Tobacco Facts
• Agriculture is the largest industry in NC with nearly $80 billion annual value.
• Tobacco is among the top revenue crops in NC.
• Caswell and Person County, NC was the birthplace of flue-cured tobacco.
• North Carolina leads the nation in total tobacco production.
• The yearly average of the farm product value for leaf tobacco is nearly $1 billion.
• Economists estimate the multiplier effect to 3x which suggests the farm value impact to be greater than $2 billion annually.
• More than 2200 farmers have contracts to market tobacco.
• Estimated planted acres range between 165,000 – 180,000.
• The average size producer is less than 100 acres of tobacco.
• NC historical production is approximately 2300 pounds average per acre.
• Prevailing value for best quality leaf averaged $2.05 per pound.
• Tobacco farming is important to agri-business sales. Production costs per acre are greater than $3,700.00 which is ten times greater than an acre of wheat.
• Every tobacco grower is a diversified family farm with various row crops such as corn, soybean, small grain, cotton, sweet potatoes and produce as the major rotational crops. Many also have livestock included in the operation.
• Tobacco is one of the few surplus trade items the US exports.
• Tobacco means jobs in manufacturing, processing and transportation that are tied directly to its commerce in NC.
• Tobacco is the leading tax generating commodity in all of agriculture.