EXPORTS ARE UP BUT NOT TO TRADITIONAL CUSTOMERS

Prepping to clip plants. A worker on a flue-cured farm near Raeford, N.C., prepares a mower to clip greenhouse plants last spring in this file photo. Exports of U.S. leaf are up, but not because of our traditional customers, says Blake Brown, N.C. Extension economist. "The European Union (traditionally the leading destination for U.S. exports) is trending down." But the demand in China is robust, and that is keeping exports strong, said Brown, who spoke at the recent meeting of Tobacco Associates (TA) in Wilson, N.C. Short global supplies of flavor style, good quality flue-cured should work in our favor. There appears to be uncertainty among the buying companies about the potential size of the tobacco market this year, says Mack Grady of Cureco, Seven Springs, N.C. They have slowed their contracting considerably since the beginning of this year. "I think this has slowed down the emphasis on updating infrastructure on the farms that we saw earlier. We can still hope the companies will come back with some extra pounds once they are sure what is going to happen in the southern hemisphere." His company has a "plateful" of orders right now, says Grady, about like what it had in 2012 and 2013 at about this time. The company installs curing controls on all kinds of barns. "We are doing old barns, middle-aged barns and new barns," he says. "But we have been slowed by the wet weather this winter. Some of our customers who want to move barns can't because it has been too wet and cold to pour concrete." But barns continue to move. Bob Pope, general manager of Long Tobacco Barn Company in Tarboro, N.C., says, "Many farmers expressed interested in new barns at the Southern Farm Show, and we sold quite a few. We have continued to sell barns since then and, though we have already taken a lot of orders for 2014 barns, we still have a few June barns left. We will continue building 2014 barns through September." Pope says barn haulers tell him they are very busy moving used barns that are bringing record high prices, which suggests tobacco farmers remain enthusiastic about their future prospects. A substantial portion of the Kentucky and Ohio burley crop from 2013 may still lack a home. Contracting for 2014 is already well under way but it appears that there is still a lot of 2013 burley left on the farm, says Steve Pratt, GM of theBurley Pat Raines Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association (BTGCA). "That's a problem because most tobacco company receiving stations closed the last week of February," he says. "Here at the cooperative, we are going to keep accepting deliveries till we close March 21, but we can't handle all the leaf that is out there." Part of the problem has been the cold weather, which has made it difficult to get the leaf in case. Some resourceful methods of marketing the remaining burley may be required, says Pratt. "I am sure the auctions will handle some of it." So far, the prices offered for 2014 burley seem similar to last year, says Pat Raines, a Seaman, Ohio, burley grower and BTGCA chairman, who also attended the TA meeting. "I think we (burley growers) may plant five percent more this year," he says. For flue-cured, a small acreage increase seems likely, Yarbrough says Tim Yarbrough, the flue-cured grower in Prospect Hill, N.C., who is the new president of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. If that is true and if farmers produce an average yield, we might see an average price about ten cents less this season compared to 2013, he says. "That would be livable if we can keep variable costs under control. I hope we are not looking at an oversupply situation. Soft demand and too much tobacco would be a 'perfect storm' leading to a much lower price." Yarbrough, who farms with his brother Kenneth in Caswell County in the Old Belt, says they may increase plantings by five percent. "We are not looking to expand a great deal," he says. "We don't have the land availability we would need."  Dark air-cured growers in Kentucky and Tennessee will apparently have the opportunity to contract additional pounds this season, although the increase may be modest. "Our yield in 2013 was low, and some companies reported falling 10 percent to 15 percent of their goal," says Andy Bailey, Extension dark tobacco specialist. "I am hearing of growers getting 4,000 pound increases. Burley contracts appear to be similar to last year, and farmers are enthusiastic after the good price for the last crop. "There were some crops in this area that averaged $2.05 at all stalk positions." Plantings of all tobacco types may be favored by the drop in the price of grain. "Farmers may divert some acres into tobacco instead," he says. Don't seed too soon in Kentucky. March 15 is soon enough to seed greenhouses most years, says Bailey, and that is especially true with the price of propane up. "I hope no one seeded before March 1. In Kentucky, there is no real good reason ever to seed tobacco in February." How to economize on potassium: "Flue-cured growers don't need to apply as much as they historically have," says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. "We average applying 120 to 130 pounds per acre across the state, while the recommendation is 90 pounds per acre." There is research that has suggested that you can reduce the application rate as low as 75 pounds per acre under certain soil conditions without affecting yield or quality, he says.     GAP RECERTIFICATION SCHEDULE All times Eastern except as marked. For more information, please call 865-622-4606 or visit  www.gapconnections.com.  KENTUCKY (Dark) March 7, 1 p.m. McLean County Extension Office, Calhoun, Ky. Contact: (270) 273-3690. NORTH CAROLINA (Flue-cured) March 19, 10 a.m. Surry Community College, 630 S. Main St., Dobson, N.C. Contact: 336-371-0189.   KENTUCKY (Burley) March 19, 6 p.m. (Introduction to Tobacco GAP at 5 p,m,). Mason County Extension Office. 800 U.S. 68, Maysville, Ky. Contact: Tad Campbell, (606) 564-6808 or mcampbel@email.uky.edu. March 20, 6:30 p.m. CT. Barren County Tobacco Meeting, Barren County Extension Office, 1463 West Main St. Glasgow, Ky. Contact: Kristin Goodin, (270) 651-3818, kristin.goodin@uky.edu. March 25, 6 p.m. South East Ky. Tobacco Meeting, Laurel County Extension Office, 200 County Extension Rd., London, Ky. Contact: Glenn Williams (606) 864-4167, victor.williams@uky.edu.  TENNESSEE (Burley) March 13, 7 p.m. Middle Tennessee Research & Education Center, 1000 Main Entrance Dr., Spring Hill, Tn. Contact: Joe Beeler,jbeeler5@utk.edu. March 17, 6 p.m., Pickett County Agricultural Learning Center, 130 Skyline Dr., Byrdstown, Tn. Contact: Bill Garrett, 931-864-3310. March 26, 6 p.m. Clyde Austin 4-H Center, 214 4-H Lane, Greeneville, Tn. Contact: 423-798-1710.  March 27, 6 p.m. Grainger County Meeting, Ag Pavilion, 280 Bryan Rd., Rutledge, Tn. Contact: Anthony Carver, 865-828-3411 orbcarver4@utk.edu. OHIO (Burley) March 10, 4 p.m. Ohio Valley Career and Technical Center, 175 Lloyd Rd., West Union, Ohio. Contact: dugan.46@osu.edu. March 10, 7:30 p.m. Ohio Valley Career and Technical Center, 175 Lloyd Rd., West Union, Ohio. Contact: dugan.46@osu.edu. March 19, 1 p.m. Southern Hills Career Center on Hamer Road, Georgetown, Ohio. Contact: dugan.46@osu.edu.

