“It’s almost like a jungle when tobacco is this big,” said Jake Sartain, owner of Sunny Slope Farms in Talbott, while walking through his 14 acre tobacco crop.
Sartain planted his first tobacco crop in 1947 at the age of 13. He believes this year’s crop is the healthiest.
“It looked like it was going to be a bumper crop year–and it turned out to be,” said Sartain.
Well balanced rainfall created better quantity and quality in most East Tennessee tobacco fields. However, any more rain could have been disastrous on the plants.
“An overabundance of rain could stunt it’s growth and it could never grow out of it,” he said.
On the downside, rainfall cut into the harvest process which is underway. This year, stalks are bigger and harder to cut. The leaves are more brittle and break easily.
Sartain expects to sell 2,500 pounds of tobacco. The average price for a pound is $1.60-1.70. Sartain believes the abundance of good crops shouldn’t stunt farmers paychecks too much.
“Rumor has it that it will be two or three cents lower,” said Sartain.
Jake Sartain’s best crop will also serve as his last. The 75 y.o. is retiring from the farming industry while he is on top.
“I think it’s a perfect crop to end on,” said Sartain.
© Copyright: Wbir
Tobacco is an annual or bi-annual growing 1-3 meters tall with large sticky leaves that contain nicotine. Native to the Americas, tobacco has a long history of use as a shamanic inebriant and stimulant. It is extremely popular and well-known for its addictive potential.
Nicotiana rustica leaves.
Nicotiana rustica leaves have a nicotine content as high as 9%, whereas Nicotiana tabacum (common tobacco) leaves contain about 1 to 3%
A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Sumatra, Philippines, and the Eastern United States.
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as an organic pesticide, and in the form of nicotine tartrate it is used in some medicines. In consumption it may be in the form of cigarettes smoking, snuffing, chewing, dipping tobacco, or snus.
