Burley Tobacco Makes Sales Debut in Danville

Source from:  By LAUREN CHESNUT Register & Bee staff writer December 14, 2005 DANVILLE, V 12/16/2005

Amid numerous recent tobacco "lasts," Danville recorded a "first" this week with the debut marketing of burley tobacco at Piedmont Big Sale Warehouse. The Depression-era tobacco quota system essentially limited area farmers to growing flue-cured tobacco. With last year's tobacco buyout legislation and the subsequent end of tobacco-growing quotas, farmers are now free to grow as much flue-cured or burley as they can sell, Philip Morris agent Jay Barker said. Barker and his Piedmont Big Sale partner, agent Jim Eggleston, said they signed burley contracts with about 125 farmers this year. On Monday, the farmers began bringing bales of the air-cured tobacco to Piedmont be graded and sold. Decreased quotas had cut how much tobacco farmers could grow by as much as half in recent years, said Barker, himself a tobacco farmer. "Now, with burley, we can build that back up and utilize all our land, all our equipment," he said. "It gives (farmers) an opportunity to increase capacity. It gives them an alternative crop." Eggleston said Philip Morris did not cut the amount of flue-cured tobacco it contracted to buy from local farmers this year as it agreed to buy burley. "This is a positive note for tobacco in this area," he said. Leasburg, N.C., farmer Leon Richmond was at Piedmont Big Sale on Wednesday with tobacco from the first burley crop he's ever grown. His family has grown tobacco for 100 years, he said. Along with 190 acres of flue-cured, he tried 12 acres of burley tobacco this year. Philip Morris sent technical assistance personnel to assist him with his new crop. That, along with guidance from Caswell County Extension Agent Rickey Williams, resulted in a positive experience with few learning-curve glitches, he said. Williams expressed cautious optimism Wednesday about local farmers' prospects for growing burley tobacco. While farmers can use the same equipment they've always used with flue-cured tobacco to plant and grow burley, they take a risk in investing in burley-curing structures, he said. Williams said he thought farmers would be more enthusiastic about trying burley if they could get some sort of guarantee that cigarette manufacturers will still want to buy it from them five years down the road. Barker said burley is "an important component" of American-blend cigarettes, which typically consist of flue-cured, burley and Asian tobaccos. He said he believes Philip Morris' burley program is here to stay. Burley marketing continued at Piedmont through Wednesday this week and will resume in late January or early February, Barker said. Enditem