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The season begins

Watch out for the "carve out," said PMI executive Jon Huenemann at the annual meeting of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. Just to the right is TGANC president Brent Leggett, who had some words of his own on the carve out (see below).   It was a good two years, said outgoing president of the Tobacco Growers Association of N.C. (TGANC) Brent Leggett at the organization's annual meeting February 7 in Raleigh, N.C. Tobacco Farmer Newsletter got to talk to him this week and find out his observations after serving two one-year terms: He was very happy that the past two crops had been characterized by good demand and good prices. "Especially in 2013, with the unique weather, I think farmers responded well in getting a product that met buyer demand, and the buyers rewarded them for it. I am glad of that." He is very concerned by efforts of the attorneys general of the United State to exclude tobacco from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement (the so-called "carve out"). "We have to oppose this in every way we can," says Leggett.  "If they think they can succeed at this, they might try it on any number of federal programs. Or other crops--you can just imagine how crops like peanuts or cotton could be vulnerable to this sort of treatment." He thinks the great imponderable for 2014 will be the effect of the end of the buyout. "This will be the first year in a decade we have produced a crop that will not have the benefit of buyout payment assistance following the season," he says. "How will this dynamic affect the stability of the market moving forward?" For more on the TGANC meeting, see below. The remainder of the Kentucky burley crop should be reaching the market in the next week or 10 days, says Bob Pearce, Kentucky Extension tobacco specialist. "Not much is left," he says. "I was on a farm Monday when stripping there was finished. The rest will be done soon." It would probably all be done already but the extreme cold weather at times had made it hard to get leaf in case.  There is no hurry among Kentucky growers to start heating their greenhouses, especially if they heat with propane, says Pearce. "If the winter continues cold that could become a cost issue," he says. "I anticipate one of our later starts this year." The good price of the burley crop has a lot of growers optimistic about 2014, says Steve Walker, Macon County (Tn.) Extension Director. "Our acreage will be up if contracts are available," he says. Most of the burley in the county, which is north of Nashville and borders Kentucky, has been delivered, he says, but there may be a problem for some farmers who have had to delay stripping because of the cold. "The companies may want to close their stations in mid February (or soon after), and for some growers that could make it close." Macon County has greatly increased burley production since deregulation, and growers have improved their tobacco infrastructure with the addition of new barns, says Walker. "The new barns can house several acres of tobacco, and with sufficient labor, hanging can be a speedy process," he says. "Some of new barns are open sided to allow good air movement."     Run to the mailbox if you are a N.C. flue-cured grower and send in your referendum ballot. Ballots for the North Carolina checkoff referendum should reach growers by mail in the vicinity of March 15, says Leggett. The ballots will ask flue-cured producers if they support a checkoff to fund TGANC. Ten cents per hundredweight is the proposed rate. There is a 90-day voting period. "But don't let it lay on your desk, " says Leggett. "Mark it up and send it back as soon as you get it. You know you are not going to want to be doing any paperwork on June 15!" TGANC presented awards to several individuals and   Hambrick one family at the meeting. They were: Extension award--Tim Hambrick, Forsyth County, N.C., tobacco agent; Outstanding TGANC director--Tim Yarbrough, Caswell County, N.C.; Farm family of the year--the Fann family of Salemburg, N.C., and Distinguished Service--Carl Watson, tobacco research specialist with the N.C. Department of Agriculture. The challenge of harvesting late: Watson with the N.C. