N.C.-July 30.
• Wilson, N.C.-August 1.
• Oxford, N.C.-August 7.

Danville, Va.-August 13.

New leaders for the Council for Burley Tobacco: Rod Kuegel of Owensboro, Ky., is the new president of the Council for Burley Tobacco. Other officers are Scott Travis of Cox's Creek, Ky., vice president; Hampton Henton of Versailles, Ky., Secretary, and Eddie Warren of Richmond, Ky., treasurer. They were elected at the Council's recent annual meeting in Lexington, Ky. A new board of directors was also elected. Besides Kuegel, Travis, Henton and Warren, they are David Chappell of Sparta, Ky.; Todd Clark of Lexington, Ky.; Greg Harris of Richmond, Ky.; Al Pedigo of Scottsville, Ky.; Shane Wiseman of Winchester, Ky.; Bob James of Lexington, Ky., and Kenneth Reynolds of Abingdon, Va.

Tobacco tours coming up in the next 30 days: The S.C. Tobacco Tour starts with registration at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, July 23, at the Tobacco Facility at the back of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center near Florence. Later, the tour will visit a farm using a wood-fired boiler for curing. The tour will end in midafternoon. For more information, contact Dewitt Gooden at 843-662-3526 or by email at  dgooden@clemson.edu.  The Virginia Tobacco Field Day will be held at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research & Extension Center (two miles east of Blackstone on Rt. 40) on August 6. After a dinner at 5 p.m., the field day will begin at 6 p.m., ending about 8:30 p.m. Note: A forage and livestock field day will be held August 7 starting at 9 a.m. For more information, go to Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331 or makenny@vt.edu. The Kentucky Corn, Soybean and Tobacco Field Day will be held August 1 from 7:30 a.m. until noon at the UK Research Farm in Princeton. An irrigation forum will follow at 1:30 p.m. For more information, contact Andy Bailey at 270-365-7541, ext. 240.  Cross Creek Seed Inc. will hold a variety tour on Wednesday, August 7, starting at 9 a.m. at Seven Springs Baptist Church, 5924 NC 55 East, Seven Springs, N.C. 28578. Visitors will caravan to the nearby farm of Mack Grady and see various varieties, then will end up back at the church for lunch. You will be able to see the new variety Cross Creek is so high on: CC 143, which features good resistance to black shank (both races) and Granville wilt along with yield and grade indexes comparable or better than K 326. Call Cross Creek Seed at 877-922-7333 if you plan to attend.

BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse    We will hold both sealed bid auctions  and live auctions.   We promise HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY  SERVICE    For more information, contact: --Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033  --Greg Ray at  252-799-6061  or --the warehouse at 252-206-1447.  EMail: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com

New president for USTC

The U.S. Tobacco (flue-cured) Cooperative has a new board chairman. He is grower James T. (Jimmy) Hill of Kinston, N.C. It also has a new member representing South Carolina, Dwight Stephens. Both positions were held for many years by Albert Johnson of Galivants Ferry, S.C., who recently joined the staff of China Tobacco International of North America, a new division of CTIEC, the Chinese national tobacco company, to be located in the vicinity of Raleigh. 

SURPRISES IN USDA'S ACREAGE REPORT

A burley field ready to take off in June near Boone, N.C.

USDA issued its planted acreage report at the end of June. It showed flue-cured up five percent and burley up one percent--hardly the avalanche of plantings that some observers (including the  editor of this publication) predicted just a few months ago. There was one big surprise, so big I am not sure we should believe it. South Carolina flue-cured acreage, which was projected to be up 25 percent in USDA's March Prospective Plantings Report (see TFN, April 3, 2013), is now projected be down 25 percent. Another drastic change: Ohio burley was projected at 2,000 acres in March but now is pegged at 2,500 acres (an increase in that time period of 25 percent). And another: In Georgia, a one third increase in plantings since last year was projected. "I don't see how we could have 15,000 acres (5,000 acres more than 2013) as projected by USDA. We had enough plants for a bigger crop but had to discard many of them because no one wanted them." Moore estimates Georgia plantings at about 11, 000 acres, same as last year. 

Below are the numbers from USDA's June projection with the percentage change from last year. Feel free to check back here in about a week for more details. 

