Above Average Year for Northampton Crops - Tobacco Buyout Affects Some Farmers

Source from:  Jennifer Heaslip/Herald Staff Writer 01/04/2005

Northampton County's list of 2004 agricultural highlights is topped with a better than average year for crops, as well as the tobacco buyout. President George Bush signed a bill in October which ended the tobacco quota system and gave $9.6 billion to growers and quota owners over 10 years. Cigarette manufacturers and importers will finance the buyout, and after 2004, the companies themselves will contract with growers because there will no longer be governmental regulation of production. There aren't many tobacco owners in Northampton County anymore, said Northampton County Cooperative Extension Agent Craig Ellison said, but those who do own the land will be greatly affected. Some farmers may continue to grow tobacco and try to contract with companies, while others will take the money and get out of tobacco farming. Quota owners will receive $7 per pound owned as of 2002, and growers who grew tobacco in 2002, 2003 or 2004 will receive $3 per pound. A rainy yet prosperous year Although it was a wet year from June through the rest of the year, cotton, peanuts, soybeans and other crops generally yielded an above average amount in 2004. Last year was just an average year, but "this year was a good year," Ellison said. The cotton crop was one of the best in recent years, and the corn crop was above average, he said. There was also a "very respectable peanut crop this year." "All of the crops performed pretty well this year," he added. "It's one of the years where everything clicked pretty good for us all year long." There has been a rising interest in planting soybeans recently, Ellison said, since a peanut quota buyout in 2002 meant farmers either entered into contracts to sell their peanuts or decided not to farm them anymore. In addition to increased interest in the soybean crop, new varieties have been doing better than in the past and yields are improving, and farmers are also planting them on better land. Because of these factors, Northampton County farmers had a better soybean crop this year, Ellison said. It has also been a more challenging year for soybeans, however. The wet weather and extra moisture meant farmers had to choose which days to pick because the beans needed time to dry out. For now, there are still a few soybean crops left to harvest, and farmers will also be watching for problems with the recently planted wheat crop. The Extension Service will offer educational growers' meetings in January, February and March, and then planting for summer crops will begin. As for 2005's forecast, Ellison said nothing is certain. "I would like to think we're getting into a more favorable weather pattern in the long-term," he said. "We'll just wait and see because every year's different." Enditem