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for growing the  Watson tobacco that is used each year in the tobacco-stringing contest at the N.C. State Fair, and that took some doing in 2013. "We seeded the plots [at the Oxford, N.C., research station] a little late in the greenhouse, maybe a week or two, then planted two and a half weeks later than normal, hoping it would hold till the Fair," Watson said. The fair usually begins around the tenth or eleventh of October, but in 2013, the fair began on the seventeenth, with the contest on the eighteenth. Watson thought he might have to make a very late nitrogen application to keep the tobacco growing. "But it didn't rain when we didn't need it to rain, and we wound up with good over-ripe tobacco when we needed it," he said. It was harvested on October 18, and after the tying contest, it was cured in the historic furnace-and-flues barn in the fair's Village of Yesteryear. For his fair tobacco, Watson used the varieties NC-196 and CC-27. "The Cross Creek variety did a good job of staying in the field." UPCOMING GAP RECERTIFICATION MEETINGS  To learn more about the GAP Connections program please call 865-622-4606 or visit  www.gapconnections.com. All times Eastern except where noted.   KENTUCKY (Burley) March 4, 2014, 11:30 a.m. CT. Clinton County Tobacco Meeting, First Albany Baptist Church. 110 W. Cumberland St., Albany, Ky. Contact: Colby Guffey, (606) 387-5404, colby.guffey@uky.edu. March 6, 6:30 p.m. Grant-Owen County Tobacco Meeting, Jonesville Firehouse, 5070 Jonesville Rd., Jonesville, Ky. Contact: Chris Am merman, (859) 824-3355, chris.ammerman@uky.edu. March 3, 10:30 a.m. CT. Breckinridge County Tobacco Meeting, Breckinridge County Extension Office, 1377 Hwy. 261 S., Hardinsburg, Ky. Contact: Carol Hinton, (270) 756-2182, cmhinton@uky.edu. March 3, 2. There will be two meetings this day in Bardstown, at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., for Nelson, Marion, and Washington County growers. Both will take place at the Nelson County Extension Office, 317 S. 3d St., Bardstown, Ky. Contact: Ron Bowman, (502)-348-9204, rbowman@uky.edu. March 19, 6 p.m. (Introduction to Tobacco GAP at 5 p,m,). Mason County Extension Office. 800 U.S. 68, Maysville, Ky. Contact: Tad Campbell, (606) 564-6808 or mcampbel@email.uky.edu. March 20, 6:30 p.m. CT. Barren County Tobacco Meeting, Barren County Extension Office, 1463 West Main St. Glasgow, Ky. Contact: Kristin Goodin, (270) 651-3818, kristin.goodin@uky.edu. March 25, 6 p.m. South East Ky. Tobacco Meeting, Laurel County Extension Office, 200 County Extension Rd., London, Ky. Contact: Glenn Williams (606) 864-4167, victor.williams@uky.edu.  TENNESSEE (Burley) February 27, 8:30. The Residence of Abe Gingerich, 24 Rushing Rd, Ethridge, Tn. Contact: Joe Beeler at jbeeler5@utk.edu. March 13, 7 p.m. Middle Tennessee Research & Education Center, 1000 Main Entrance Dr., Spring Hill, Tn. Contact: Joe Beeler, jbeeler5@utk.edu. March 27, 6 p.m. Grainger County Meeting, Ag Pavilion, 280 Bryan Rd., Rutledge, Tn. Contact: Anthony Carver, 865-828-3411 orbcarver4@utk.edu. KENTUCKY/TENNESSEE (Dark) March 3, 4:30 p.m. Montgomery/Stewart County Tobacco Meeting, Montgomery Ext. Office, Clarksville, Tn. Contact: 931-648-5725. March 5, 1 p.m. Christian County Extension Office, Hopkinsville, Ky. Contact: 270-886-6328. March 7, 1 p.m. McLean County Extension Office, Calhoun, Ky. Contact: (270) 273-3690.   OHIO (Burley) March 10, 4 p.m. Ohio Valley Career and Technical Center, 175 Lloyd Rd., West Union, Ohio. Contact: dugan.46@osu.edu. March 10, 7:30 p.m. Ohio Valley Career and Technical Center, 175 Lloyd Rd., West Union, Ohio. Contact: dugan.46@osu.edu. March 19, 1 p.m. Southern Hills Career Center on Hamer Road, Georgetown, Ohio. Contact: dugan.46@osu.edu. BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse     Greg Goins is the auctioneer at Big M 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  or the warehouse switchboard at 252-206-1447. Email: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com.

