Browns, Farmers Observe Final Tobacco Auction in Logan County

Source from:  By Jim Turner-Editor edit_ndl@bellsouth.net 01/26/2005

Less than a decade ago, it seemed unlikely, almost impossible. Yet, Friday, a way of life in Logan County came to an end. What is expected to be the last ever tobacco auction in Logan County was held. Certainly it was the last one involving government price supports and a tobacco pool in the foreseeable future. [img border=0 hspace="4" vspace="4" align="left" src=http://www.tobaccochina.com/english/picture/news03_thumb.jpg] The Brown family marked the occasion by inviting long-time customers and business associates to a meal cooked by the Logan Cattleman's Association. Appropriately, the appreciation meal was held on the floor of Browns Tobacco Warehouse on a bitterly cold winter day. "I grew up eating our family Thanksgiving dinners here, we would be so busy that time of year," recalled George Fugate, a grandson of founding father Tom Brown Sr. "We spent every Christmas Eve here, too, but we did take Christmas day off." "We're thankful for your business and your friendship over the years," Tommy Brown told those gathered to mark the occasion. Browns Tobacco Warehouse was begun in 1961 as Brown and Henderson by the late Tom Brown Sr. and James Henderson on Third Street in Russellville. The Browns bought out Mr. Henderson in 1963. The large building on the Nashville Road was constructed in 1976. Growing tobacco was such a way of life in Logan County that five sales floors were operating in Russellville at the same time. Farmers Tobacco at First and Main (where NAPA Auto Parts is now located) was operated by J.W. Murrey, who also owned the New Burley warehouse near Colonial Inn. W.T. Noe and Dorris Williams operated New Planters warehouse on Second and Main where the new Blockbuster and Bluegrass Cellular shops have recently opened. Browns' Tobacco Warehouse was originally on West Third Street near the courthouse. Russellville Loose Leaf was located on Nashville Street just past the cemetery with Paul Young, Jack Dockins, Zettie Stratton and Ned Kemp as owners. Since the death of their father in 1979, the Brown brothers- Tommy, George and Bradley- have operated the business. Tommy and Bradley also farm. George is a veterinarian in Todd County. Their sister, Jane Sweatt, is a retired school teacher. She wasn't involved in the operation of the warehouse, but her sons, Robert and George Fugate, worked there. Their mother- the matriarch of the family, 94-year-old Virginia Dawson Brown- didn't try to come to the sale and dinner Friday, but she is very much aware of the significance of Friday's historic final auction. At its peak, 51 men worked on the Brown sales floor, and many women were employed in the office. June Lyne, former state representative, worked for the Browns for 20 years as a bookkeeper and secretary. She said the last sale was a closing of an era that everyone depended on. Steve Wilkins has worked for the Browns for 15 years. He said he guessed the last sale was inevitable but he was going to miss the people a lot. "I've met a lot of good, hard-working people here," said Wilkins. Red Bradley, 84, of Todd County was at the sale Friday and said he hated to see it be that way, but he guessed that's the way it has to go. Bradley says he has worked in tobacco since he was 10 years old. Logan County has long called itself "the one-sucker tobacco capital of the world," and no one has disputed it. One-sucker or dark tobacco is used primarily in snuff and chewing tobacco. Burley sales have been gone for a while. This year, Browns' was the only warehouse left conducting auctions, and that was for one-sucker only. In 1997-98, 7.26 million pounds of another variety of tobacco, burley, sold at auction on Russellville floors for $13.94 million. During the four-year period ending the 20th century, burley tobacco alone sold for $48.9 million on the Russellville floors. In earlier years, many farmers relied on credit from Russellville merchants throughout the year until they sold their tobacco crop. "King Tobacco," as it was often called on the pages of the News-Democrat & Leader, was so vital to the financial welfare of the county that an annual week-long festival called the Tobacco Festival was held in the fall between the growing and sales seasons. As the health risks involved in the use of tobacco became more and more evident, public opposition to tobacco has grown. Tobacco sales were opposed, and government support of tobacco production was called into question. In the late 90s, the amount of tobacco farmers were allowed to grow- called quotas and bases- was significantly reduced. Smoking in most public buildings was eliminated, and recently most businesses have stopped allowing smoking inside their stores and offices. A lot of farmers stopped producing tobacco, either getting out completely, selling their bases or leasing them out for others to grow their quotas. The tobacco processing companies- which have spent much of their profits in recent years paying off law suits or settling on litigation with state governments- became more and more interested in contracting with producers to purchase their tobacco "in the barn" for a set price rather than buying it on the sales floors. Then last year the U.S. Congress passed a massive bill to buy out the quotas of tobacco producers with a one-time payment. Beginning with the next growing and sales season, farmers are on their own. They can grow as much tobacco as they wish, but there are no government guarantees that it will sell at all or at a minimum price. The 'pool,' which bought and housed the leaf that tobacco companies didn't want at the time, will no longer exist. While the initial money those with tobacco bases will receive this year will be good, they are going to miss the extra income tobacco sales brought to their families, many are predicting. "I'm not for the buyout, and it's not because of selfish interest," Tommy Brown said. "Lots of farmers have already realized it won't be good for them in the long run. Many of the older ones are getting out of tobacco altogether." "I can remember as a boy my daddy and granddaddy loading tobacco on a mule-drawn wagon and taking it to market in Springfield," recalls Ronald Starks, 72, who said he has been involved in tobacco production for 64 years. "They'd be gone a couple of days. Sometimes they would come back with some of the tobacco that hadn't sold. There wasn't a quota or a pool then. We're going back to the same thing now, and farmers will be at the mercy of the big companies. They're going to wish they'd never heard of a tobacco buyout." "It's a sad day," agreed Dr. George Brown. Several older men stopped by to thank the Brown brothers after Friday's meal. Many said they don't ever expect to grow tobacco again. Others were reading and signing agreements with the Hail and Cotton Tobacco firm of Springfield, Tenn., which will purchase their tobacco next year without it ever going on an auction floor. In fact, Hail and Cotton is already paying the Browns to accept their contracted tobacco purchases this year until it can be transported for processing. Bradley and Frances Brown spent part of their time Friday taking pictures of their nine grandchildren sitting on a large pile of stripped and bundled tobacco on the family warehouse floor. In the office are pictures of Bradley holding his young son Jonathan two decades ago. Bradley looks about the age Jonathan is now, and of Tom Brown Sr. standing affectionately with his grandson Ben, now the Logan County property valuation administrator. "It's a sad day," said Ben Brown who also said he was raised on the Brown tobacco floor. "You know you're not going to get to see a lot of the farmers. That is when you would see them each year. It will be hard to get to see them all now." Ben's mother, Gayle Brown, said tobacco gets in your blood even if you're female. "It is sad." It is, indeed, the end of an era. Enditem