‘Rebirth of a Lifestyle’
New Book Details Growth of Organic Farming in Unexpected Area — Tobacco
SANTA FE, N.M. — Aug. 4, 2009 — The increase in organic farming, one of the fastest growing areas of U.S. agriculture even in times of recession, includes the story of an unexpected product — tobacco.
“This is a story about the rebirth of a lifestyle — a way of life that once was and now is meant to be again — for a world that yearns for sustainable, earth-friendly farming,” says Mike Little, a master leaf blender for a small tobacco company based in Santa Fe, N.M.
Little is co-author of a just-published book, Organic Tobacco Growing in America and Other Earth Friendly Farming, chronicling a 20-year effort to establish and develop organic tobacco farming in the United States.
“Here’s the colorful history behind this new old way of farming. Organic Tobacco Growing in America is a quintessential American story of applying vision and values to innovation. More than just a practical guide on how and why to embrace organic growing, this is a story that stretches from its American Indian-inspired beginnings in the windswept high desert of Northern New Mexico to the fabled tobacco roads of the southeast.
“The book started in original concept as a handbook or guide for tobacco growers interested in growing organically,” Little says. “It ended up being that and a lot more.”
From the book: “When a small company dedicated to doing things differently decided some 20 years ago to make as natural a tobacco product as possible, they turned to America’s tobacco farmers and proposed an unheard of proposition: How about growing organic tobacco?
“Today, demand for organic tobacco leaf is doubling each year. But when it was first proposed, there were more than a few skeptics. Now, many are looking at the growing practices and sustainable farming techniques developed by this small group of pioneers.
“Along the way, meet the growers who learned how organic farming of not just tobacco, but vegetables and other produce as well, is returning the principles of nature back to the family farm. This is a story about the rebirth of a lifestyle — a way of life that once was and now is meant to be again — for a world that yearns for sustainable, earth-friendly farming.”
A number of organic growers are featured in the book including Ronnie Moore a farmer from Virginia, who offers this perspective: “Growing tobacco organically is basically like my grandfather used to raise it when I was a little kid.”
With tongue only slightly in cheek, Kentucky burley farmer Gene Turpin adds: “An added requirement in growing organic tobacco is that you have to find a hoe that fits your hands pretty well.”
Stanley Hughes, organic farmer in North Carolina, offers a good reason for going organic: “With organic and earth-friendly growing, we’re seeing a return of wildlife to our land – like butterflies, doves and wild turkeys – that we haven’t seen in years,” he says.
The book includes a history of organic tobacco growing and details about what’s required to be a certified growing, as well as some of the requirements a processor and manufacturer of certified organic tobacco must adhere to.
Published by Sunstone Press, and available at bookstores and online sources such as Amazon and Google, the 204-page book includes almost 100 photos depicting organic farming.
All profits derived from the sale of the book are being contributed to the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association in recognition of the work performed by the association and its members to promote organic and earth-friendly farming.
Promoting Other Organic Growing – Wheat
Co-author Mike Little, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, the small tobacco company he works for, and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association made news recently when it announced a program to help establish an organic wheat market in the Carolinas, called the Organic Farming Transition Project.
Over the next two years, the group plans to work with farmers and local bakeries to create a North Carolina-branded organic bread flour, and to promote the adoption of organic practices.
“We see the development of an organic wheat market in the heart of tobacco country as a positive development for growers, consumers and the environment,” Little said, “especially our growers who practice crop rotation and will benefit from another crop.”
The Organic Farming Transitioning Project is being funded by Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, which will contribute more than $80,000, and other sources.
“Our organic tobacco growing program promotes sustainable agriculture practices and that helps advance the interests of small, independent farmers,” Little says. Several hundred acres owned by the company’s growers are used to grow organic vegetables and other organic crops.