A MID WINTER TOBACCO REPORT

Farmers check out new machinery at the S.C. AgriBiz Expo,  Florence, S.C., in January.  BURLEY: The weather has been very cold in Kentucky for about a month, says Roger Quarles, Georgetown, Ky., burley farmer. "In some cases, stripping has been slowed by the temperatures. And also some was stripped too wet in late December. But we got ours sold the first week of January." But because of the unusual conditions, Quarles wasn't able to harvest one acre of the 39 he planted. "But I would describe this (overall) crop as very good except where there were devastating floods. Certainly, it sold for one of the highest averages I have experienced." Processing report: The Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association has begun processing its 2013 purchases, and Steve Pratt, general manager of the cooperative, is pleased with what he is seeing. "This was a good-looking crop, with good color," he says. "It's light, and we are finding it hard to get as many pounds into a box as we would like. But it is a better crop than we expected." This crop hasn't performed quite as well in nicotine tests as hoped, says Pratt. "But the results are acceptable." Some of this crop has been sold at auction, and BTGCA has bought some at auction too. "But we are moving to contracting most of our needs," says Pratt. "We are already seeing interest in contracts for 2014." Contracting has barely begun in the burley belt. Pratt expects the marketing season to wind up in early March.

FLUE-CURED: Contracting has not developed much momentum so far, says Rick Smith, president of Independent Leaf. Farmers who want more tobacco are finding it hard to acquire, and new growers are getting no encouragement as yet. "But hopefully everyone who wants a contract will have one at the end," says Smith. He says it is too early to estimate the average price being offered for contracts other than that it started at about the same level as a year ago. One factor holding up contracting: There is an undetermined amount of 2013 flue-cured still "on the shelf"; that is, in the hands of dealers but not yet committed to a manufacturer. "That tobacco will enter the trade sooner or later, but it may have something to do with the slow pace of contracting we are seeing now," says Smith...The crop in Brazil is reportedly short and maybe a little washed out, so Smith doesn't see it as being any more competitive than normal with U.S. flue-cured. "There will be no advantage to dealers to going there," he says...Don't count on a $2.17 average in 2014, Smith tells growers. The low production accounted for much of the strong price in 2013. "The price was a lot higher than it would have been if it had been a big crop," he says. The 2013 crop has been recorded as a high quality crop, and rightfully so, but that tends to overlook the problem it had of low nicotine.  

