Duplin Farming Matters - Fall 2020

Duplin’s guide to Ag Life A Q&A with

‘Boss Hog’ Wendell

Murphy

In this issue • Duplin’s ag by the numbers • Sweet potatoes in the classroom • Migrant workers & their place in agribusiness • When tobacco was king

2020

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from the editor & What’s inside

A G R I C U LT U R E IS THE SCIENCE AND ART OF C U LT I VAT I N G PLANTS AND LIVESTOCK

DUPLIN’S AG BUSINESS S TA N D S TA L L T H R O U G H I T A L L There’s no doubt that agriculture is big business in Duplin County. In fact, our county has been No. 1 in the state for farm cash receipts for the past few years—and I wouldn’t expect that to change anytime soon.

Today’s farmers face a number of challenges that make an already tough way to make a living even harder, from hurricanes and droughts to a pandemic that’s taxing the workforce more than ever.

However, as always, Duplin County’s agribusiness trucks on, no matter what obstacles may be found along the way.

The Duplin Times has also faced more than its fair share of obstacles this year, with a reduced staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, that’s why this issue of Farming Matters is a bit later than you’re used to. I think in some ways, though, that delay has made this publication even better.

This year, we were able to do a Q&A with Murphy Family Ventures’ Wendell Murphy and his right-hand man, Randy Stoecker. The two agribusiness powerhouses shared their insights on the current state of agriculture in Duplin County, as well as the future they see in store for area farmers.

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Editor

B A C K YA R D B I R D S •

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DUPLIN AGRIBUSINESS BY THE NUMBERS

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While the hog industry may be No. 1 in Duplin County now, not so long ago, the Golden Leaf, tobacco, ruled the fields and warehouses of our area.

Leon “Sonny” Sikes takes us on a trip down memory lane, back to when tobacco was king.

Lauren Branch also takes a look at the role migrant workers play in our local agribusiness economy. North Carolina has the largest number of migrant workers around, so the role they play is essential to the continued success of our farmers.

We hope that you enjoy this issue of Farming Matters, and remember that the title rings true: farming does matter in Duplin County. It always has, and likely always will.

FA L L F R U I T S & V E G E TA B L E S

LEARNING IS "SWEET" WITH NC SWEETPOTATOES Cr eated for t e ache r s b y t e ache r s !

#swe etle s so np l an s # NC SPC # N CAG #farm erstron g #eat N Csweet

NCSWEETPOTATOES.COM/CURRICULUM 5

AGRIBUSINESS IN Where do we rank among N.C. counties? # 1 T O TA L F A R M C A S H R E C E I P T S # 1 L I V E S T O C K , D A I R Y & P O U LT R Y R E C E I P T S #5 CROP CASH RECEIPTS

ROW CROPS TOP TEN IN N.C. #4 CORN FOR GRAIN # 6 W H E AT

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DUPLIN COUNT Y Statistics compiled by Editor Abby Cavenaugh, with data provided by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Full county, regional and statewide statistics can be found online at www.ncagr.gov/stats/index.htm.

LIVESTOCK TOP TEN IN N.C. #1 HOG PRODUCTION #1 BROILERS #4 TURKEYS # 5 COWS — BEEF #6 CHICKENS # 9 C AT T L E ( A L L )

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N.C.’s favorite veggie makes its way to the

classroom B y A BBy C AvenAugh

If apple pie is the quintessential American dessert, perhaps sweet potatoes are the unofficial vegetable of North Carolina.

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ccording to the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, Native Americans were growing sweet potatoes well before Christopher Columbus arrived on U.S. shores. By the 16th century, sweet potatoes were being cultivated in the Southern states, where they became a staple in traditional cuisine.

North Carolina happens to be one of the top producers of sweet potatoes in the world, so it’s only fitting that the Sweet Potato Commission developed a curriculum for children in grades K-12 to help teach future generations the importance of this sweet staple of the Southern diet.

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The Sweet Potato Commission has been working on the curriculum for about two years, said executive director Michelle Grainger. “We’ve created a K-12 curriculum that meets all N.C. Board of Education standards,” she said. “The curriculum is fully loaded for teachers to use in their classroom, in a virtual classroom, as it were, or for use at home by homeschooled students.”

