Raise tobacco in your garden?

Libertine · Dec 13, 2004

Bob_Skurka:

I don't know how they used to cure tobacco, but I know there were different methods of doing it. 

Mossroad's link details the method. Lots of info w-pics. As far as legality of raising it, I realize there are all sorts of regulation on re-sale (price support motivated as you point out), transporting, etc. Since it's not illegal (yet) it shouldn't be illegal to raise a few plants for personal use, but, shoulda/woulda/coulda and all that.

Thanks.

JEH

Bob_Skurka · Dec 13, 2004

I know individuals are allowed to possess live plants. That would constitiute growing. I know seeds are available. What I don't know is if there are any restrective laws in your state that might be an issue.

BillyP · Dec 13, 2004

I remember when I was 5 or 6, my Grandpa raised his own tobacco. The part I remember best was him hanging it up in the barn and letting it dry. He would hang it from a rafter with a piece of wire. When it was cured (remember, working from memory here) he would twist it. When he got done, it would look like Cotton Boll Twist. He would chew it or break some off and smoke it in his pipe.

kensfarm · Dec 13, 2004

Types of Tobacco:

Fire-cured tobaccos, used for snuff and chewing tobacco, grown in central Virginia, western Kentucky, and northwestern Tennessee

Dark air-cured tobaccos, used for chewing tobacco, grown in central Kentucky, central Tennessee, and north-central Virginia

Maryland tobaccos (air-cured) used for cigarette and smoking mixtures, grown in southern Maryland

Cigar tobaccos (air-cured) used for cigar wrappers and fillers, grown in the Connecticut Valley and small areas of Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio

Flue-cured tobaccos, used for cigarette, pipe, and chewing tobacco, grown in southern Virginia, central and eastern North Carolina, eastern South Carolina, southern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and northern Florida

Burley tobacco (air-cured) used for cigarette, pipe, and chewing tobacco, grown in central Kentucky, central and eastern Tennessee, southeastern Indiana, southern Ohio, western West Virginia, and western North Carolina

GRUMPA · Dec 13, 2004

Libertine,

I didnt have any legal issues growing it at all. It was one of those things the wife and I did in order to save some $. We knew it could be done somehow but couldnt find "DETAILED" info on HOW. We grew 6 plants and got 2-5gal buckets of it. We knew about the pesticide part of it and the old timers used to feed it to their livestock as a de-wormer. Seems alot of livestock just love it.

Did you have any legal issue about growing it? Or, just did it and nobody bothered you?

We actually got the plants from a local nursery. Just like making our own beer, we were sure you could do it just not so much and for your own use type of thing.

Libertine · Dec 15, 2004

GRUMPA:

We knew it could be done somehow but couldnt find "DETAILED" info on HOW. 

See MossRoad's link - has lot's of detailed info & pics. (2) 5 gal buckets from 6 plants, sure wouldn't need many plants for a years worth.

kensfarm:

Thanks for what/where - I always find in interesting how much more to a subject there is than first meets the eye. Even something as relatively simple as raising tobacco for example.

Bob_Skurka:

Re your remark on ending quotas. Found an article in Farm World (Dec 8, 2004 edition) on that subject. If my recollection is accurate, seems the gov gonna "buy" the quotas held by farmers for $7 pound over a 10 year period based on 2002 production. The farmer (who may or may not be the quota owner) also gets $3 pound. The article suggests the effect will be to force about 75% of the small growers out of the business, cause most trade to be direct between the larger growers and tobacco companies, eliminate auction barns. So . . . if correct, the price a tobacco should drop a few pennies and many small operators will be out of business. Another old tradition down the tubes. At least they're not (for the moment) shipping production to China.

Farm World

JEH

dmccarty · Dec 15, 2004

( At least they're not (for the moment) shipping production to China. )

The farming has been going overseas for years now. The tobacco companies can buy it cheaper overseas and they have been doing so. The farmers left in the US will slowly get squeezed I'm afraid. When I first moved to NC in the early 90's you could see small one-two acre tabacco plots scattered all over the place. It provided enough money to pay the mortgage, buy a car or send kids to school. A big part of the small town culture was tobacco and the auction houses. Most of the auction houses are gone.

The loss of the tobacco farmer is just another hit on the state of NC. Textiles are gone. Tobacco is gone. The high tech business is iffy to say the least.

Later,
Dan

KYFARMER · Dec 16, 2004

As I understand, the tobacco program which has made it illegal to grow tobacco without an allotment, is dead after the 2004 crop. There is a buyout which will be paid to allotment holders and growers over a 10 year period. This is to be underwritten by the Tobacco companies.
Beginning in 2005 you can raise all the tobacco you care to.

Bob_Skurka · Dec 17, 2004

KYFARMER, I believe you are correct. But a technical correction on part of what you wrote, I don't believe it was ever illegal to grow tobacco for your own use. I believe that you could not sell your tobacco into the mainstream tobacco auctions, etc under the old system. Some might interpret that as illegal, but I think under legal terms it was a restriction not an illegality. It was used to provide price support for the crop.

Libertine · Dec 21, 2004

Bob_Skurka:

Just curious, but I seem to recall (perhaps incorrectly) that you wholesale tobaco products. I was wondering have you noticed any change in the sales of "roll your own" or "pack your own tubes". Since starting this thread, I have noticed this type of product is some stores. ??????

If you are involved in this business, do you have any sense about when they will make tobaco illegal (assuming there is no organized "consumer" voting blocks that come about)??? Seems like it's heading that way like when they made cannabis illegal in the 30s or when morphine was made illegal in the early 1900s. Do you have any sense about that from the people you deal with???

JEH