  

The world still demands quality flue-cured leaf, and that will continue to favor American growers, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. But he is not sure farmers could take advantage if the market were to seek a big increase in flue-cured plantings. "We produced 550 million pounds in 2009, the most in recent years, and I think we would have a hard time producing more than 600 million pounds now."

Curing capacity a problem everywhere. A major obstacle to increasing flue production would be the limited curing capacity. "To cure any more, we would have to look at buying new barns," says Vann. "All the old ones that were lying around have been pulled back in service if they were useable. The investment required for these new barns is very high."  But the greater energy efficiency of the barns now on the market might take a little of the sting out of a purchase...Another reason expansion in N.C. will be difficult: "We don't have enough land for a good rotation in the I-95 corridor," says Vann.

Burley growers maximized their curing capacity in 2013. "If we plant more, we may see some outdoor curing facilities built," says Darby Montgomery, owner of the Big Burley Warehouse of Lexington, Ky. "But that would be the extent of it. I don't see any new conventional barns going up"...Quarles hasn't seen any conventional barn building recently, although curing space is tight. "If we need it, we could easily use temporary curing structures. But I think burley would have to get a further price increase to generate that."

GAP MEETING DATES in February and March 

To learn more about the GAP Connections program please call 865-622-4606 or visit  www.gapconnections.com.

North Carolina

• February 12: Surry County/Yadkin County, N.C. Location to be determined. Phone: 336-371-0189. Starts at 10 a.m. 
• February 13: McSwain Extension Ctr., 2420 Tramway Rd., Sanford, N.C. Phone: 919-775-5624. Starts at 10 a.m.

Kentucky 

• February 11, Noon. Wayne/Pulaski County Meeting, Wayne County Extension Office, 255 Rolling Hills Blvd., Monticello, DL _CES_WAYNE @EMAIL.UKY. EDU, 270-886-6328.
• February 18, 6:45 p.m. Bath/Montgomery Counties Commodity Night, Bath County Extension Office, 2914 Hwy. 60, Owingsville Ky. Contact: Gary Hamilton,  DL_CES_BATH@EMAIL.UKY. EDU or 606-674-6121.
• February 20, 6 p.m. Estill and Powell County Meeting, Estill County Extension Office, 76 Golden Court, Irvine, Ky.  Contact: Eric Baker, 606-723-4557 or DL_CES_ESTILL@EMAIL.UKY.EDU.
• February 21, 10 a.m. (Eastern Time). Louisville Area Tobacco Meeting, Shelby County Extension Office, 1117 Frankfort Rd., Shelbyville, Ky. Contact: Corinne Belton, 502-633-4593 orcorinne.belton@uky.edu.
• March 5, 1 p.m. Dark Tobacco Meeting, Christian County Extension Office, Hopkinsville, Ky. Contact: 270-886-6328. 
• March 7, 1 p.m. Dark Tobacco Meeting,  McLean Co. Ext. Office, Calhoun, Ky. Contact: (270) 273-3690.

Tennessee 

• February 18, 2:30 p.m. Burley, Appalachian Fair Grounds, Bldg. 1, Lakeview Street, Gray, Tn.
• March 3, 4:30 p.m. Dark, Montgomery/Stewart County Tobacco Meeting, Montgomery Co. Ext. Office, Clarksville, Tn. Contact: 931-648-5725.
• March 13, 7 p.m. Middle Tennessee Research & Education Center,1000 Main Entrance Drive, Spring Hill, Tn. Contact: Joe Beeler at jbeeler5@utk.edu.
• March 27, 6 p.m. Burley, Grainger County Meeting, Ag Pavilion, 280 Bryan Rd., Rutledge, Tn. Contact: Anthony Carver, 865-828-3411 or bcarver4@utk.edu.

Indiana

• February 24, 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). Scott County Tobacco Meeting, USDA building, 656 S. Boatman Rd., Scottsburg, Indiana. Contact: Megan Voles at 812-752-8452 or mvoyles@purdue.edu.
• February 24, 6 p.m. (Eastern Time). Switzerland-Jefferson County Tobacco Meeting, Switzerland County Purdue Extension Office, 708 West Seminary St., Vevay, Indiana. Contact:  Kyle Weaver:812-427-3152 or keweaver@purdue.edu.

