Tobacco crop generates revenue despite declining market

(Tennessean) Westmoreland farmer Richard Denning spends his spring days caring for seedlings in his greenhouse, waiting for the plants to be strong enough to withstand the shock of planting in the field. Denning, a second-generation farmer, has watched his acreage grow through the years from 20 to 150 acres. He is one of 75 farmers in Sumner County still growing tobacco, a once-lucrative crop that can still put food on the table. Continued

Photo: Tobacco drying in a barn in Tennessee, Jack Boucher 1976 (Library of Congress).