FLUE-CURED: 

• NC--170,000 acres, up 3.6%. 
• VA--23,000 acres, up 15%. 
• GA--15,000 acres, up 36%. 
• SC--9,000 acres, down 25%. 
• All US--217,000 acres, up 5.3%

BURLEY: 

• KY--78,000 acres, up 5.1%. 
• TN--13,000 acres, down 18.7%. 
• PA--5,100 acres, up 8.5%. 
• OH--2,500 acres, up 31.5%.
• NC--2,300 acres, up 9.8%.
• VA--1,700 acres, down 37%.
• All US--102,600 acres, up 1.1%.

OTHER TYPES: 

• Fire-cured--18,400 acres, up 13.5%. 
• Dark air-cured--5,000 acres, down 3.8%. 
• Cigar types--4,850 acres, up 8.6%.
• Southern Maryland--2,000 acres, down 31%.  

 Crop reports from the field

In southern Ohio, Pat Raines of Seaman, Oh., says he thinks acres are increasing in his state. "Many growers expanded their contracts. Some people who had stopped producing before got back in this year." The weather delayed transplanting on many farms. "Based on plant sales, I would say we are 75 to 80 percent finished [on June 14]. If the weather turns off well, we could still have an excellent crop. But some fields in Ohio might get washed out if there are heavy rains later." 

In northern Kentucky, a lot of burley was still being planted after June 15 in the Maysville, Ky., area, says Eldon Ginn. Some of the increase is planted by existing farmers who are expanding and some by new growers or by growers who are returning to the crop. Ginn knows of one farmer who increased his burley plantings from 150 acres last year to 400 acres this year.

In the Bluegrass of Kentucky, Jerry Rankin of Danville, Ky., says, "We are a little behind where we normally are, maybe a week to 10 days. The plants didn't grow as fast because of the cool weather." He thinks production may fall short of goals. "A lot of tobacco ground is going into row crops," he says. "Hay, alfalfa and wheat in silos, along with corn and soybeans, have all been competing for land with tobacco." 

In western Kentucky, says burley and dark grower Rod Kuegel of Owensboro, Ky., farmers generally like to have all of their tobacco planted by June 15, but they didn't make that deadline this season. "It appears now that it will be well into July before we finish transplanting. That is not what we want to see. We don't want to have to cut tobacco at Halloween."

In southwest Virginia, burley grower Kenneth Reynolds of Abingdon, Va., says he finished transplanting probably 10 days later than usual because of the weather. Planting was nearly complete by mid-June. Most lands have been planted. He thinks planted acreage is at least stable. "It may be up but not by a significant amount." 

In the Highland Rim of Tennessee, Bill Maksymowicz, agronomist for the Burley Stabilization Corporation, Springfield, Tn., says he traveled extensively in Tennessee and Kentucky visiting burley farms in recent weeks. "We are wrapping up transplanting. Some topping began last week. We are a little later than the last two years." He has seen few foliar diseases and no black shank or blue mold.  

In eastern North Carolina, Mitch Smith, Pitt County, N.C., Extension chairman, says tobacco there has enormous potential. "But the rain needs to stop. There could be water damage already, and it could interfere with our ability to apply contacts." There may already be an impact on yield. "In a rainy season, the crop tends to ripen very quickly," he says. "That can lead to a lower weight." 

In the Piedmont of North Carolina, there's been a lot of rain, says Dennis White, owner of Old Belt Tobacco Sales warehouse in Rural Hall, N.C. "Early set tobacco has had too much water," he says. "The later tobacco will more likely be the best of this crop. Some farmers started pulling last week (starting July 1). Most will start in the next two weeks, with the last ones starting the third week in August." 

On the border between the Carolinas, Ben Teal of Patrick, S.C., says there are a lot of different stages of growth in the field, and some fields had topped out by June 20. "Most of mine is looking pretty good except for the fields that got drenched by Andrea. That tobacco yellowed up and is short." There has been a change in his variety choice recently: He has increased the proportion of K 326 that he plants. "We have been able to plant on fresh land the last two years. That has allowed us to plant K 326. We also plant some CC 700. It produces well on sandy land."