Georgia 

• February 12, noon. Harry's Bar B Que, Claxton, Ga. Contact: Mike Dollar at 912-739-1292 or mdolar@uga.edu. 
• February 13, 10 a.m. Colquitt County Extension Office, Moultrie, Ga. Contact: J. Michael Moore, 229-386-3006 or jmmoore@uga.edu.
• February 14, noon. Baxley, Ga. Contact: Shane Curry at 912-367-8130  or dscurry@uga.edu. 

ADVERTISING

BIG M TOBACCO WAREHOUSE  1723 Goldsboro St. SW, Wilson, N.C.,  in the old Liberty Warehouse Greg Goins is the auctioneer at Big M 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  or the warehouse switchboard at 252-206-1447. Email: shrimpmann@embarqmail.com.

What you need to know about GAP in 2014

(Above) Farmers at the Southern Farm Show, February 5-7.  THE WHOLE STORY ABOUT GAP 2014 A note from the editor: The following is an article submitted by the new organization GAP Connections about how the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program is being conducted on tobacco this year. It is very detailed and appears to answer all the questions one could have about GAP, so I am presenting it here as submitted (slightly edited and shortened). Thanks to GAP Connections. At the end, see more GAP meeting dates and also news about the Southern Farm Show. GAP Connections, a nonprofit organization aiming to create awareness and cultivate positive environmental and social impact through good agricultural practices in the tobacco industry, has launched a new website and online Grower ID system. The website provides a resource for tobacco farmers and other interested parties to learn about the organization's initiatives, as well as a way for farmers to sign up for the Grower ID System. GAP Connections offers a streamlined approach to free farmers from overlapping their efforts through the U.S. Tobacco GAP Program, supplying them with simple procedures that are coordinated with industry buyers and manufacturers.  The System provides a secure and easy way for tobacco farmers to document and share their good agricultural practices training associated with the U.S. Tobacco GAP Program. Through the Grower ID System, growers will be assigned a unique Grower ID number that will be used to track GAP training attendance and generate an electronic record of that attendance that can be shared with companies that purchase their tobacco and need to verify that the crop was grown using good agricultural practices. Use of the Grower ID System to document training will greatly simplify documentation of training compared to the former system of paper certificates kept by the farmer. "We're trying to ensure sustainable, economically viable production of usable tobacco, using guidelines for agricultural practice to help growers produce a quality crop through sustainable practices," said Jane Starnes, acting Director of GAP Connections. "The Grower ID System further streamlines that by giving tobacco farmers a secure and easily accessible place to keep all of their training records."  When you register online in the ID system, you will receive a unique grower ID number and Grower ID card. The Grower ID card will be scanned at training meetings starting this year. This system will provide an immediate record of your training that, with your permission, will be made available to participating companies that buy their tobacco. Registered farmers can also use their Grower ID number to log into the Grower ID System at www.gapconnections.com to view and print their training records at any time. The benefits from registering for the Grower ID System include: Online access to your grower profile and GAP training history. Grower ID card to scan at GAP trainings to track attendance. Easy sharing of GAP efforts with one or multiple member companies. In addition, the website provides numerous resources aimed at helping follow the guidelines of the U.S. Tobacco GAP Program, including a downloadable copy of the existing program's guidelines and record-keeping checklist and templates. "By creating a centralized source for information and collaboration between growers and manufacturers, we hope to create transparency