Tough season prompts many Kentucky tobacco growers to consider quitting

(bizlex.com) Burley tobacco, once king of the crops in Kentucky, is all but a shell of what it was during its production heyday. And while it may be premature to say it is all but dead, the 2010 growing season will certainly seal the fate of many left growing the leaf. A good crop turned bad as curing conditions caused housed tobacco to retain a yellow color, a condition that keeps tobacco companies from buying it — or at least from paying top dollar. It was a situation many producers were unable to avoid due to the extreme drought experience last year. Continued

Photo: Library of Congress