Philip Morris Targets Wisconsin Farmers For Burley Tobacco

Source from:  news.yahoo.com 07/23/2007

Philip Morris is recruiting Wisconsin farmers to grow tobacco in order to meet the growing demands for burley tobacco. Burley tobacco is the type of tobacco used in smoking cigarettes. Areas in southern Wisconsin were instrumental in the tobacco industry early in the 1900s. Edgerton was known as the "Tobacco Capital of the World." Now, after years of dwindling production, farmers said they are preparing for another tobacco boom. Jim Lund and his family have been farming in Wisconsin for more than 100 years. "Without tobacco, I don't think I would be farming right now,? said Lund. ?It's an excellent cash crop for us. It pays a lot of bills, pays for the taxes, [it's] paid for a lot of farms around here." Two years ago, Philip Morris approached several growers, including Lund, to gauge interest in farming burley tobacco in the state. "They knew we had the sheds,? said Lund. ?They knew we had the manpower. They knew we had the experience to grow tobacco, so they started targeting this area of Wisconsin." Officials said tobacco giants are targeting Wisconsin farmers because local crops are considered to be better quality. People now hope that tobacco resurgence could mean an economic resurgence for many rural Wisconsin communities. "It's a plus for us. We've [now] got different opportunities," Lund said. There are an estimated 200 acres of burley tobacco growing in the state. Enditem