and confidence in agricultural practices," said Starnes. "Our aim is for the GAP Connections website and Grower ID System to simplify and standardize record-keeping for growers and give manufacturers confidence that they are receiving a quality product grown with good agricultural practices." GAP Connections is funded by tobacco purchasing groups and others with an interest in the production of U.S. tobacco, with programs delivered through partnerships between GAP Connections and participating state Extension services. To learn more about the GAP Connections program please call 865-622-4606 or visit  www.gapconnections.com.    GAP MEETING DATES Following are GAP meeting dates that have been reported to me to date--the N.C. and Virginia flue-cured meetings and the Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana burley and dark meetings. Pre-registration by phone or email is required. Call the number listed for the meeting you want to attend.  North Carolina January 21: Forsyth County Extension Center, 1450 Fairchild Rd. Winston Salem, N.C. Phone: 336-703-2857. Starts at 10 a.m. January 21: Sampson County Ag Expo Center, 414 Warsaw Rd., Clinton, N.C. Phone: 910-592-7161. Starts at 10 a.m. January 22: Caswell County Civic Center, 536 Main St. East, Yanceyville, N.C.. Phone: 336-694-4158. Starts at 10 a.m. January 23: Cunningham Research Station, 200 Cunningham Rd., Kinston, N.C. Phone: 252-747-5831. Starts at 9:30 a.m. January 28: Granville County Expo Center, 4185 US Highway 15 South, Oxford, N.C. Phone: 919-603-1350. Starts at 10 p.m. January 30: Cumberland Co. Ag Expo Center, 301 E. Mountain Dr., Fayetteville, N.C. Phone: 910-321-6872. Starts at 10 p.m. February 3: Pitt County Extension Center, 403 Government Circle Greenville, N.C. Phone: 252-902-1702. Starts at 9:30 a.m. February 7: Holshouser Bldg., N.C. State Fairgrounds during Southern Farm Show. Starts at 1 p.m. Contact your local county agent. February 12: Surry County/Yadkin County, N.C. Location to be determined. Phone: 336-371-0189. Starts at 10 a.m.   Virginia January 22, 4 p.m. Meherrin River Hunt Club (near South Hill), 435 Dry Creek Rd., Baskerville, Va. Contact: Taylor Clarke (434-738-6191). January 23, 9 a.m. Southern Piedmont Center, 2375 Darvills Road,  Blackstone, Va. Contact: Margaret Kenny (434-292-5331). January 23, 4 p.m. Olde Dominion Ag Complex, 19783 US Highway 29, South Chatham, Va. Contact: Stephen Barts (434-432-7770). January 27, 10 a.m. Volunteer Fire Department. Scottsburg, Va. Contact: Chris Brown (434-476-2147). Kentucky  January 27, 6 p.m. No. Central Ky. Meeting, Harrison County Ex-tension Office, 668 New Lair Rd., Cynthiana, Ky. Contact: Gary Carter, 859-234-5510, DL_CES_HARRISON@ EMAIL.UKY.EDU. January 28, 6:30 p.m. Central Kentucky Tobacco Meeting, Woodford County Extension Office, 184 Beasley Rd., Versailles, Ky. Contact: Adam Probst, 859-873-4601, DL_CES_WOODFORD@EMAIL.UKY. EDU. January 30, 6 p.m. So. Central Kentucky Tobacco Meeting, Lincoln County Extension Office, 104 Metker Tr., Stanford, Ky. Contact: Dan Grigson, 606-365-3238. DL_CES_LINCOLN@EMAIL.UKY. EDU. February 3, 6:30 p.m. So. Kentucky Tobacco Meeting, Allen County Extension Office, 200 East Main Street, Scottsville, Ky. Contact: Steve Osborne, 270-237-3146, DL_CES_ALLEN@EMAIL.UKY.EDU. February 6, 10 a.m. Center Kentucky Tobacco Meeting, Green County Extension Office, 298 Happyville Rd., Greensburg. Contact: Ricky Arnett, 270-932-5311, DL_CES_GREEN@EMAIL.UKY.EDU. February 11, Noon. Wayne/Pulaski County Meeting, Wayne County Extension Office, 255 Rolling Hills Blvd., Monticello,   Contact: Glen Roberts, 606-348-8453, DL_CES_WAYNE@EMAIL.UKY.EDU. February 18, 6:45 p.m. Bath/Montgomery Commodity Night, Bath County Extension Office, 2914 Hwy. 60, Owingsville Ky. Contact: Gary Hamilton, 606-674-6121, DL_CES_BATH@EMAIL.UKY. EDU. February 20, 6 p.m. Estill and Powell County Meeting, Estill County Extension Office, 76 Golden Court, Irvine, Ky.  