The curriculum starts with basic reading skills for kindergarten, while the high school curriculum gets more into science and botany, Grainger said.

“This was written by teachers, for teachers,” said N.C. Sweet Potato Commission communications specialist CoCo Daughtry, with help from the N.C. Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom program. Daughtry helped coordinate the curriculum, along with North Carolina’s Ag in the Classroom director Michelle Smoot.

The curriculum was funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service through Specialty Crop Block Grant 17-182-2001.

The lesson plans include storybook activities, information on the different varieties of sweet potatoes, the farms that grow sweet potatoes and much more.

The curriculum is available online at ncsweetpotatoes.com/ curriculum/.

This was written by teachers, for teachers.

--COCO DAUGHTRY, N.C. SWEET POTATO COMMISSION

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Heroes come in many forms.

To our North Carolina hog farmers, who have helped ensure our food supply remains strong during these unprecedented times, our gratitude knows no bounds.

You are among our nation’s unsung heroes, helping to keep food on America’s tables.

And it is because of your hard work and incredible dedication that we at Smithfield Foods are able to continue producing “Good food. Responsibly.®” We value your partnership—today, tomorrow and every day.

smithfieldfoods.com | 13

A Q&A with

‘Boss Hog’ Wendell

Murphy

BY ABBY CAVENAUGH

I & Randy Stoecker 14

f there’s one aspect of agriculture that’s put Duplin County on the map over the past few decades, it is the swine industry, largely led by the innovations of Wendell Murphy, founder of Murphy Family Farms, now a Smithfield subsidiary.

Murphy’s legacy is well known. He and his siblings, Harry “Pete” Murphy and Joyce Murphy Minchew, grew the family farm in Rose Hill into a billion-dollar corporation that has revolutionized the hog industry.

When asked for his thoughts on Duplin County’s agribusiness climate today, Murphy insisted that his colleague, Randy Stoecker, also participate. Stoecker was president of Murphy-Brown Western Operations, a division of Smithfield Foods. He was responsible for pork production systems in nine states. He was president of PIC prior to joining the Murphy team in North Carolina as vice president of production in 1987. He resides in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Gwen, and is the father of six children.

Randy grew up on a farm near Oakley, Kansas and is a 1970 graduate with a degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University.

Q: A:

How would you describe the state of agriculture— in particular the swine industry—in Duplin County?

WENDELL MURPHY—I’m going to say that because we don’t have independent hog farmers anymore that not many people who own livestock in the county, almost all of them are under contract, and that is a good thing. Because the price of hogs has been so low for so long, under the contract, the growers don’t feel this weak hog market. I think we’re in good shape. Randy, what would you say?

RANDY STOECKER—Well, I would say that’s right also. We’ve had an over-supply in the country, and that has had a lot to do with driving down the price, and of course, there was high expectation that we would ship a lot of product to China because of their experience with African swine fever, and ultimately, that didn’t occur to the extent that we as an industry probably hoped, so that’s been part of the problem. The other problem is that COVID has impacted the ability of the slaughterhouse to maintain staffing levels high enough to process all

the pigs, and so that’s put a burden on the market as well.

The profitability of the owners of pigs has been tough, but I would say the contract producers are in good shape, and I believe we’re working our way through this. There’s been a nice rise in the price just in the last 60 days. It’s gone up from a low of 48 cents up to 65 in the futures, so there’s been a significant rise recently. Hopefully, we’re working our way out of this over-supply and will get a little more balance.

I would just add one other thing. In many cases where you have farmers who have both grain and livestock and poultry, having some of each has been good for people. Grain farmers haven’t had the highest prices, either, and so those who are in grain production and also have contract poultry or swine are probably financially better off than their neighbors who might only be grain farmers.

Q:

A:

WENDELL MURPHY—From my standpoint, the effect on the growers has been to try to have enough people on the farm to carry out the production, and then, of course, we’ve already mentioned this, but the plants, the slaughter workers, has been starkly reduced because of absenteeism at the plants.

RANDY STOECKER—In addition to that, when COVID began here, about 70 percent of bacon and pork products was consumed in restaurants and only about 30 percent at home. And so, all of the sudden, when all those places closed down, the immediate

So you mentioned COVID having an effect on the meat processing plants.

