Source: Drew C. Wilson, WILSON TIMES, 2/25/19


Tobacco growers are facing large cuts in the volume of contracts offered by leaf dealers this year. “There are cuts from 30 to 80 percent depending on the particular company, depending on the particular individual and their performance history, but a huge cut among leaf dealers,” said Pender Sharp of Sharp Family Farms, a grower in Wilson County. “All this could result in the smallest U.S. crop that is grown in modern U.S. history.” Sharp, who recently received the 2019 Excellence in Agriculture Award presented by N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, pointed to trade issues with China as the leading area of concern for tobacco growers in 2019.

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