Author: William Bailey
Major Program: Tobacco
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, all of our live tobacco Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) trainings and tobacco production meetings were cancelled. Instead, our tobacco group worked together to produce virtual tobacco GAP trainings as it is an industry mandate that all tobacco growers attend annual GAP training. Although older tobacco producers (average age of tobacco producers in KY and TN is 57) have historically been reluctant to embrace virtual technology in tobacco ed
Although Pennsylvania ranks in the top 5 states in the U.S. in tobacco production, there is no formal support for tobacco growers from Penn State University. In late winter and spring of 2022, I was asked to travel to Pennsylvania along with another tobacco specialist from Virginia Tech, to provide Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training as well as general tobacco production training for over 400 of Pennsylvania's tobacco growers. Topics covered included general cigar wrapper
Author: Robert Pearce
US Tobacco GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) is an industry led program designed to insure that tobacco growers in the United States are well informed and follow the best practices for the production of all types of tobacco. Kentucky is the second leading producer of tobacco behind North Carolina, but has the most tobacco growers of any state due to the relatively smaller farm size. Tobacco growers are required to attend an annual training session conducted by Cooperative Extension Specialists.
Author: Samuel Cofield
Tobacco production remains a very important part of the Ag economy for many Trigg County producers making up 17% of the total Crop sales. For producers, new diseases, increased regulations and as always the weather in 2021 made producing a high quality, high yielding crop very difficult. Trigg and Caldwell Counties have worked together to put on an educational meeting each year to help them find answers to the issues they are facing in the field. This year 68 producers attended
Author: Kevin Lyons
The Mammoth Cave Area has historically been at the top in tobacco production in Kentucky. Agents from Allen, Barren, Hart, Metcalfe and Monroe Counties collaborated to host a regional Tobacco Good Agricultural Practices Training. Tobacco GAP trainings are required annually by the major tobacco purchasing companies. The Cooperative Extension Service is charged with hosting and facilitating these very important trainings. Growers who do not receive the mandatory training ru
Author: Gary Bell
The Mammoth Cave Area has historically been at the top in tobacco production in KY. Agents from Allen, Barren, Hart, Metcalfe and Monroe Counties cooperated to host a regional Tobacco GAP Training. Tobacco GAP trainings are mandatory yearly trainings required by the major tobacco purchasing companies. Extension is charged with hosting and facilitating these very important trainings. Growers who do not receive the annual training run the risk of not being able to market th
Author: Christopher Schalk
Author: Jessica Barnes
Frogeye leaf spot in tobacco is caused by a fungus known as Cercospora nicotianae and has started to cause quite a bit of trouble for tobacco producers in Harrison County. This fungus causes roughly circular spots that generally appear on the lower leaves first and move up the plant as the season progresses. These spots will eventually turn brown and fall out causing a loss in pounds and quality to the overall crop.This disease has started to create even more concern among tobacco producers in H