What overall effects has the industry as a whole seen from events like the pandemic and Hurricane Florence a few years ago?

demand for pork and pork products dropped off. It took some time for the markets to adjust, and they haven’t probably totally adjusted yet.

Other than that, people are learning to cook at home, and I think people are enjoying meat, in general. From that standpoint, I think the industry is probably OK. It’s just the fact that the restaurant trade has closed down in large measure.

WENDELL MURPHY—I don’t remember very much adversity from Hurricane Florence. Floyd was different. Absolutely, yes, we learned lessons from Floyd that helped with Florence. Some of the hog houses that were in low-lying areas were closed. As far as I know, we did not have a single flooded hog house due to Florence.

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Q: A:

Q: A:

Another thing that has a negative effect on the swine industry is the lawsuits, which are still ongoing?

WENDELL MURPHY—They’re in the process of appeals, and that’s taken longer than I thought it would have.

swine industry, not only in Duplin County and North Carolina, but the spillover effects that it has in other states, watching this from a distance.

RANDY STOECKER—Well, probably some effects are easy to see and some, not so easy to see. I don’t think there’s any question that it’s caused caution in the industry, and concern in the industry. As a group, they’ve been difficult for the industry to accept and to deal with. Hopefully, there will be a balanced view come through, and people will be allowed to use their land effectively, obviously following the rules and the regulations that are necessary. But I don’t think there’s any question that there’s been a chilling effect on the

WENDELL MURPHY—These predatory, parasitic lawyers come in from other states to solicit plaintiffs, and that burns me up. It’s just terrible. When it gets down to it, we hope that reasonable minds can prevail and this thing can go away, because even though the lawsuits are filed not against the contract growers, but against Smithfield, nonetheless, out of the whole process, there’s one pot of money. Whatever we send to Texas and their lawyers, that’s going to be that much money that’s not available for some other process.

Several operations have begun in our area where they are converting hog waste into renewable energy. So, what are your thoughts on this new aspect of the industry?

RANDY STOECKER — I think that the state of North Carolina has tried to encourage—and I’m not all that familiar with the details of the local legislation—but clearly, converting hog waste into energy is an option that has been tried here, as well as in other states, and in fact, in other countries. Generally, it works better where the country that it’s in has a much higher cost of energy than we have. So it’s competing with low-cost energy here, which makes it dependent upon incentives and that sort of thing.

WENDELL MURPHY—I’m not aware of any process that has proven cost-effective yet.

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RANDY STOECKER—No, I’m not either. The basic science of it is reasonably well understood, but the execution of it on any kind of a large scale has been very slow to be commercialized. So I guess, purely from a commercial perspective, I wouldn’t be overly optimistic.

It’s a research project more than I would say a standard operating procedure at this point, I would say. That doesn’t mean they won’t develop something at some point that might be more effective and more competitive, but at this point, it’s been slow.

Q:

Are you aware of any other technologies coming down the pipe that may help improve the business?

A:

Q: A:

RANDY STOECKER—Well, one of the aspects of pig production is the risk of disease. You may be aware, China was afflicted with a disease called African swine fever about three years ago, and it was devastating to their swine herd. It effectively killed about half of the pigs in China, which at the time, represented half of the pigs in the world. So, it was a huge effect. And just like we’re learning about the spread of viruses with COVID, the pig industry has been learning about the spread of viruses in pigs. Most recently, Germany has had an outbreak among their wild pigs, and that has severely affected their ability to export. I raise this only to say, despite a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on, trying to learn more about how to protect farms, to help counteract the spread of this kind of virus, if this were to happen in the United States, it would be devastating, because we are highly dependent upon exporting. We sell some 20 percent of all the pork we produce to export and if we were to have African swine fever here, that would maybe cut off exports of pork entirely.

So there’s a lot of energy going into ‘how do we protect farms?’ and that sort of thing, so it’s more been an incremental, step-by-step improvement than it has been anything that’s large and maybe highly noticeable.

