If the area’s tobacco farmers are not suffering now, they likely will this year as they battle water in fields, blue mold and the drastic reduction in amount of crop they can grow.

Monday, July 31, 2000

If the area’s tobacco farmers are not suffering now, they likely will this year as they battle water in fields, blue mold and the drastic reduction in amount of crop they can grow.

Farmers can access crop insurance, spray fungicides and sign up for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s assistance for changes in quota. Yet, those solutions should not be the only things out there to help our farmers.

Just as in the gas price issue, there must exist more actions that can reduce the devastating effects of weather and quota reductions.

And whether those actions include taking steps to reduce the volume of tobacco imports or increasing funds to save the generations of families who feed the nation, the action needs to come quickly.

Call our local officials, our legislators, our nation’s leaders today.

Tell them it’s time.