Weather Helps Tobacco Production Stay on Track

Source from:  By Tom Murphy Rocky Mount Telegram Saturday, June 10, 2006 06/12/2006

The weather is cooperating and has become a catalyst for tobacco production, said Nash County Cooperative Extension Service Director Charlie Tyson. "We're finally getting some warmer temperatures, and tobacco is beginning to grow," Tyson said. "We've had some timely rain showers, and many of our tobacco fields are beginning to improve their uniformity." Tyson said tobacco crops are beginning to take advantage of the fertilizer farmers have applied to fields. Pests can be problems, but to date, tobacco farmers have been spared those tribulations, Tyson said. "We are having no unusual pest problems at this point," he said. "There's just the typical budworms and hornworms – which normally appear in tobacco crops." Tyson said Nash County farmers endured hail damage during recent storms. "Most of the damage was not permanent," he said. But tobacco crops are a bit behind schedule, Tyson said. "They lack maturity, but we are not very concerned about that," he said. "We can make up that time with some warm days." Farmers are cultivating their tobacco crops and in about a week will begin applying chemicals to control "suckers," Tyson said. Suckers are the lateral sprouts that grow from the tops of tobacco plants. Tyson said Nash County tobacco farmers have the potential for a "great quality crop." Farmers in the county are expected to grow about 25 percent more tobacco this year than last, Tyson said. Farmers planted 7,032 acres of tobacco last year, he said. "That's my estimate on this year's acreage," he said. "We will know the exact number of acres planted in July, when farmers report their acreage to the Farm Service Agency." Flue-cured tobacco growers in North Carolina expect to plant 143,000 acres in 2006, up 20,000 acres from 2005, N.C. Department of Agriculture officials said. Enditem