Although the crop is significantly smaller than it was 30 years ago, it still holds a place on Kentucky's agricultural map.

In 1994, Kentucky tobacco producers grew 187,000 acres of tobacco, weighing in at over 453 million pounds and worth nearly $841 billion. That was 10 years before the Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act eliminated an antiquated tobacco quota system that had been in place since 1938.

In stark contrast, the 2024 Kentucky tobacco crop consisted of 32,800 acres, and fetched over 75 million pounds, worth nearly $200 million, which was exponentially smaller as market trends have changed in the past three decades.

Luckily, Master Settlement dollars have helped to diversify the state's agricultural landscape thanks to the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund helping to sustain the family farms once so dependent on their tobacco crops.

But for those still in the business of raising crops, today it is as much about tradition as it is dollars and cents.

Kentucky Farm Bureau Second Vice President Larry Clark grew up on his family's farm in the small community of Exie in Green County, a place where tobacco crops can still be found and the tradition of growing it remains.

“We grew up with the tobacco and dad always taught us to have pride in it, the way we grew it, the way we shipped it, and the way we presented it at the market,” he said. “I think that caused us to have it in our blood, and it is a tradition that we carry on.”

Clark recalls the days of selling a crop at the many tobacco warehouses that could be found throughout the state.

“We did have a system where each farm had so much of a quota on it, and it fluctuated up and down according to the demand for the tobacco,” he said. “In the early 2000s, that quota system went away and was replaced by a contract system, and it's been a lot different ever since.”

No longer were growers subjected to a federal regulatory system, but rather to direct contracts with tobacco companies. Many producers opted for the quota buyout that came along in 2004. That, along with changing market trends, led to the decline in tobacco production.

“When I was growing up, we hand-tied the tobacco and tried to have the stripping finished by Thanksgiving," he said. "Then, we would load the crop onto wagons, haul it to the markets, and spend a day placing the tobacco in baskets, making it look good. In a week or two, we’d go back and watch the buyers follow the auctioneer as he chanted, taking bids. It’s something I’ll never forget. I loved it. Now, we have to go by whatever the companies are willing to pay."

Like so many other farms that depended heavily on a tobacco crop, Clark has diversified his operation today, which consists of cattle, grains, and hemp, to go along with his 218 acres of burley.

“I think the relationships growers have with the tobacco companies are vital to our continuing in the tobacco business, especially for the younger generation," he said. "But we have diversified our farm so our two sons will have the opportunity to continue farming whether they continue to grow tobacco or not."

As with many other crops, tobacco has seen a challenging growing season, especially with all of the spring rains, a time when most producers are setting their tobacco plants.

“It's been very challenging this year, since we've had more water this spring than I can ever remember us having,” Clark said. “The ground was too wet when we planted some of the crop, and you pay for that later in the year. Tobacco doesn't like wet feet! We're going to have a decent crop in places, but in other places we're not.”

Bob Pearce, a burley tobacco specialist and extension professor at the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment, echoed what Clark said about tobacco crop conditions.

“There are some crops that look really good, and there are some that are really struggling. We had a fair amount that either got planted late or, in some cases, maybe didn't get planted at all because of the weather, so it's all over the place this year.”

Many of the rains that have come this year have been localized, which has led to the good crop here, not so good there, kind of scenario.

“That's some of the reasons we're seeing the spottiness of this crop in some places that did well and other places that didn't, because we've had some rains that have been very localized and sporadic in some cases,” Pearce said.  

By press time, much of the state's tobacco crop, good or otherwise, will have been harvested and hanging in barns to cure.

Clark said he loves the smell of the tobacco in the barn, something he remembers from childhood.

"I've lived in this area all my life, and the fourth generation of my family to do so,” he said.  “We will continue to farm here and raise tobacco, because that's what we do, it's a family tradition," he said.