Tobacco farmers in Washington County who have been around a while may recognize the quality of tobacco this year’s crop is producing. Memories from the drought of 1983 stir like the dust that blows in the hot, dry summer wind. “This is the worst tobacco crop I’ve ever had,” James Osbourne, who has been raising tobacco for 20 years, said. “My dad thinks the tobacco is as bad as that (1983).” An ill-timed mixture of extreme wet conditions and extreme heat have concocted a bitter tasting result for farmers.
Hard Times for Tobacco Farmers
Jesse Osbourne
/
Springfield Sun
