[AT] Tobacco transplanting time

David Bruce davidbruce at yadtel.net
Wed May 4 16:21:34 PDT 2005


I can't agree with your thoughts more - The old system was rife with potential 
for abuse.  I only worry about the changeover - the switching of systems makes 
for unusual times - not really free market but not really protected either. 
Most of the local farmland is farmed on lease by two sets of brothers (they are 
cousins btw).  One set seems to be a little more thoughtful about the future 
than the other but I see good signs from both sets.  Neither is enamored of "the 
latest and greatest" but they aren't afraid of investing in things that will 
help them produce more for less.  I think they will survive the changeover.
The transition is the tough thing.
I keep hearing about the tobacco companies buying leaf from non-domestic 
suppliers - and the price differential is substantial.
To me, this points up the farm subsidies in general - for good or bad, I don't know.
Tract housing is beginning to show up here also.  Evil :)


David

charlie hill wrote:
> Now that the price support system and allotments are gone I think the 
> top contract price is about $1.30 a pound.  That again is for the top 
> grades. Under the old system the guys were paying anywhere from 35 to 55 
> cents a pound to lease the allotments.  The top grades under the old 
> system brought about $1.90 a pound.   That means that there is about 20 
> cents of "profit" gone out of the deal.
> However, the farmers that are staying in the business are no longer 
> constrained as to which tract of land they have to plant the tobacco on 
> or how many pounds per acre they can produce so it will probably work 
> out ok for the better farmers with the best land.   The sloppy farmers 
> who taxed the old system will fall by the way side.  That is the way it 
> should be. Now it will work just like it does with vegetable crops.  If 
> you can get a contract with the tobacco company, you can grow tobacco 
> and take your chances.
> 
> The guys that stay in will still be more mechanized here than where 
> David is but I suspect the ones that can get enough good labor will go 
> back to manual harvest.  It is easier to control quality that way.
> The machine can't tell green from ripe.
> 
> My family has been in the tobacco business one way or another for as 
> many generations as we can trace.  I never thought I'd feel this way but 
> I'm kinda glad to finally be out of the business.  I just hope we don't 
> have to let the farm grow up in trees or plant it with little vinyl 
> boxes (tract houses).
> 
> Charlie



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