The United States has led, in large measure, with the advancement of large-scale pig production and a lot of the rest of the world has spent a lot of the past 15 years duplicating what we do here. We probably have the best processing system in the world at this point, and that’s another area that we’re always trying to catch up with. In terms of new technologies that really revamp or totally change the industry, there’s not been much in the last decade or so.

Any other insights or thoughts on agribusiness as a whole?

RANDY STOECKER—I would just add one thought. I grew up as a farm kid out in western Kansas, where we grew wheat or wheat. Wheat or cattle, and if we didn’t like that, we had cattle or wheat. [laughs] So, one of the things that I think is a real value in the Duplin County area is that most farmers grow a variety of crops. To me, that’s an advantage, because they’re not solely dependent upon one buyer, or one market. Year to year, they can change those crops and you see them do it frequently.

So I think that from the long-term perspective, and the soundness of agriculture in Duplin County, I think that’s a benefit.

WENDELL MURPHY—The only thing I would say is that I’m glad that I don’t own any hogs. The reason that we merged with Smithfield in the year 2000—that’s 20 years ago now—is because we needed a processing plant, and

the state of North Carolina was not issuing permits to build, and I firmly believe that the farmers have to have some kind of a contract, or even if they own the livestock, some kind of marketing contract or agreement with the plants where they share in the profits that the plants are making right now. It would be inversed, as well—if the price of hogs goes real high, then the plants would share in our profits.

RANDY STOECKER—And it’s occurring in the Midwest, with producers actually being shareholders in plants now.

One way or another, balancing the profits and losses on both sides of the industry has become more important.

WENDELL MURPHY—I would say barring the lawsuits going forward, we’re in good shape in Duplin County. I believe that.

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Migrant W orkers

AND THEIR IMPACT ON

agricu

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STORY BY LAUREN BRANCH North Carolina has a $92 billion agribusiness industry. This means N.C. farmers are not only helping to feed the world, but they are also bringing a very large source of revenue. But the 46,200 farm operations in the state could not function without migrant workers.

On average, approximately 90 percent of the state’s farm workers are considered migrant workers, which is an umbrella term for those who move to a certain area for work, typically on a seasonal basis. About 70,000-80,000 workers per year migrate to North Carolina to work on farms. The number fluctuates depending on policy changes, crop status, weather, and how much labor force the growers need.

Migrant workers travel from their primary residence to work on farms around the region on a migratory basis. For example, the workers may live in New York for most of the year, but they travel to North Carolina during cucumber and sweet potato season, then move on to Florida to harvest oranges and so on.

Seasonal workers are similar except they can sometimes build relationships with the growers so that they may stay longer than just the particular harvest they moved to work in. They usually live in the community that they work in, so outside of the harvest, if they are not still working on the farm in other capacities, they may work jobs in the community.

H2A workers are a little different than the previous two categories. While migrant and seasonal workers make their own accommodations and legal status to get to farms, H2A workers travel back and forth between their assigned farm and their home residence once the harvest is gone. These workers go through a specific program through the state to get a temporary legal work visa status to work on one farm.

“Growers actually put in a petition to the labor force to show that they have a need for workers,” explained Roberto Rosales, Farmworker Health and Safety Educator for N.C. Cooperative Extension.

“Once they get here, they are usually provided housing, transportation and other accommodations that they need on the farms. These workers have more protection because of the paper trail. This program has really grown in N.C. We request some of the highest numbers of H2A workers,” Rosales helps educate farm workers on health and safety topics. They go to farms and provide education on topics such as how to prevent exposing your family to toxic chemicals after work and general safety tips for working on the farm. Some of their education is done via video, and the rest is done through dialogue and information sessions.

“Our training is 90 minutes long and covers EPA's Worker Protection Standards (Pesticide Safety), heat stress safety, and green tobacco illness,” Rosales said.

The pandemic has also necessitated the addition of

ulture

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COVID-19 precautions to the training. Rosales said masks are provided for those who do not have them.

The program also collaborates with other agencies to provide resources throughout the year, especially related to the pandemic.

They were appointed to directly distribute masks, hand sanitizer, and other supplies needed to protect workers during the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, the N.C. Extension program was able to do a lot more with not only the workers but also their families. They would assist families and do family nights.

There they would do trainings at the head start. They would feed them and give them education and host workshops.

