2024 Tobacco Crop: Part One

[@graymillar1841]

Lovely to see a man enjoying the natural environment around him as well as providing for family. We are only custodians of the part of earth the Lord has given us. Responsible farming is a must. Here in the UK, the government decide how Farmers farm their land. The rules and laws are totally ridiculous and prevent farmers from making even making a decent living. It's great to see you enjoying, and your children will grow up blessed for it.

[@bobbycraigue725]

Please keep us informed as to the progress of your tobacco crop! This is interesting and exciting to learn about. You are living the dream of many of us old-timers! “Tractor On” My Friend!

[@ludwigmises]

I grew up working in tobacco fields in KY. Some really hard work start to finish. I’ve been at the top tiers of barns waiting for the next stick of tobacco to be passed up to me-while fighting off those angry red wasps. (I’m sure they have their place in things, but I would not shed a tear should red wasp go extinct.)

[@HEisWorthy-4C]

The idea of a small chapel ( in the comment section) is something worth pursuing for your kids Alan. A little safe 'haven' for them to go & pray as they grow up. A little off subject of tobacco but exciting to contemplate. Also, unselfishly sharing the view of your property makes us feel more like your family from a distance, it adds a warm, comfortable 'safeness' & makes us feel included in your visions & dreams. Keep adding more 'salt & light' by sharing what God has Blessed you with! Feels like home in our hearts to a man & his family that we have grown to love from afar!! Linda & Mike-Columbia, MO

[@HeroOfTime303]

I'm actually thinking about building an Adoration Chapel for myself in the future. I have been learning timber framing. Maybe Alan can hire me as a fellow Kentuckian Catholic. Only if he's interested, of course.

[@HEisWorthy-4C]

@@HeroOfTime303 That is a nice thought!! ; )

[@tbojai]

I grow grapes on .21 acres of property inside a subdivision. If I can make 100+ bottles of wine in this environment, I can only imagine what you can do. Thanks for inspiring us!

[@HeroOfTime303]

I own the icon in your profile picture. Do you use any added yeast or sugar to your wine? I'm looking forward to homemaking some wine too.

[@jvin248]

I grew up on a farm where we did the heavy tillage like you describe, for the same reasons. I've switched now to Regenerative Agriculture techniques. You'll save time, fuel, and herbicides: drag a disc behind your tractor to cut up the grass you have and scuff up the soil enough for seeding and this fall broadcast 2-3 bushel per acre Winter Rye grain seed. Winter Rye (don't get rye grass!) chemically controls weeds plus drowns them out. Next spring, if planting corn or beans, plant your crop and when the crop emerges you go through and flatten the rye (lawn roller, cultipacker, lay a board down and step on it) creating a straw mat. If doing transplants then flatten the rye and put your plants in like those folks who cover the field in plastic. I have a row of scarlet runner beans I broadcast into the standing rye, when they germinated I rolled the rye down and back to catch any that tried to stand back up, they grew thick, and when the frost killed off the beans a couple nights back so I could see below them, there is still a mat of straw under those beans. Worms put down more fertilizer than a herd of cattle per acre, but since they only live in the top five inches when you kill them or flip them over plowing or drown them in chemicals they must regenerate from any eggs they may have left behind that are maybe too deep to do anything, so your field is missing out. The rye when standing will draw up moisture from several feet below the surface, the plants trap dew between them, and when flattened it shields the ground from direct sunlight to keep it cool and not bake all the worms and beneficial bacteria out of it.

[@markchristensen9546]

We also fallow fields to control erosion and rejuvenate the soil. Best of luck on the tobacco!

[@neolexington]

I've grown tobacco here in Michigan for several years. The hardest part for me has been the curing of the tobacco at the end of the season. Our fall turns cold so fast that I have a hard time getting the tobacco to cure properly. I've been experimenting with heat mats and curing the tobacco indoors with mixed success. One thing I would urge you to keep in mind with your planting is how accessible the area is. You want to be able to easily visit your plants every few days to remove suckers. I've found that suckers will significantly stunt the growth of the plant if they are not kept in check. There is nothing better in the summer than enjoying a pipe or cigar while tending your plants.

[@austinhamilton1234]

Suckers and pests like the hornworm, definitely gotta check daily. Also, how do you start your seeds? I've read and watched videos that you gotta start the plants inside before the last frost of the year, and maybe even keep some of the seedlings staggered in case of a late frost. Of course it's easy if you have a long grow season with a late summer heat to cure, but in your case, getting them started well ahead of time gives you the most opportunity to cure towards the end of summer. Best of luck to your growing efforts!

