Basic HTML Version
John Kilburn
-
Ploin
Truth
could produce feed and dairy prod–
uces in compecicion wich char region.
Bur, he srressed, che robacco farm–
ers would somehow have ro acquüe
che same knowledge of dairying as
rhey now have of robacco, and chis
would mean major reeducarion. The
average age of che robacco farmer is
around fifry, nor generall y a good age
ro
embark on a complerely new ca–
reer. And
ro
furrher complicare mar–
rees, che average basic educarion of
mosr Kenrucky farmers of chis rype is
only nine or ten years.
In addirion, he emphasized rhar ir
would be very difficulr co convince
mosr of rhem ro make such a con–
version in che first place. Something
like dairy farmíng is a seven-day-a·
weck, rwíce-a-day proposírion. To–
bacco, on che orher hand, demands
much labor, but nor consranr atten–
rion. This is another poinr in its
favor.
In
Theory Only
Conversíon from robacco produc–
rion ro another form of agriculture is,
however, only talked about. While
sorne undoubtedly may have made
che switch, no one really knew of any
farmers who had actually done so.
Dr. Milron
J.
Shutfer, Agricultura!
Economisr ar che Universiry of Ken–
rucky, puc ir chis way: "There is no
way, really, for Kenrucky cobacco
farmers ro make che swi rch and re-
44
11
Very little hope for the
farmer in this area without
tobacco.
. . .
That's what keeps
this part of the country alive."
main in agriculrure - and srill have
che income thar rhey have now. The
reason, I rhink, is because robacco
uses very lirrle land and a loe of labor
and a pretty substancial amounr of
capital.... Well, a few producers,
I
suppose, could raise sorne real inren–
sive crops like vegerables. But imme–
diarely when you do chis, you're in
comperirion wirh California, where
rhere's a commercial, highJy produc–
rive, highly capiralized unir. And only
a few producers in Kenrucky could
afford ro do chis - nor che 136,000
farmers prcsenrly working in ro–
bacco."
When asked how chis changeover
could be accomplished, he replied:
"There would be sorne farm unics
which could be combined. Where
you'd have che rerrain and ropogra–
phy and rype of land, you mighr
eliminare severa! farms and combine
ochers and ger a unir where you
mighr possibly go inco grain and/or
carde, wirh an income comparable ro
one farm producing robacco. Mosr of
Kentucky, howevcr, is nor che kind
of land you could combine. Even if
you
could
get one rhousand acres in
easr Kenrucky, rhere's nor much crop–
land on ir. I don'r really think, in
practica! rerms, rhar there's any way
che income from robacco could be
re–
placed if for sorne reason che demand
ceases. The only ching 1can see is rhar
mosr Kenrucky farmers would have
Mr.
J.
D. Howard, farmer
O wen County, Kentucky
ro find sorne source of income ourside
agriculcure."
What would rhar be?
"This means sorne kind of non–
farm employmenr - well,
we
know
whac char means. The average Ken–
rucky farmer does noc have
che
rech–
nical skill ro go pull down sorne kind
of industrial situation and ir would
be
economic chaos
for Kencucky if to–
bacco were ro go."
T obacco Is Big Business
As one farmer surveying
his
grow–
ing field of heaJrhy cobacco put ir:
" I
don'c know whar we would do
around here wichouc tobacco.
1
really
don 't.
Ir
would cake sorne time ro
convert into somerhing else - by
rhar rime, che man rhar is in debe
from hís farm would go under."
But che small farmers of Kcntucky
and ocher cobacco regions around che
world wouJd nor suffer aJone. Thc cu–
mulacivc effeccs of such a siruarion
would be much grearer. The econo–
mies of many nacions could be rachee
hard hit. While che Unired Scarcs
produced l,741,000,000 pounds of ro–
bacco in 1971, orher nations such as
India produced 771,000,000 pounds,
Brazil produced 435,000,000 pounds,
Pakisran (now divíded) produccd
349,000,000 pounds, Japan produced
330,000,000 pounds and Turkey pro–
duced 325,000,000 pounds. While che
Unired Stares may be che largesr ro-
PLAIN TRUTH
Jonuory
1973