Typically, workers migrate from Mexico, Honduras and Haiti, and are on average between the ages of 20-30. Sometimes you may see teenagers working also because it is common for an entire family to travel to work on a farm together to make more money. The average pay for a migrant worker is about $12,000 a year, tax-free for migrant and seasonal workers depending on whether or not they work additional jobs or stay year long.

That may not seem like a high salary to most people here in the U.S., but keep in mind that every American dollar is worth 22 pesos in Mexico. With their willingness to work for lower pay, migrant workers are undoubtedly a vital part of North Carolina’s agriculture industry.

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On average, about 90 percent of the state’s farm workers are considered migrant workers.

About 70,000-80,000 migrant workers migrate to North Carolina each year to work on farms.

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TOBACCO A C ARIBBEAN

AND

N ATIVE A MERICAN

STORY BY LEON “SONNY” SIKES

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CROP

An old post card showing a tobacco warehouse in Wallace in the 1940s.

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obacco, the plant, or weed as it is often called, has an interesting and long history.

Today, it has lost favor with most of society, for health reasons, and it’s become the subject of controversy, but it was an early desirable ingredient of life.

Native Americans were cultivating tobacco prior to the arrival of the Europeans in the New World. In South America, the history of tobacco goes back 2,000 years.

Around 1550, the smoking of tobacco was introduced to Spain and Portugal by returning sailors. Within the next 50 to 60 years, tobacco use had spread to most of the known world.

Here, it was a cash crop as well as a medium of exchange. It not only was a means to pay taxes and debts, but to pay the salaries of public officials and the clergy as well. Even in its early history tobacco was not without controversy. There were attempts to prohibit tobacco use and production. King James I of England was profoundly against it and imposed an excessive tax on tobacco in an effort to eliminate it.

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Over the years, the way of harvesting changed from field to the barn, with mule or horse pulling sleds, until we could afford a tractor. Then came the invention of the tobacco harvester. Some farmers did not like them and went back to the old ways of hand labor harvesting the leaves.

- Mabel Brown Lanier

FROM THE FARM TO THE WAREHOUSE: HOW IT WAS DONE It took some time, but growing tobacco as a cash crop finally arrived in Duplin County. As best as can be determined, it was in the late 1800s.

There was one mention of the first tobacco grown in Duplin, said to have been in the Chinquapin area.

At one time, there were as many as eight tobacco auction warehouses in the county, six in Wallace and two in Warsaw. At times, there were six in Warsaw alone. In addition, stemming plants were located in Warsaw and Wallace. Here the hard stems in the

tobacco leaf were removed so the leaf could be further processed.

The tobacco crop begins in January and February with the seeding of the plant beds under plastic coverings, or now in greenhouses. The seeds are small. One ounce of seed will produce enough plants for six to eight acres of tobacco.

In May, the young plants are transplanted from the beds to the fields.

After weeks of maturing, the leaves of tobacco are harvested, or cropped, beginning in July with four to five successive cropping of the leaves as they ripen from the bottom of the stalk.

Barning tobacco near Magnolia in the 1930s. (NC Dept. of Cultural Resources photo.)

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FARMING FOUR GENERATIONS, A PERSONAL VIEW

Mabel Brown Lanier of Chinquapin tells what it was like growing tobacco.

Mabel lives with her husband, Warren Lanier, on a part of the original Amos Newton "Newt" Lanier (1856-1930) farm. Warren is the great grandson, fourth generation, in the Lanier family of farmers.

Mabel shares her memories from the early years and describes the changes that evolved in farming methods.

"Warren and I were married on September 30, 1951. Both of our parents were farmers, so naturally we farmed for 10 years. At that time, tobacco was our main cash crop. Tobacco was a necessity for food, shelter, and clothing. It was hard work, beginning with sowing the tobacco beds, transplanting the plants to the field, harvesting it at the right time, curing the tobacco, and getting it ready for market.

It was then time to pay those yearly bills and buy things you had to have until next season.

"Over the years, the way of harvesting changed from field to the barn, with mule or horse pulling sleds (or drags as they were called), until we could afford a tractor.

Then came the invention of the tobacco harvester. Automatic croppers came later.