[@neolexington]

@@austinhamilton1234 I'm blessed to be married to a Master Gardener. We do start our seedlings inside and grow them to about 6" in height before they get transplanted outside. In my experience once they are in the ground they grow like a weed if you keep them pruned and bug free.

[@redsteam1]

I'm a grower in Michigan, too. West side. ❤

[@jessicapinto3817]

I've been thinking of growing it myself in my country and this video helps in making me that decision and feasibility :) thank you, good sir.

[@ArmenChakmakian]

Exciting! And I was thinking about you this morning after watching a short video on St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki. Agriculture is a patronage of his.

[@justincrabtree741]

I love your passion for Jesus,and becoming Catholic, I'm in the same boat,I wish to tell you about the Devine Mercy Message, and I want you to know Fr.Chris Alair,Fr.Calloway,you can hold Mary's hand by praying the rosary .

[@dirtfloormotors]

I have grown my tobacco in my garden since 2015, just a row or two only about 100 feet long. It produces a lot of tobacco, more than I have room to cure in a good year. The three problems I encountered are 1) getting the seed to come up and ready to plant as it needs to mature in Virginia when there is hot humid days. 2) Tobacco worms, every night the moths lay many eggs. 3) Getting it hung to air cure in an area where it won't mold. It is a lot of work harvesting and once cured it has to be stripped or left whole leaf (which molds easier). I have no problem with anything other than worms messing with the plants. I don't know the variety I have but the leaves get huge and appear to be Virginia. I suspect you will have a good crop on your new ground.

[@salthesicillian1752]

Looking forward to that small batch release of "cottage blend". Hope your journey through catechism is going well.

[@manatoa1]

I've grown a plot of tobacco here in Canada a few seasons. The growing is the easy part, the curing is tricky, though your weather will be far more accommodating. Are you planning to just air cure the lot? Air curing the burley, sun curing the oriental, and flue curing the virginia is quite an undertaking. I recommend starting many more seedlings than you need and choosing the best third or so to plant out.

[@Mundo1116]

This guy is right out of a southern gentlemen book. Good luck to you sir!

[@trevorthomsen8222]

Some of the finest tobaccos were grown in Rhodesia … now Zimbabwe. I grow small amounts of Latakia and Perique here just for fun. Good luck with your endeavor, Allan. Please keep us posted.

[@tanneradams20]

Double fence is what I do for deer. Interior fence and then the exterior perimeter at about 5 or 6 feet away. Messes with a deers depth perception and using a netting is more than doable

[@pickingandpiping]

Great use of your land. Best of luck growing tobacco.

[@jvin248]

For fencing get those 'step on' electric fence posts that are somewhat high. I have deer getting into my corn patch and the 30# fishing line run around at one foot intervals and every ten foot tie vertical fishing line to tie the horizontals together. Some have had luck with 'bone sauce' (another youtube channel Perma Pastures Farm has a recipe that seems to work).

[@cherrepository5787]

I couldn’t love this video any more!

[@danpopek2028]

I love it Alan! I've been a small-scale vegetable farmer for 6 or so years and I'll be experimenting growing tobacco for the first time up near Chicago, IL.

[@mikereese15]

This will be a joy to watch

[@gradywhite]

I am so excited about following along on this tobacco growing journey!

[@jefffletcher5644]

Thanks for sharing. Good luck with that crop.

[@chickensandwich1589]

I'll take a pound of whatever it is, when it's ready!

[@LukeEdwards-x8c]

Love this update in your tobacco crop plans - so looking forward to further updates 😊

[@OldUncleMike]

Heck of a mower you’ve got there. Good luck with your crops. 👍

[@davidclifton8308]

Well you could easily do a deer/elk fence. It is basically a 8 foot high wire mesh fence, can do it in panels or just using t posts and attach the fence material to it.

[@LouisianaBlackwaterFlyFishing]

Look how beautiful it is there :) I love my swamps but that area is beautiful :)

[@jugghead-1975]

Can't wait to see how it comes out ! Ive studied on giving tobacco growing a try for few years but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Grow big veg garden and love it so good luck!

[@colbyvenable8193]

You sure do have beautiful property and scenery. Wishing you nothing but the best for your future tobacco crop. Looking forward to seeing the results.

[@David-im1rz]

This is awesome God bless your efforts! May your crop be very fruitful!

[@williamforsterjr276]

Go get'em youngman

[@DevilsR98958]

Put me down for a pouch once it's ready!

