So here I sit at dusk, in the middle of a strange field, waiting for Jimmy to measure how much ground he has broke so he can figure how many tobacco plants he’s going to need to grow for how many pounds it will yield. I am in utter awe of him.
If you meet Jimmy you are immediately attracted to him because of how friendly he is. He’s one of the nicest people I know. I’m not sure if he’s ever met a stranger. His whole family is like that so almost by osmosis my family is like that. And you discover that he can carry on a pretty good conversation about almost anything but he really shines on topics that are near and dear to his heart: farming, basketball and his family. But if you take the time to get to know him you will find that he is really, really smart. Like uber smart. But it has to be about the things he’s passionate about.
Jimmy is passionate about his tobacco crop. He will tell you that he was born under a tobacco leaf. He’s not joshing you. He was born in the middle of June. That means that his mother was probably hoeing tobacco right up to the day he was born. Chances are really good she was right back out in the field after she had him. She used to bring a quilt out into the field and leave the babies under a tree. When her older kids got big enough to watch the little ones she would leave them in the care of her oldest daughter. But a tobacco patch is like a second home to him.
Jimmy knows how to grow tobacco. And he knows because he’s always done it. And he’s one of those farmers who is proud of his work. He jokes around and says that tobacco is a proud crop: you’re proud when you get it set, you’re proud when you get it cut, you’re proud when you’ve got it cured out, and you’re really proud when you have it sold. He tells that to everyone. But he’s one of those farmers who has to be involved in every aspect of the crop’s development. He helps seed the greenhouse. He’s the one who chooses who gets to ride the setter. He’s the one who plows the tobacco. Okay, he doesn’t do it all because he hates to hoe tobacco. And he hates to sucker it. He seems to always find someone to do those tasks. But if tobacco needs to be topped or oiled and then cut you will find him right out in the middle of it. I love/hate those days when he decides he’s going to keep up with the younger guys. There are times he wants to show them how it’s done. He can keep up but he’ll pay for it.
Jimmy was raised plowing tobacco with work horses.
Once the tobacco is cut is when Jimmy’s talent shines through. He knows how many sticks he needs to fill which barn. He knows exactly much he needs to cut to fill the barn. He knows exactly how long the tobacco needs to be left alone on scaffold wagons until it’s ready to put in the barn. He knows exactly how a barn needs to be loaded to utilize the exact amount of space without the tobacco being crowded. And then he knows exactly how long to cure an air cured barn and he knows exactly when he needs to start his fires to cure out a dark fired barn.
This is when his dedication kicks in. In order to fire a barn the tobacco needs to be housed and then slabs of wood are brought in and laid flat. These slabs are then covered about shin high with sawdust. Once Jimmy is satisfied with the layout of the slabs and sawdust then, and only then, will he start the fires. And he’s the one who starts the fires. He knows where to start them in each barn to get the maximum amount of smoke and absolutely no flame. And once he’s satisfied that the fires are going to stay lit and not get too hot he will go about his day. But then he goes back to that barn over and over again to make sure the fires stay lit and not get too hot. And I have known him to sit in those barns all night long to make sure that the fires stay lit and don’t get too hot. The first day or so is crucial so once they’re out of danger then he can relax. Because too many leaves falling or a stick breaking and falling can catch fire in a minute and send that barn up in flames. If that happens a farmer not only loses the crop in that barn (about a fifth of their crop) but an integral part of their process. Dark fired tobacco barns are not cheap and cannot be replaced overnight. Jimmy has never smoked but he has fired barns his entire life. If he ever came up with lung cancer I wouldn’t be surprised.
Jimmy repeats this process about 3 or 4 times per barn. The amount of smoke equates into the amount of curing. Since that tobacco goes into snuff and chewing tobacco the companies like a lot of smoke on the finished product.
Once he has the tobacco cured out then we have to wait on a tobacco season. This usually starts in November. All conditions need to be right. It has to be about 60 degrees and there has to be moisture in the air. Pouring down rain doesn’t work. Fog does. If it’s not damp enough then the tobacco won’t be in order. If there’s too much moisture then the tobacco will be too high. Either way and you can’t work with the tobacco. And that’s the whole point of this. You need to be able to take the tobacco out of the barn without it being too dry. If not it will crumble in your hands. The tobacco is loaded back onto scaffold wagons and brought to the stripping room. I love to get people’s reaction when I tell them that “it’s in the stripping room”. If they were raised around tobacco then they know exactly what I’m talking about. But if they’ve never been around the crop then they look at you like you’re half crazy. “It’s where we strip the tobacco leaves off of the stalk of the plant.” Then the response is “oh, …”
Air cured tobacco
Once the tobacco is brought into the stripping room then we’re almost home. Jimmy will show you what needs to be done. But then he’s going to want you to do it right from that point on. The tobacco needs to be classed. The company we sell to wants the leaf separate from the lugs. Then there’s the trash, stuff that doesn’t belong in with the leaf or the lugs. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have a clue how to do it. But Jimmy knows. And if you mess up one time he would be able to pick that out of your pile. If he lets me in the stripping room then I usually end up stripping the leaf. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in trouble for not cleaning the tails of the leaf.
And once it’s through this process Jimmy loads it up and delivers it to the company. You see, Jimmy’s tobacco is sold before he sows the first seed. Years ago he sold it at auction on the tobacco floor. That was back when the government subsidized the price per pound. I don’t think Jimmy ever sold any tobacco to the “pool”. His was all bought by the tobacco companies before the auction ended. But then one year a company came up to him and offered to buy his entire crop, before he even started it. He was floored. But he sold it by contract from that point on. And when he delivers the crop he watches them off-load and put his tobacco onto conveyor belts. He follows that belt up to where they weigh it and grade it. He will be so excited when he comes home if the tobacco weighed more than he guessed. He’s usually not off by much. And if his tobacco didn’t get the top grade then you don’t want to be in the stripping room the next day.
You may think that I am partial to Jimmy’s crop, and his work ethic. And I’m sure I am. But I’m not the only one. For several years now the kids would take some cut tobacco to the Kentucky State Fair. Most of the time their entry placed for FFA. Then Jimmy decided to try a green plant of tobacco for FFA. Katie won first place. So last year Jimmy and I entered the Open Show at the KY State Fair. We did great! In fact, I won the Commissioner’s Award in one category and he won in another. We came home with so many ribbons and plaques and even some cash. He already has his entries put away for this year’s State Fair. He is all about it. Not only that but for the last 4 out of 5 years he has received a “Top Grower” award from the company he grows for. So it’s not just me thinking he’s the best tobacco grower out there.
And I don’t know if his dedication is contagious or if we don’t have a chance to say “no”. If he needs us to sit in the truck and wait for him to need our help while he sprays his tobacco, we do it. Personally I like doing it. I get a chance to be outside, maybe to take pictures, maybe to write, maybe to read. The kids don’t necessarily like it but they understand it has to be done. Of course, I do get put out when we are planning something special and inviting people over and he says that he’ll be back by lunch and then he works through lunch and shows up after our guests do. I think he plans that on purpose. We’ll see if this year is any different. Probably not.
