The 2024 growing season was filled with adverse growing conditions from seeding to selling. Despite these challenges, tobacco producers remained optimistic and persistent.

As July wound to a close, the 2024 flue-cured crop was one of the best many had seen in quite some time. This observation was true across the entire production belt, from Florida to Virginia. Of course, Mother Nature had other plans as Hurricane/Tropical Storm Debby made landfall in early-August and made her way through each production region.

With massive yield losses in 2024, thoughts for yield and economic opportunity are front and center as we begin to focus on 2025.

The first and most obvious focal point for yield is variety selection. We’re fortunate that we have access to a diversity of genetic material that is superior to what was available even a decade ago. A recent analysis of modern varieties shows that breeders have broken through the yield plateau of the 1980s and have found methods to incorporate better disease resistance along the way. Producers should strongly consider planting modern varieties.

The second talking point is really a list of different management strategies producers should consider. Tobacco is a difficult crop to manage and is one that requires constant attention to detail. While one or two small changes may not be detrimental to yield on their own, the cumulative effect of numerous issues is believed to play a part in commercial yield reductions.

Producers are encouraged to consider the following practices:

The upcoming tobacco season appears to be one with great promise. Farmers are uniquely situated to obtain good yield (and economic return) when making sound decisions and with a lot of help from Mother Nature.

Matthew Vann is associate professor and tobacco Extension specialist at North Carolina State University.