Who Grows America's Tobacco?
CTGR is beginning a new series called “Who Grows America’s Tobacco?” This series will involve interviewing growers across the tobacco regions and sharing their stories and thoughts about the future of the industry.
We begin the series with two burley growers from East Tennessee. Both have deep roots in burley tobacco dating back to their childhood. One is just starting his growing career with plans of expansion, while the other one has been growing for over 32 years and has recently cut back production. In this article, we share their stories about how they got into the industry and what they see as the major challenges to today’s and tomorrow’s growers.
Jordan Combs, 24, of Grainger County, is a full-time farmer who grows 25 acres of burley tobacco. He was raised not only growing tobacco but also marketing tobacco. His family ran Newport Burley, a tobacco warehouse, until it closed after the buyout. Following in his family’s footsteps, Combs became a young entrepreneur at the age of 8 when he took the money he had earned from selling the fallen leaves out of his father’s and uncle’s fields to invest in his first acre and a half crop. He has been growing ever since on the family farm which he inherited.
As many who grow up on a farm, agriculture affected not only his career aspirations but also his education. Combs funded his college education through agriculture-related scholarships and profits from the farm. He has an Associate’s Degree in Agricultural Science from Walters State Community College, a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Tennessee, and a Master’s degree in Plant Sciences which he obtained under the mentoring of Dr. Paul Denton, Professor and Extension Specialist for Burley Tobacco at the University of Tennessee.
Even though Combs is only 24, he has experienced many of the changes in the tobacco industry. He remembers seeing tobacco sold in sheets, as well as the fall of Winston and the rise of Marlboro and Philip Morris. He saw the buyout through the eye’s of both a young producer and a potential warehouse manager. He has also seen the changes in varieties as both a student and a producer. Through all these changes, some good and some yet to be determined, Combs is still hopeful about his future as a farmer and a tobacco grower. He claims, “No one knows” what the future of agriculture will hold, but all he can do is hope for the best.
And, as for his future, Combs is looking to buy a big baler and plans to continue to increase his crop to approximately 80 to 100 acres. “That’s where I am set up to be, I can handle everything comfortably at that acreage,” he said. He believes that contract availability is the largest hurdle for new growers, as well as tobacco being a labor intensive crop to work in and manage. He would like to see better communication between producers and tobacco companies and feels this would allow him and other growers to better prepare for the future. Despite the hurdles and challenges, he says he will keep looking for opportunities to expand.
Jerry McNabb, 65, of Greene County, is a full-time farmer with multiple enterprises including poultry, cattle, fruits and vegetables. He has consistently grown burley tobacco for over 32 years and currently grows 15 acres.
Much like other growers, he grew up working in burley tobacco. He and his eight brothers and sisters spent their summers tending to the 2-acre patch grown by his father. At that time, “everything was done by hand: tobacco was set by hand, suckered by hand, and tied in hands and the sale of tobacco happened at an auction with buyers biding for the highest quality lots.”
McNabb has always tried his best to grow the crop with pride, keeping quality a high priority, as the crop’s profits have always paid many of the farm’s bills. His crop production, like many other burley growers, was significantly reduced after the buyout, making him turn to alternative enterprises such as fruits and vegetables and an increase in his poultry production.
McNabb has seen many tobacco trends come and go. As a child he sold hands of tobacco at auction with regulated acreage allotments and now he sells large bales under what seems to be a decreasing poundage contract, However, McNabb tries to stay innovative, keeping up with the latest technology, giving the example of his purchase last year of a large baler to make grading more efficient.
When asked about the challenges within the tobacco industry, McNabb noted that labor was one of the most difficult hurdles for growers to overcome. “Labor is hard to come by and it is getting harder to find people to do real work,” McNabb commented. He said that costs of production are going up and profits are going down. As far as beginning growers, he feels the initial set up cost would be one of the biggest challenges. “As a beginning farmer, producing tobacco is no easy task; it requires knowledge, time, and most importantly startup capital which nowadays can be hard to come by.”
McNabb plans to continue his tobacco operation, but is not as hopeful as Combs about the future in tobacco, claiming “it is hard to compete with the lower production costs from overseas.” He would like to see higher profits for his tobacco, but fears that is far from happening with today’s decreasing tobacco demands. However, despite his skeptical views, he intends to continue growing until there is no profit to be made.
In conclusion, both Combs and McNabb agree that, at least in East Tennessee, growing tobacco is the most profitable crop besides possibly vegetable production which can be just as labor intensive and have a more unpredictable market. McNabb claims tobacco production simply works best for his operation. He is able to utilize barns and sheds already on the farm as a means of curing tobacco and chicken litter from his poultry enterprise for fertilizer.
Combs describes tobacco as his “niche” market because he is doing what he knows and loves. He believes that his continuing education in agriculture will ensure that he continues to evolve as a farmer and a tobacco grower. With the FDA getting involved in tobacco products, both farmers see rules and regulations becoming more evident and mandatory in contracts. McNabb made the comment that, ”some farmers were cut in poundage this year, I luckily was not.” Stating that the shrinking poundage some are facing is pushing farmers to abide by the rules of the contracting companies or face consequences. Despite the views and generation gaps, both farmers agree that in order to raise tobacco now and in the future one will have to produce a high-quality product grown under the rules and regulations of the contracting tobacco companies and the government.
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Center for Tobacco Grower Research
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2621 Morgan Circle Drive
Knoxville, Tennessee 37932
Phone: 865.974.0414
ctgr@utk.edu