[@adamdavid7207]

How is the crop looking? Has to be getting close to harvest in the next month or so.

[@sarahburke8955]

How exciting, I can't wait to see how this goes! I was driving through PA a few weeks back, admiring the old tobacco curing barns. I grew up in southern VA, and my daddy grew up farming tobacco. I'm in Idaho now, and can't even grow a decent tomato crop- haven't looked into tobacco yet but with the short growing season, I'm not terribly hopeful. Blessings to you and the family!

[@othala7540]

This year i a grew tobacco in the netherlands. The netherlands had a real tobacco growing culture back in the days. I can say its not easy. It depends also on your climate but. The best is to start small. Growing is 1 thing but the harvest is also a lot of work. And than their is the curing, drying. And than their is the aging. And making kinds of tobacco like black cavendish etc. But its been lots of fun for me and gained allready lots of wisdom. Good luck

[@denniskatinas]

Goed bezig! Zit je op het pijprokersforum?

[@othala7540]

@@denniskatinas Thnx! Ja ik zit inderdaad wel is op dat forum. Ik zit alleen iets meer op fairtradetobacco forum. In verband met het groeien etc

[@richardlindler8219]

Hello from Whitmire SC my southern brother. Love your video!

[@oneprinceofamber1]

Pre-made fencing panels with blocks is how my granddad did it back on the farm. A little more expensive but very movable with a long box .

[@jessk4862]

We can grow our smokes make our own wine country boy can survive😎

[@RolsterDMKG]

I'm no tobacco farmer, but I wish you well and look forward to your next video. Your accent and humility do you great credit!

[@BlakesPipes]

Enjoy the experience. You will learn a lot in what your plans are. Write it down weekly.

[@chriscon8463]

That’s great, Allen! You have a beautiful piece of land there. Good luck with everything!

[@stephensmith4480]

I hope your experiment is a rip roaring success, which i'm sure it will be. Good luck sir. Your property looks amazing by the way.

[@ms.booklover2676]

I hope you build yourself a little chapel somewhere on your land.

[@KyleWhittington]

A friend of mine was ordained a priest, so his parents built a little hermitage on their land. The day after his ordination, he was hearing confessions in it. It was beautiful.

[@WillySF]

God bless you and your family in all your endeavors

[@finishstrong365]

Lots of hard work ahead. Not much tobacco Base left in ky. I miss seeing tobacco fields everywhere.

[@RepublicOfGrowth]

You can thank the government and your average citizen for that. The demonization of tobacco and the marketing schemes of R.J Reynolds has tarnished tobacco forever.

[@coryschunemann1395]

You got me curious about the price of land down there in SE KY. From a few pulled comps it is certainly more advantageous than the cost of land here in S. Indiana. May God bless you with the endeavor!

[@SouthAlabamaPiper]

Sounds exciting, can’t wait to see the progress!

[@stonylawncottagepipe4429]

Reminds me of my youth and farm work reflections😊

[@jeffashley5512]

Hello from Tennessee. Tennessee and Kentucky are the primary growers of burley for us pipe smokers. Looking forward to your growing season and results. Good luck from a Tennessee boy that harvested a few tobacco fields in my past.

[@danielosullivan3110]

Smoking that wonderful Burley,Stokkebye,right now😊

[@Mehrshad_F]

It's gonna be a great series I'm sure. Love to see the upcoming videos on this field!

[@justincrabtree741]

I think you would love St.Faustinas diary,how Jesus talked to her has touched my life.

[@JohnCantey]

That is exciting, motivating and some great ASMR

[@b.melakail]

Enjoy the process sir We are excited to follow along on your journey. God bless

[@CoolFLDad]

Excited to hear and see the updates on the field

[@Cynical1800]

Can we get an update on this tobacco patch?

[@rickcoffey5309]

I love the property, looks very nice. The way you are planning out your cultivated areas make very good sense to me. Much like we used to do when I was growing up. I will be following the tobacco planting. I want to try a patch myself and already have a plot for it. But need an education on growing, harvesting, and curing it. I missed out on a valuable opportunity by not working with my uncle who always had a patch he worked with horses ONLY. I was too busy with my dad and grandpa with cattle and hay. BTW, what model tractor do you have? From the video it reminds me of my dad 5103 JD.

[@Der_Kleine_Mann]

Growing the Tobacco is not really a difficult tast if you ask me, but making it smokeable, on a small scale, so curing and fermenting it well enough, without spending a fortune on energy cost, that's where the real difficulty lies imo. I grew some Burley Jupiter this year, and I will try a new fermentation-method that I came up with, by basically using large earthenware fermentation vessels, but I don't know if that will work, and other methods that I've tried in the past didn't work either, so we'll see.

