Tobacco a Big Part of the South

Tobacco, the word too many represents death and sickness.  It represents companies taking advantage of children.  This all may be true, but there is a different side to the story of Tobacco in America.  I never started smoking cigarettes, but I do enjoy a good cigar every so often, so I have a foot on both sides of this issue.

Years earlier I first encountered this mysterious plant growing in the sandhills of North Carolina. While driving you would pass a field every so often.  Here in Tennessee and Kentucky Tobacco surrounds us, whether people like it or not it is a big part of life in the south.


Having lived in the south for more than 35 years the agricultural side of Tobacco has never been very far from my everyday life.  I currently live less than a mile from a Tobacco field, passing them to work both here in Tennessee and years ago in North Carolina.  In Tennessee and Kentucky in the fall the sweet smell of fire-cured tobacco fills the air, as tobacco smokes in large barns as part of the curing process.

Tobacco is an economic engine a cash crop, that has provided a good living for southern farmers.  Local car dealers still stock up on inventory before the fall tobacco auctions.  Many a new truck is purchased after the crop comes in and is sold.   1 acre of fired curred Tobacco can bring between $3,000 to $5,000.  A 50-acre field up to $250,000.  This is some major cash.

The two major types of Tobacco grown for the market.  US Burley tobacco is an air-cured tobacco used primarily for cigarette and cigar production. Fire-cured tobacco, smoked in tobacco barns is used in some chewing tobacco, moist snuff, some cigarettes, and as a condiment in pipe tobacco blends.  It is a fall ritual smelling this smoke throughout the county on a crisp fall morning.

On a recent trip out to the country to take some pictures of Tobacco fields, I met a farmer who has grown this leafy product for more than 50 years.  He told me, farmers grow things that have a market, in other words, what people will pay for.  It is part of there heritage and a big part of southern history.  Sure big tobacco companies have mispresented and deceived Americans about tobacco for a lot of years.  This is not the fault of the farmer.  Now we all know the dangers and can use this product in moderation.  Heck, you can die from eating too much bacon.

In the past under the tobacco allotment system, the US Government controlled tobacco production.  It decided which farmers and how much tobacco could be grown. Which in turn controlled the price.  This system was ended in 2005 when farmers who held allotments were paid.  After this many tobacco farmers stop growing tobacco even though there were no restrictions on the amount of tobacco each farmer could grow.   Tobacco is still a lucrative crop for any farmer in the south, some say the market is stronger now than under the allotment system.

Since the end of the tobacco allotment system, many large farms now rely on Corn, Soybeans, and winter wheat.   Still, the small family farmer can make a living on tobacco and continue this part of the heritage of this great nation.

Wisconsin Chili

When I was a kid growing up in Washington State my Grandmother Anderson used to visit us from Wisconsin she always made what was called Wisconsin Chili, which to me is a cross between minestrone soup and chili.  You put it over spaghetti noodles like Cincinnati Chili.  It’s very mild but people that want it spicier just add hot sauce.  It really is good, but different than what most people consider chili.

Recipe

Ingredients

1lb-Hamburger 93% lean

1-Bell Pepper Diced

1-Onion Diced

2-stalks of Celery Diced

1-Can 14.5oz of Crushes Tomato’s

1-Can 14.5oz can of Dark Red Kidney Beans

2-Cups of Water

1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder to Taste

1 teaspoon of salt to taste

1 teaspoon of pepper to taste

1lb Package of spaghetti noodles

Instructions

Brown hamburger, add diced Bell Pepper, Celery, and Onion. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to brown until the vegetables are soft about 5 minutes.  Add Crushed Tomato’s, Dark Red Kidney Beans and Water to desired consistency. Cook on medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes.  

Prepare Spaghetti Noodles according to instructions with the following exception.  Break noodles into 3rds while placing in the water.  Place the desired amount of Spaghetti noodles in individual bowls.  Serve Wisconsin Chili over the noodles. Add Salt, Pepper, and use hot sauce if desired to individual taste. 

Breaking Day - A Poem

In the early morning before the break of day,
riding a motorcycle across the plains of Kansas.

Coolness rifles through the body,
you know that you are alive.

Riding west as the blackness begins to fade,
 the beginning of a new day is about to dawn.

You can see the sun rays coming from the east,
hitting above the horizon in the west.

As the east lightens,
the day is breaking.

There is anticipation of the sun on your back,
as the light from the east begins to shine.

The sun comes over the horizon the day has broken,
it is a new dawn, a new day with so many possibilities.

As the sun begins to hit your back,
it fills you with the warmth of life.

The sound of the road and the sun on your back,
guides you to your next destination.