THE LAST DAYS OF TOBACCO: Buster and Jessie Norton on the crop that grew then went away. FOA Ep.14

Tobacco was once the main crop of North Carolina and Madison County was one the three counties in the western part of the state that were major producers. But times change and the demand for tobacco has dropped due to a reduction in smoking and foreign imports, so the crop is all but gone today.

One of the few farms still growing tobacco belongs to Buster and Jessie Norton. They are a funny and loving couple and are two of the hardest working folks we have met. They farm multiple plots of land in the remote Grapevine section of Madison County, NC where they grow a large garden, make hay, cultivate corn, grow sorghum cane to make molasses, and are one of the last people to produce tobacco.

Here you can watch this all-but-gone process as Buster and Jessie describe the growing and harvesting process, talk about their life farming, and the demands they face as they grow older in the profession. We visit their tobacco fields, watch them harvest the crop, and sit with them for a conversation in the barn where the tobacco is hanging to dry.

For over forty years I have photographed tobacco production from planting through harvest, and all the way to the auction houses at the end of the season. I share images from my files and books, The Face of Appalachia, On Earth’s Furrowed Brow, and Hands in Harmony. Be sure to check out our other episodes and our books about the area at www.barnwellphoto.com