Tar Heel State Crop Rolls in as Soil Gains Moisture

Source from:  tobaccojournal.com Sep 15, 2008 10/17/2008

North Carolina's tobacco crop is starting to get out of the field, and it seems to be in good shape, according to the latest report from the SUAD National Agricultural Statistics Service Raleigh field office. The flue-cured crop for the North State is 62 percent harvested, well ahead of the 49 percent mark it was at last week. The burley crop is progressing well at 53 percent. The quality of tobacco is holding at better than average, with flue cured leaf registering at 47 percent good and 10 percent excellent, 31 percent at fair and 11 percent rated poor, One percent is rated very poor. The burley crop is rated 30 percent good, 44 percent fair, 25 percent poor and one percent very poor. Soil moisture has benefited from the remnants of Tropical Storm Hannah, with many regions of the state running into surplus levels of topsoil moisture. The Piedmont region soil indicators show 42 percent surplus and 54 percent adequate, with the Coastal Plain rated at 27 percent surplus and 59 percent adequate. The driest region of North Carolina, the Mountain region, is showing 45 percent adequate and 46 percent short, a jump from recent drier readings. Enditem