By Allison Mullen As professor and Extension specialist at North Carolina State University, Hannah Burrack has spent years studying the management of tobacco’s insect pests and pollinators. In a recent presentation to North Carolina tobacco growers, she shared a collection of findings from experiments and observations in the field. While Burrack recommends certain treatments to […]
by John Capetanos Growers know how important it is to clean their float trays before planting anything new in there. Beyond giving plants a clean home to start their lives, sanitized float trays also prevent the buildup of everything from too much dirt to harmful fungi. While many farmers swear by a standard bleach wash […]
By Kirsten Keleher Organic tobacco growers spend a lot of time thinking about nitrogen. After all, nitrogen has a bigger impact on tobacco yield and quality than any other nutrient. According to a recent study led by Alex Woodley, assistant professor in the crop and soil sciences department at North Carolina State University (NCSU), […]
Across the state, growers and landowners are turning to NC FarmLink for help making valuable connections. By Lara Ivanitch Some things belong together—salt and pepper, bread and butter, peanut butter and jelly. Other things are so intertwined that it’s hard to consider one without the other, like clouds and sky or a […]
By Julia Ellis After bringing a tobacco harvest safely through a gauntlet of aphids, hornworms, budworms and grasshoppers, growers must protect their tobacco from insect pests that don’t like it green: cigarette beetles and tobacco moths. These ravenous ravagers plague stores of cured tobacco, eating holes into the profits of growers, manufacturers and distributors. Beetle […]
by John Capetanos To care for tobacco crops, a couple of factors are necessary. One is a targeted eye at keeping the plant healthy while it grows, and another is identifying when you want to harvest and how long you want to cure. Regardless of the first half of the process, your approach to harvesting […]
by John Capetanos Of all the plants you’d think to be targeted for replacing the presence of plastics, tobacco doesn’t immediately come to mind. Yet tobacco has emerged as an early standout in the search to find a reliable alternative to commonly used plastics and synthetic woods. For bioengineers working on these new substances, tobacco […]
Some cycles are never far from a tobacco farmer’s mind: the cycle of plant growth, from seed to plant to harvest; the changing seasons, bringing longer, warmer days when tobacco thrives; the water cycle’s clouds and rain that quench thirsty fields. These cycles create a rhythm and consistency in the uncertain business of farming. But […]
In every industry, leaders are asked to do more with less as their margins are squeezed from every direction. But tobacco growers may be in a league of their own. For generations, farms of all sizes have faced decreased demand and contract uncertainty. Even in the best of years, the next year isn’t guaranteed. As […]
Over the last few months, spread of the coronavirus impacted our lives in ways we never imagined or thought possible. Closed borders, stalled travel, shuttered businesses: Few industries and communities have been spared. As we head into summer, tobacco farmers are hoping for the best while bracing themselves for the worst. While a cure […]