In Florida, growers have an "outstanding" crop, says Extension specialist J. Michael Moore, who covers both Florida and Georgia. "They have had plenty of rainfall, but it hasn't been much of a problem: They are used to handling water." Harvest is well under way. "I believe a substantial amount of leaf will be ready for delivery the week of July 22, when stations open." He projects planted acreage at 1,100 acres, about the same as last year, although there might be a small increase.

In Georgia, rainy weather has caused some losses but Moore thinks Georgia farmers have about a 95% crop with what appears to be some good quality tobacco. "It has been very wet all across Georgia, but most of the tobacco has held up well. Most has been topped and suckered and is ready for that final growth spurt. Some re-fertilization is taking place."  

In other news from Georgia--

• Spotted wilt incidence was low compared to what was expected, considering the mild winter. Early in the season--when the plant was most vulnerable--the statewide incidence was about eight to 10 percent, he says. "Since then, it has climbed to closer to 15 percent, but infections that late only cost you a few leaves, not the whole plant."
• There was at most a one percent incidence of black shank so far.
• Control of budworm has been good, thanks largely to extensive use of Coragen.
• Rain fell nearly every day the week of July 4, delaying sucker control sprays and the start of harvest.
• There are a number of new growers. Moore knows of 11 operations that are growing tobacco this year that weren't a year ago. "They range from young high school graduates just starting out to growers who have given up on tobacco since the buyout but kept their equipment and are coming back in."

• There was a brisk market in used equipment over the winter. "I think all the used barns, transplanters and cultivators that have just been lying around were bought by active tobacco growers."

Marketing news Another burley auction for 2013: Roger Wilson of Mt. Sterling, Ky., says that a live auction will be held this year at Clay's Tobacco Warehouse. For more information, contact Wilson at 859-498-6722.   Here's an optimist: Dennis White, owner of the Old Belt Tobacco Sales warehouse in Rural Hall, N.C., tells Tobacco Farmer Newsletter, "If anyone has tobacco ready to market and needs money before delivery stations open, I will buy it now at contract prices, from any location." If you're interested, call White at 336-416-6262. White will announce the opening date of sales at his warehouse soon.   Orders for flue-curing barns seem to have subsided as harvest approaches. But manufacturers tell me they are still working two shifts a day seven days a week to get all the orders met. One told me that he took his last official order for barns for this crop on June 11, but may sell a few more if he has any to spare before the harvest crunch. He and another manufacturer told TFN they have had indications that some farmers may go ahead and order barns for next season, to be built after the current traffic jam is over. Tobacco tours coming up in the next 30 days The N.C. Tobacco Tour begins at 6:15 p.m., Monday, July 15, with dinner at the Brass Lantern Steak House, 515 Spring Branch Road, Dunn, N.C. Tuesday July 16, the tour begins at 7 a.m. in the parking lot of the Dunn Hampton Inn, 100 Jesse Tart Circle (Exit 73, Interstate 95). Stops include research stations in Kinston and Rocky Mount and three farms. Wednesday, July 17, the tour begins at 7:30 a.m. at Edwards Farm, 100 Salem Church Rd., Wendell. Stops include the Oxford research station and two farms. The tour ends with lunch at 12 p.m. in Oxford. For more information, go to http://plantpath.cals.ncsu.edu/north-carolina-flue-cured-burley-tobacco-tour. Or contact Mina Mila at 919-513-1291 or at almila@ncsu.edu. The S.C. Tobacco Tour starts with registration at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, July 23, at the Tobacco Facility at the back of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center near Florence. Later, the tour will visit a farm using a wood-fired boiler for curing. The tour will end in midafternoon. For more information, contact Dewitt Gooden at 843-662-3526 or dgooden@clemson.edu.  The Virginia Tobacco Field Day will be held at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research & Extension Center (two miles east of Blackstone on Rt. 40) on August 6. After a dinner at 5 p.m., the field day will begin at 6 p.m., ending about 8:30 p.m. Note: A forage and livestock field day will be held August 7 starting at 9 a.m. For more information, go to Margaret Kenny at 434-292-5331 or makenny@vt.edu.

BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse    We will hold both sealed bid auctions  and live auctions.   We promise HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY  SERVICE    For more information, contact: --Mann Mullen at 919-496-9033  --Greg Ray at  252-799-6061  or --the warehouse at 252-206-1447.  EMail: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com