Area Farmers Begin Harvesting Tobacco

Source from:  Click-2-Listen By Tom Murphy Rocky Mount Telegram Monday, July 30, 2007 07/31/2007

The tobacco harvest season is under way. Nash County Cooperative Extension Service Director Charlie Tyson said area farmers are reporting good curing results. "They are, however, being challenged with very high curing costs," Tyson said. "We have about 900 barns in Nash County, and in at least 200 of those barns, growers have installed automatic curing controls this year." Tyson said the automatic curing controls will cut fuel consumption. "For the most part, farmers are using LP gas," he said. "Some growers are using natural gas." Tobacco farmers are seeing some diseases in their crops, Tyson said. "We are seeing some black shank and Granville wilt disease, but from this point forward, we will still have the potential to have a great crop," he said. Local farmer Sammy Tant said the majority of his tobacco crop is doing well. "I've had to irrigate quite a bit," Tant said. "About 75 to 80 percent of my crop is in good shape, and about 20 to 25 percent could come back if we get rain before too much longer. "Rain has been scattered. Most of my farms have had almost 3 inches of rain in two months, and some have had less than an inch in that same time period and are suffering. On the part that has had rain, I'm looking at a good crop." Farmers are harvesting primings, or lower leaves on the stalk called lugs. Tobacco companies are insisting that farmers do a better job of separating the stalk positions when harvesting leaves, Tyson said. "Our farmers are responding to that," he said. "They are priming fewer leaves and increasing their number of primings, which allows them to get more grades of tobacco and better prices." Nash County farmers planted more than 9,000 acres of tobacco this year. "There was no significant change in acres from last year," Tyson said. "We are beginning to max out the use of our best tobacco land." Enditem