Pa. Tobacco Growers May Have Market In Md.
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Perhaps the tobacco
growing season, at least for next
year, can be redeemed.
While reeling prices have put
some tobacco planting inten
tions on hold for regional
growers, there’s a possibility
that Pennsylvania-grown to
bacco could find a home in
Maryland, which has experi
enced better prices. *
Tobacco sold in Maryland
auctions has to be inspected and
approved through a testing pro
cess that ensures nitrogen and
alkaloid levels are low. Because
of Pennsylvania’s heavier soils,
which retain nutrients that can
appear at higher levels in
Pennsylvania-grown tobacco,
tobacco may not suit buyers who
come into the Maryland mar
kets.
According to Raymond Guy,
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manager of Farmer’s Ware
house in Hughesville, Md.
(about 50 miles south of Wash
ington, D.C.), the five buyers
who purchase Maryland-grown
tobacco at the auction would
have to be interested in tobacco
from Pennsylvania. He said
many Pennsylvania farmers
have asked about the opportuni
ties to sell Pennsylvania tobacco
at the auction, and the auction is
working to see if buyers would
be interested.
If buyers were, the tobacco
would have to be specially la
beled out of state, tested, and
paperwork would have to assure
the tobacco meets special crite
ria.
The Maryland auction, one of
two auctions housing Maryland
grown tobacco, makes up about
28 percent of the tobacco sold in
Maryland, noted Guy. The to
bacco is tested by the University
of Maryland for alkaloids, nitro
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gen, and other factors. The
buyers look toward these tests to
ensure the quality of tobacco.
“A lot of our European buyers
can tell what we got,” said Guy.
“They know what they’re
buying.”
The buyers are from Switzer
land, Germany, and Italy.
Maryland-grown tobacco tests
lower in nitrogen and alkaloids,
probably because of the light,
gravelly, sandy soils with no
manure applications, noted
Dennis Hess, manager of the
Pennsylvania Tobacco Market
ing Association Auction in New
Holland. Pennsylvania-grown
tobacco soils are heavier and
retain chemicals in them for
“years,” he said.
Hess said that recently about
five different Pennsylvania
farmers submitted Maryland
609 samples to David Conrad at
the Maryland Department of
Agriculture to check to see if the
m
samples meet potential Mary
land auction buyer require
ments.
Some growers in Pennsylva
nia believe their tobacco could
meet Maryland requirements.
If so, the idea of marketing
Pennsylvania-grown, Maryland
type tobacco in Maryland could
improve some prices for tobacco
growers in southeast Pennsylva
nia.
Occasionally, Maryland to
bacco at the Maryland auctions
sells for as high as $l.BO a
pound, Hess noted.
Maryland auctions operate
beginning next week and con
tinue with 15 sales well into
April.
“If we can work on getting
tests more in line, maybe we can
market this tobacco to buyers in
Maryland,” said Hess.
A meeting of the Pennsylva
nia Tobacco Marketing Associa
tion was conducted Monday
Looks better
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 18, 2000-A29
evening to find ways to develop
markets similar to Maryland’s.
At the Farmer’s Warehouse
Auction in Hughesvilie, Md.,
sales begin next Tuesday, March
21, at 9 a.m.
Another Maryland market,
Planter’s Warehouse, also auc
tions Maryland tobacco.
Planter’s can be reached at (301)
627-3571.
Farmer’s Warehouse in
Hughesvilie can be reached at
(301)274-3124.
Sales at the Pennsylvania to
bacco auction in New Holland
continue March 23 at 10 a.m.
The last sale, noted Hess, is
March 28.
Hess can be reached at (717)
355-5336.