Tobacco Crop Quality Good, But Quantity Goes Down

Source from:  by John Boyle, JBOYLE@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM November 12, 2007 11/13/2007

This year's tobacco crop looks good - what there is of it. "We had the best crop of tobacco we've ever grown," said Warren Anders, a Madison County farmer in the burley business for 50 years. "The color's real good, the quality is good." But here's the catch: Anders and his sons planted only 20 acres this spring, well down from the 75 to 100 they've sown in years past. Fuel and fertilizer prices are at all-time highs, migrant labor is increasingly hard to come by, and the price farmers receive for the leaf remains stagnant. That's a familiar story in many mountain counties, where burley tobacco has shifted from automatic cash crop to a less certain prospect since the federal tobacco buyout went into effect in 2005. The buyout ended a price support program in place since 1938 and provided a payout to tobacco growers spread over 10 years. By the spring of 2006, about half of the mountains' 4,000 growers had quit growing burley, which grows particularly well in the mountain climate and is prized for its flavor and absorptive qualities. This year's severe drought affected some growers, but tobacco is a fairly drought-resistant crop that can thrive with rains from roving thunderstorms - and benefits from a reduction in wet-weather molds and diseases. In Madison County, the top burley-producing county in the state, the number of farmers and acres planted has continued to decline. Elizabeth Ayers, a tobacco specialist and extension agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service's Madison County office, said the county had about 225 growers and fewer than 1,000 acres planted this year, down from 1,000 growers and 5,000 acres in burley's heyday. "Really, it's going to be interesting to see how many people continue to grow tobacco next year, with fuel costs going up and fertilizer at an all-time high," Ayers said. "Farmers will really have to put pen to paper next year and see if they can make money. A lot depends on the contract prices." Prices stay steady Anders, who with his family operates the Planters Tobacco Warehouse in Asheville, expects prices to hover right around where they were last year. Many farmers contract directly with tobacco companies, but some still bring their crop in to sell at Anders' place or at Dixie Big Burley, the two operations that traditionally handled nearly all the local tobacco production through auction sales. Marty Owen, owner and operator of the Dixie Big Burley tobacco warehouse in Asheville's River District, agreed that prices are stagnant. He said farmers would receive about $1.67 a pound, the same as last year. Still, he's hoping to handle about 2 million pounds of leaf through his buying operation this year, which would be up from the 1.3 million pounds last year. In the glory years, local growers would bring 15 million to 16 million pounds to the Owen's warehouse. "It's down, there's no doubt about it," Owen said. "It's just simple age. You're talking about very few young farmers anymore." Buying operation begins this week Both Asheville tobacco warehouses will be open Wednesday through Saturday and the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Hours vary, but usually they're open about 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and until about noon Saturdays. They likely will be open after Thanksgiving too, but hours haven't been finalized. For more information, contact Dixie Big Burley at 254-8920 or owner Marty Owen at (919) 868-2352. Dixie is at 165 Craven St., behind the old stockyard in Asheville's River District. For Planters Tobacco Warehouse, at 440 Riverside Drive, call Warren Anders at 689-3315. Enditem