Characteristics of Burley Tobacco Farms

Burley tobacco farms surveyed produced an average of 2.3 acres of tobacco in 1984, the most recent data available, on an average of 122 acres of farmland operated. A labor-intensive crop, burley tobacco (a cigarette tobacco) required an average of 240 hours of labor per acre or 13 hours per 100 pounds to produce the 1984 crop. Most farms relied on nonfarm sources to supplement their income. Net worth for burley tobacco producers averaged $130,715 in 1984, substantially below the $322,732 for all U.S. farm producers. Their average farm debt was about a third less than for all U.S. farm producers. The data analyzed in this report are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 1984 Farm Costs and Returns Survey