[@shicamaro123]

Electric poultry or goat fenceing with a solor panel both can be moved i use it and it keeps my animals and garden safe power feil makes a fencing that dose not require any extra grounding equipment

[@nitegoat1369]

How did your Indian Peace Pipe Tobacco turn out? Mine were stunted this year, due to all of the smoke from the Canadian “wildfires “; same with my Havana Tobacco, which none of my 4 plants flowered. We here in Detroit got really smoked-out. All of my plants and flowers this year, for the exception of my raspberries, were about 2 months behind in growth, to where they should have been.

[@georgebrown9994]

Alan, if you can grow tomatoes, you can grow tobacco. This according to my grandfather, who was a tobacco farmer on Tobacco Rd. in Augusta, Ga. How do you intend to cure the tobacco? Air cured or fire cured?

[@southerncountryboy8]

Sounds like you should do some hunting on your property. Kentucky is a fine whitetail state and you've got a beautiful property.

[@PhillipStewart-k7f]

20 x 40 cattle panels. T post u. Can pull an move 80 pieces plus 30 t post

[@benniebarrow348]

Very nice !

[@kevintate3618]

What are your thoughts on finding a well crafted yet used pipe at an antique store? Would you add to your collection and use it ?

[@The.ControversialChristian]

Did you get to plant tobacco this year??

[@dr._.baldwyn]

I am not a tobacco farmer of any size, so I do not know how useful this would be, but way back when, we would use the tobacco scrap to fertilize our land, so just a suggestion

[@bhenders52]

Rotate your tobacco with rye grass. As I understand, it helps replenish the nitrogen in the soil.

[@OceanPiper013]

Icky a green tractor!😀

[@mikelaffoon5986]

I used to smoke tobacco. I can't imagine a use/need for it in 2024. People vape now using salt nicotine. Tobacco is really a last century (ies) crop. Grow what you want, for your own reason(s). Be a good steward of the land you've been blessed with. Grow what helps humanity.

[@manatoa1]

Good tobacco is to nicotine salts as fine wine is to industrial ethanol. We don't just smoke for nicotine. We smoke to enjoy the beauty, inspiration, and consolation that the tobacco plant can bring.

[@denniskatinas]

@@manatoa1Mikela doesn’t want to understand. Don’t worry about it.

[@rameybutler-hm7nx]

Tobacco is still the only cash crop america has left.

[@shellbackbeau7021]

I spy with my little eye.... A tractor!

[@essequamvideri17]

Why do you need a fence for the tobacco? Here in North Carolina we have no problems with tobacco and wildlife other than tobacco worms once the leaves are big and healthy. Burley should work out the best for you based on your climate.

[@thedreadtyger]

nor have i ever seen burley fenced here in East Tennessee. and turkeys help against the bugs 😊 the variety of tobacco you're calling Kentucky Leaf is called Dark Fire here. right smart of it is grown in Middle Tennessee.

[@rameybutler-hm7nx]

I been wantin to raise a crop of bacco but how do u handle the taxes? Btw im in ms.

[@DavidDoss-p4r]

I'll buy a pouch from you when it's time.

[@jeffeubanks370]

I had more trouble with insects eating my tobacco than animals. I tried raising some 2 years ago with limited success

[@pincurls98]

Mobile electric fence, solar powered is the way to go.

[@michalt.2450]

good luck

[@DAmend3]

Can different tobacco varieties be cross pollinated and cross bred?

[@Cynical1800]

I would assume so. I have Virginia, perique, and burleigh all growing in a small greenhouse. The seeds will definitely be hybrid. However I have had extremely good experience with cuttings from a mother plant.

[@bleakorb1194]

exciting!

[@ynmamflm]

Can you buy a few tobacco seeds online anywhere?

[@Cynical1800]

Victory seeds in TX. Huge catalog of seeds

[@panzfaust9812]

220 acre? Thats a lot of land

[@jasonnichols2208]

It's illegal to grow tobacco in Australia.

[@alanpettibone]

It’s probably good that he’s not in Australia. 😂 There are enough things trying to kill in Oz that I figured tobacco would be the least of your problems.

[@richardcarlin1332]

you seem to know what you are doing.

[@justincrabtree741]

You might think I'm radical,but Devine Mercy through St.Maria Faustina is the last hope of mankind's salvation to Jesus.