Some farmers did not like them and went back to the old ways of hand labor harvesting the leaves.”

Duplin native, the late Gilbert E. Alphin, Jr., from the Wolfscrape Township, invented and obtained patents for the first mechanized tobacco harvester in 1952.

BARNING TOBACCO In earlier days, after a drag was filled with green tobacco, by the field "croppers" who broke the leaves from the stalk and placed them in the drag, it was brought to the tobacco barn for the next step.

A handful of green tobacco leaves were picked up from the tobacco drag by a "hander," who handed it off to a worker called a "looper," sometimes called a "stringer.” The stringers would tie each handful by looping tobacco twine around the top of the bundle, a bundle at a time, until the stick was filled. The string was tied to the stick at the beginning and tied off at the end, securing the tobacco to the stick.

The tobacco sticks, with the green tobacco leaves, were then hung on tier poles inside the barn to be cured. Here it stayed, the temperature monitored, for five to seven days. Tobacco barns were typically 16'x16' and 20' high, sometimes larger.

After curing, the twine holding the tobacco leaves was cut, releasing the leaves from the sticks. At the pack house, the leaves were prepared for market by sorting the leaves into different grades according to quality. Next, a handful of the cured and graded tobacco was re-tied with a leaf of tobacco folded the long way securing it around the stem end. This handful of tied tobacco was called a "hank" of tobacco.

The hanks were placed over a smoothed grading stick and taken to market for sale. At the sales warehouse, the tobacco "hanks" were removed from the sticks and arranged in piles in rows on the warehouse floor. Some years later, the tobacco was removed from the sticks at the pack house and placed in burlap sheets that could weigh up to 300 pounds each and delivered to market.

A pile of hank-tied tobacco on the floor of the Blanchard and Farrior Warehouse in Wallace in 1939. The warehouse was located on the southeast corner of E. Main St. and S. College St.

have heard the old Lucky Strike commercials the auctioneer ending his riveting chant with the word, "Sold American!" That part of the tobacco culture has vanished, although you can still find an auction sale on the Internet at YouTube.

Old Sanborn Insurance Maps show that as early as April 1925, there were two tobacco sales and storage warehouses in Wallace. One occupied the corner of E. Main St. and S. College St. The other was at the corner of E. Southerland St. and N. Railroad St. These two facilities

AUCTION SALES IN N.C. BEGAN IN 1870S In North Carolina, tobacco auction sales began sometime after the Civil War. According to Jim Wise in his book, "Durham: A Bull City Story," auction sales began in Durham in 1871 and continued, basically the same way until 2004.

In the early days of TV, you may

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Making life easier, George E. Alphin Jr. of Wolfscrape Township was the first to invent the tobacco harvester.

occupied about three-quarters of the entire block.

At the warehouse, the tobacco pile was weighed, labeled with a tag showing the owner's name, the weight of the tobacco, and the warehouse name. The warehouses were huge. Many of them contained 100,000 square feet or more of open space. The tobacco was stacked on flat baskets, and later, burlap sheets, lined up in straight rows on the smooth concrete floors.

Next came the U.S. Department of Agriculture grader, paid by the farmers, who inspected the tobacco and placed an official grade on the tobacco pile tag. This inspection and grade helped to ensure that the farmer would receive a fair price for his crop that would keep the family going for another year, hopefully.

In 1916, Warsaw had five tobacco warehouse sales and storage facilities: Enterprise Tobacco Sales Warehouse, Imperial Tobacco Co., Export Leaf Tobacco Co., Warsaw Sales Tobacco Warehouse and Warsaw Tobacco Prize House Co. In 1921, Warsaw had the following tobacco warehouses: Carter Tobacco Warehouse, Faison and Bains Enterprise Tobacco Warehouse, Farmers Union Warehouse, L.B. Jenkins Tobacco Co. Re-drying and Packing, J.E. Satterfield Tobacco Prizery and Warsaw Tobacco Prizery.[A prizery was the building where tobacco was pressed into

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hogsheads, and stored.]

Additional examination of early Wilmington Morning Star newspapers found in "The Bill Reeves Collection," in the New Hanover County Library, shows that in Wallace Peoples Warehouse was in operation as early as October 4, 1902, with a stemmery, and The Duplin Warehouse was in operation as early as April 4, 1904.

