During the southern farm show, the Tobacco Grower Association of North Carolina holds their annual meeting. Graham Boyd, Executive VP Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina describes what’s on the agenda for this year’s gathering:
“Well the guest speakers are going to include Commissioner Troxler, the Economist Blake Brown from NC State, we’re going to have Mike Ligon who is the vice president of corporate affairs for Universal Leaf tobacco company, talking to us about global issues on tobacco, and then Cliff Parker who is retired from RMA, is going to update us on some major changes regarding crop insurance related to tobacco this year. And then Craig West who is the president of the organization from Fremont, NC will provide the president’s address. That is the lineup of speakers.”
As to specific issues at this year’s meeting, Boyd says they are numerous:
“They’re probably more issues than we’re going to have time to discuss, obviously each of these speakers will touch on an aspect of some of the major concerns. The cost of production remains foremost on every grower’s mind, and that, of course, encompasses certainly the rising cost of labor, the availability of labor, as far as supply, a source, that sort of thing, social issues related to that. Energy costs of curing out a crop, whether it’s fuel or electricity, obviously both of those things very important, and then we’ll go over some of the general issues of concern, some of the global concerns, some of the global concerns, supply and demand, contracts, the volumes that we think are out there, some of that important criteria that’s on all the minds of the growers.”
Boyd says that the meeting will take place at the Holshouser Building at the State Fairgrounds:
“the meeting is Friday, February 3rd, begins at 10:00 with the award presentations, and business agenda items, and then at 11:00 we have the speaker presentations and we’ll conclude that with a bar-b-que lunch at 12:00 -12:30. So, that’s Friday, February 3rd at the Governor Holshouser building on the fairgrounds.”
Members of TGANC were mailed notices of the meeting, and Boyd says that for those that didn’t respond:
“There is no registration on-site required, it is open to the public.”
Executive VP Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina, Graham Boyd
|