News Releases

Tobacco and specialty crop producers and professionals who work with them should plan to attend two University of Tennessee tobacco production-related field days. The two events will be held in July on different dates at separate locations.

The Tobacco Production Field Day will be held July 15 at the Highland Rim Experiment Station in Springfield. The Tobacco Experiment Station in Greeneville will host a Tobacco and Specialty Crops Field Day on July 22. Both events are free to the public.

The program at the Highland Rim Experiment Station will focus on new tobacco breeding lines, late spotting disease control, irrigation, and nitrogen management. Registration begins at 6:45 a.m. CDT. The program will conclude with a luncheon provided to all participants. Informational exhibits will allow one-on-one personal communication with industry, university and government service professionals throughout the event.

For more information about the July 15 program or for directions to the Highland Rim Experiment Station, contact a county UT Agricultural Extension Service office or the Highland Rim Experiment Station at 615-382-3130. You may also visit the Web site: http://highlandrim.tennessee.edu.

The July 22 program at the Tobacco Experiment Station in Greeneville will include an open forum discussion with a panel of distinguished burley tobacco professionals from universities, government, and industry concerning the changing tobacco situation and its implications for farm families. The event will also feature presentations by researchers and Extension specialists on burley tobacco varieties; black shank management; harvesting, curing, and market preparation strategies for improving burley quality; tobacco and specialty crop irrigation; greenhouse tomato production; and bedding plant production.

Advance reservations for the Greeneville field day are recommended. Send an e-mail to tes@usit.net or call 423-638-6532. Day-of-event registration begins at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The program begins at 8:30 a.m. The event includes a free midday meal and will conclude at 3:00 p.m. to allow plenty of time for participants to visit informational exhibits and equipment displays and vendors.

A map to the Tobacco Experiment Station and additional details about the July 22 program are available online at http://tobacco.tennessee.edu.

“Satisfying the demands of the marketplace while earning sufficient family income requires innovative, superior management. As agricultural researchers and Extension educators, we want to do all we can to improve farm and agribusiness profitability and family well being. We invite all interested people in Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, and other states to attend these events,” said Dr. Darrell Mundy, interim superintendent of the Tobacco Experiment Station.

The Highland Rim and the Tobacco Experiment stations are two of eleven agricultural research facilities operated by the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station system.

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Contacts: Dr. Darrell Mundy, UT Tobacco Experiment Station, 423-638-6532
Dr. Barry Sims, UT Highland Rim Experiment Station, 615-382-3130
Patricia McDaniels, UT Marketing and Communications, 865-974-7141