Contact: Eric Baker, 606-723-4557 or DL_CES_ESTILL@EMAIL.UKY.EDU. February 21, 10 a.m. (Eastern Time). Louisville Area Tobacco Meeting, Shelby County Extension Office, 1117 Frankfort Rd., Shelbyville, Ky. Contact: Corinne Belton, 502-633-4593 or corinne.belton@uky.edu. March 5, 1 p.m. Dark Tobacco Meeting, Christian County Extension Office, Hopkinsville, Ky. Contact: ​(270) 886-6328. March 7, 1 p.m. Dark Tobacco Meeting,  McLean Co. Ext. Office, Calhoun, Ky. Contact:   (270) 273-3690. Tennessee February 4, 2 p.m. Burley and Dark, Robertson Co. Fairgrounds Bldg., Springfield, Tn. (in conjunction with Tennessee-Kentucky Tobacco Expo). Contact: Paul Hart, (615) 384-7936. pehart@utk.edu. February 18, 2:30 p.m. Burley, Appalachian Fairgrounds, Bldg. 1, Lakeview Street, Gray, Tn. March 3, 4:30 p.m. Dark, Montgomery/Stewart County Tobacco Meeting, Montgomery Co. Ext. Office, Clarksville, Tn. Contact: 931-648-5725. March 27, 6 p.m. Burley, Grainger County Meeting, Ag Pavilion, 280 Bryan Rd., Rutledge, Tn. Contact: Anthony Carver, 865-828-3411 or bcarver4@utk.edu. Indiana February 24, 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). Scott County Tobacco Meeting, USDA building, 656 S. Boatman Rd., Scottsburg, Indiana. Contact: Megan Voles at 812-752-8452 or mvoyles@ purdue.edu.  February 24, 6 p.m. (Eastern Time). Switzerland-Jefferson County Tobacco Meeting, Switzerland County Purdue Extension Office, 708 West Seminary St., Vevay, Indiana. Contact:  Kyle Weaver: 812-427-3152 or keweaver@purdue.edu. MORE ON THE SOUTHERN FARM SHOW I think I have listed below all the exhibitors that consider tobacco farmers their primary market (but if I missed somebody, let me know at ChrisBickers@gmail.com.) Using the floor plan provided by the show, I have identified the location of each booth, at least as best I could. So if you're going, I hope this will help out. Don't forget, the Tobacco Growers of North Carolina meet the last day of the show at 10 in the Holshouser Bldg. (not Dorton Arena as I absentmindedly wrote in the last issue).   For more information, call (800) 849-0248 or go to www.southern shows. com.  Jim Graham Bldg.   221 (also 8204) Taylor Mfg. Curing barns, wood furnaces. 222 (also 8301) Evans Mactavish Agricraft and World Tobacco. Bulk fertilizer handling equipment. Curing barns.   227 Kelley Mfg. Co. Agricultural equipment. 704 (also 8131) Agri Supply. Agricultural materials. 807 Mechanical Transplanter Co. Transplanters, seeding equipment. 808 BulkTobac (Gas Fired Products). Curing equipment and controls, poultry brooders, pig heating, space heaters. Kerr Scott Bldg.  1002 TriEst Ag Group (Formerly Hendrix and Dail). Fumigation supplies. 1005 Flue Cured Tobacco Services. Curing controls. 1015 Yara North America. Fertility products. 1104 GoldLeaf Seed Co. Tobacco seed.   1116 Cross Creek Seed. Tobacco seed. 1121 AAA Scale Co. 1202 Reddick Equipment Company Inc. 1220 F.W. Rickard Seeds. Flue-cured, burley and dark tobacco seed. 1302 Mid-Atlantic Irrigation. Exposition Bldg. 3127 (also 8611) Benchmark Buildings & Irrigation Inc. Pre-fabricated metal buildings, transplanters and irrigation equipment. 3135 Southern Container Corporation of Wilson. Bale sheets and packaging.   3522 First Products Inc. Fertilizer boxes for cultivators and tool bars. 3714 (also 8615) Cureco, Inc. Curing controls. Equipment Tent 4037 Hog Slat Inc. 4151 GrassWorks Manufacturing. Tent 1 5007 ABI Irrigation. Irrigation equipment. 5023 Walters Air Assist Plant Release System. Plant release system. 5108 MD/Barnmaster of the Carolinas. Farm Buildings. Scott Tent 7025 Drexel Chemical Company. Sucker control chemicals. 7323 Berger. Plant growing mixtures. 7327 Teeterville Garage & Weighing Systems. Moisture controllers for tobacco barns and weighing scales. Outdoors   8011 Equipmax. Tobacco spray equipment. Sprayer conversions. 8122 Carolina Tobacco Services. Curing barns, mechanical harvesters, heat exchangers.  8150 Long Tobacco Barn Co. Bulk tobacco curing barns.  8701 Tytun Ltd. Bulk flue-curing barns.  8204 Wilson Manufacturing. Farm trailers. Also in the exhibit will be a Taylor Tobacco Barn. 8217 Granville Equipment. Tobacco Machinery.  ADVERTISING Visit our exhibits (numbers 221 and 8204) at the Southern Farm Show.