The Morning Star reported on August 20, 1916 that a re-drying plant was being installed in Wallace by Mr. A.B. Anderson, formerly of Warsaw. He was a buyer for Imperial Tobacco Co. and was installing the plant at the rear of A.J. Bray's Warehouse. The Morning Star, on May 13, 1919 stated that Wallace was to get its third tobacco warehouse. It was described as a "...new brick building...," that cost $25,000.

The organization to build it included: P. Boney, G.H. Robinson, J.A. Cavenaugh, J.W. Gibson and others.

THE SALE Lined up on one side of the first row of tobacco would be the warehouseman, the auctioneer, and the tag marker.

The warehouseman started the sale by announcing an opening price per pound for the first pile of tobacco. On the opposite side of the row were the buyers from the tobacco companies, R.J. Reynolds, American, P. Lorillard, Liggett and Myers, Phillip Morris, and others.

The sale began with the buyers bidding on each pile of tobacco. The company with the highest bid now owned that pile.

The sale moved at a fast pace with the auctioneer taking bids from the buyers.

The buyers used a variety of hand, eye, voice, and body signals to place their bid with the auctioneer. It was the job of the warehouseman and the auctioneer to sell the tobacco at the highest price they could urge from the buyers.

Chanting at a rate of 400 words per minute, an auctioneer could sell as much as 500 sheets of tobacco per hour, or one pile every 6-10 seconds. Bids were taken at a per pound rate, such as $1.73/pound.

Immediately after the auctioneer announced the final price to the high bidder, the next task went to the tag or ticket marker. Just after the final price was announced, the sale moved immediately to the next pile selling at the rate of 6 to 10 seconds per pile. In that short period of time, the tag marker would have to write on the tag the name of the company that purchased the pile and the price per pound to be paid...then move to the next pile! All this was done in an environment that was hot, sweaty, tight-spaced and dusty, with people talking and noise all around!

Within minutes, after almost a year of

hard labor, bad weather and sometimes disappointing crops, the farmer's entire crop was sold. After the sale, the farmer received payment from the warehouse, if he was satisfied with the price received.

The farmer did have the option of refusing the price offered, "turning the tag" as it was called, and trying to sell again the next day.

CHANGES COMING: BULK BARNS AND CONTRACTS A new method of selling tobacco was soon on its way. It began in 2004 when the tobacco quota system was eliminated.

Congress passed tobacco buyout legislation amounting to $10.1 billion.

This eliminated tobacco marketing quotas, acreage allotments, and the price support system that had controlled tobacco growing since the Roosevelt days beginning in 1940.

It contained no provisions to control how much tobacco might be grown in the future, who could produce it, or where it could be produced. With the old quota system, farmers were allotted

quotas, or how much tobacco poundage the farm could produce each year. Under this system tobacco farmers could grow as much tobacco as they desired.

At the time of the buyout, there were approximately 436,000 quota owners.

Each would be paid $7 per pound in 10 annual payments. The active producers would be paid $3 per pound. Beginning in 2005, the first growing season after the buyout, a contract between a grower and a tobacco purchasing company was made, both agreeing on a price for the tobacco.

The year 2004 was truly a turning point for tobacco production and sales. That was the last year of auction warehouse sales in Duplin County — the end of a significant part of tobacco's culture. A part of Duplin's past disappeared. The last sale in Duplin County was held at Paul Phillips' New Duplin Warehouse in Wallace in 2004.

Tobacco farms are fading away. This is the result, in part, of the changes in the tobacco program. In 2012, Curtis Fountain with the Duplin County

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Cooperative Extension Service, said, “a small tobacco farm today is considered to have 100 acres of tobacco or less, a large farm, 400 acres of tobacco or more.”

Coupled with the buyout, other factors associated with the demise of the small family tobacco farms may be attributed to farmers deciding to retire, family members leaving the farming life to seek other economic opportunities, old equipment that is too expensive to replace, and tobacco farmers becoming involved in alternative economic enterprises.

