Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/566084
tobaccoasia 61 co grower there said in mid July. "A measurable amount of acres have gone down from all of the rain. We were not able to cultivate 30 acres for a month" because of the rain. Even harder hit may have been Ohio. "There was way too much water in June and July, and it fell on way too many days," said David Dugan, Ohio extension tobacco agent. "Some places had as much as 28 inches of rain," he said. That was during a stretch when rain fell on 30 out of 40 days. "The yield is going to be so poor in some fields that the grower won't be able to justify the labor to house it." He thinks Ohio farmers have lost 50-60% of potential production. In Tennessee, the burley crop experienced loss due to all the rainfall, particularly in middle Tennessee. Eric Walker, Tenn. extension tobacco specialist, isn't ready to estimate the reduction in pounds, but he thinks it may be enough to offset to some degree the uncontracted acres that some Tennessee farmers planted back in the spring. The crop was about half topped by August 2. In Wilson County, just east of Nashville, the county agent said, "Tobacco has been reported as mediocre here with hornworm and target spot be- ing primary concerns." In North Carolina, the mountain burley crop in the western part of the state appeared to be as good as any ever produced, said Matthew Vann, NC extension tobacco specialist. "Barring poor weather in the next 30-45 days, this crop will be finished fairly soon. Again, assuming good curing conditions, leaf quality should be exceptional." FLUE-CURED The crop in Georgia, which is all flue-cured, was 39% harvested by August 2. One county agent de- scribed it as "good to excellent." "We had some extensive heat that damaged the top the plant, but everyone is pretty upbeat Bales lined up on the floor at Big M auction warehouse in Wilson as pairs of buyers evaluate the offerings. This warehouse operates a "sealed bid" auction rather than the traditional live auction.