Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/550316
What Do Oxen and a Glass of Water Have in Common? By providing oxen teams to People like Hadija and her family, access to drinking water is no longer a challenge. In a single journey, the oxen can haul ten times as much water as an individual can carry. It's part of our commitment to unite the world under One Vision of action-oriented social responsibility. See Our Vision for Positive Change AOIsustainability.com ACTION-ORIENTED SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ACTION-ORIENTED SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY For flue-cured, it estimated that 485 million pounds would be produced in 2015. That would be a decrease of only 8%, low compared to almost all other projections. It projects 2015 burley production at 176 m. lbs, an 11% decrease, which again is a more optimistic figure than has been going around. Price Volatility In Kentucky, some burley was selling for less than a dollar a pound at the various auction warehouses when Kentucky Extension economist Will Snell addressed a legislative committee in Frankfort, KY, on February 4. "It's a situation where we've gone from somewhat of a seller's market… to more of a buyer's market in terms of excess supplies," he said. "As a result, we've seen a lot of volatility in our prices this last growing season." Burley prices hovered around US$2 per pound in recent years but now are probably averaging around $1.40 per pound or less at current auction, he said at the hearing. Tobacco companies only need around 170 to 180 m. lbs of burley leaf from this past season, while the nation's burley belt has around 213 million pounds to sell, according to the USDA, said Snell. Meanwhile, worldwide production is on the rise, Snell warned. Worldwide burley production has grown 35% in the past three years while consumption fell. Though the current burley crop may well prove to be smaller than the USDA projec- tion, the 2014 US burley production will still likely be greater than the anticipated use, and that has lead to more critical grading and prices retreating from their record high of US$2.06 per pound for the 2013 crop. Massive flooding in Malawi in recent months could mean a better outlook for US burley, said Snell, depending on how much of that nation's tobacco crop has been dam- aged. A reliable estimate is not yet available. Another negative factor for US tobacco growers is the "e-cigarette" or vaping mar- ket, which Snell said typically uses poor quality tobacco in products that sell at a higher price per unit than traditional tobacco products. Because e-cigarettes are not covered by the Master Settlement Agreement and have a higher price point, they are attractive to tobacco companies, Snell stated. Will All Inventories Find a Home? In Kentucky, Steve Pratt, the general manager of the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association, said that he is not sure if all the burley produced in 2014 is going to get sold. Bobby Baker of N.C.: "I just didn't want to take another chance on (burley), so I got out of it."