Once one of the major economic engines of Duplin County, the tobacco numbers were changing. For example, in 1992, 19,561,500 pounds of tobacco was produced in the county, which represented $34,039,116 in sales. In 2010, there were 10,600,000 pounds of tobacco (5,360 acres) sold representing $19,151,280 in sales.

Della King, with the Duplin County Cooperative Extension Service, said that today there are around 10 farms growing tobacco averaging 300 or less acres.

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(StatePoint Media)

Ways to make

your yard a safe haven for

beautiful birds

Without a few measures in place, your home and garden could be hazardous to birds.

Here are some great ways to create a safe haven for beautiful flying visitors.

• Garden organically: Conventional pesticides can be toxic to birds, so ditch the dangerous chemicals. Did you know that there are essential oils that you can use instead that will

• Make windows visible: Your beautiful view can be

a

safety

hazard

to birds. Each year, millions of wild birds

do the job of warding off pests without harming birds — or people for that matter? Protecting birds is not only the right thing to do, their health and safety helps ensure their ability to feed on the very pests you’re trying to eliminate.

are killed in the U.S. alone

by

striking

windows. Fortunately, there’s an easy action you can take to prevent this from happening, and it is to apply decals that reflect ultraviolet sunlight to your home’s windows, particularly those windows that are highly reflective of open sky. Doing so has been proven to substantially reduce the likelihood of bird strikes.

Those from WindowAlert feature patterns that give the appearance of slightly frosted translucent glass, but glow like a stoplight for birds. The brand also makes WindowAlert UV Liquid, a high-tech liquid that offers even greater protection when applied between decals.

To learn more, visit WindowAlert.com.

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• Introduce birdfeeders, mindfully: Birdfeeders attract birds to your yard and give them a place to rest and refuel. However, it’s important not to unintentionally create a safety hazard with this addition. Because feeding birds are easily frightened and apt to take wild, evasive flight, the risk of birds striking windows can be elevated near birdfeeders. By using window decals, as well as by positioning feeders closer than three feet or farther than 30 feet from windows, you can create a safer space.

Already have birdfeeders? Take a look at their current placement and make changes as needed.

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Fall Fruits & Veggies S upporting L oc aL F armerS

Food is a big part of fall, and farms play a significant role in seasonal celebrations.

Each fall, families plan apple-picking excursions with their eyes on baking homemade apple pies. And while Halloween is made even more fun when carving jack-o’-lanterns, savvy celebrants know that carving sessions are not complete without some roasted pumpkin seeds.

The fall harvest is a great time to indulge in some freshly picked healthy foods.

While the picking season may vary depending on where you live, and specifically the climate in your region, the following are some fruits and vegetables that might be ripe for the picking this fall.

BROCCOLI Fresh

broccoli

makes

a

healthy

addition to any dinner table, and Pickyourown.org notes that broccoli can have a lengthy harvesting season.

Early harvesting may begin in May in some regions, though it’s still possible to pick fresh broccoli in late October.

BEETS The Spruce: Eats notes that beets may be in season in temperate climates from fall through spring.

34

If you want to pick fresh broccoli, The Old Farmer’s Almanac recommends doing so in the morning when the buds of the head are firm and tight.

APPLES Apple-picking season typically begins in late summer and extends into fall. Many farms offer a variety of apples, which may be harvested at different times. For example, in the northeastern United States, Gala apples tend to be harvested in late summer, while Granny Smith apples may be best picked in early October.

CABBAGE If you’re looking to do some late fall picking, cabbage might be for you. The online resource Harvest to Table notes that cabbage can survive under snow without being harmed, making it an ideal late fall vegetable. Spoiled outer leaves can be pulled away after harvesting without affecting the quality of the remaining cabbage.

PEACHES People who can’t wait to whip up a peach cobbler may need to do so before fall even begins.

According to Pickyourown.

FROM LIVESTOCK & LOADER CHORES TO ROW CROP WORK,

org, peaches can be ready

THEY’RE READY FOR ANYTHING

for picking as early as July in the northeastern United States, and the picking season generally ends around mid-September. The season is even earlier in places like Georgia, a state known for its peaches where the picking season can begin in mid-May and extend through early August depending on the variety.

PUMPKINS Thanks in part to Halloween decor and the popularity of pumpkin

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