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42 TOBACCO INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2016 Mountain Auction A last-minute auction in the remote burley-producing area of western North Carolina was organized on December 14 at Planters Tobacco Warehouse in Asheville, in hopes of pulling in any leaf that remained on the farm. About 50 farmers participated, mostly from North Carolina with a few from Tennessee, which is nearby. Substantially all were from mountain counties. There had not been a full auction season in the mountains in several years, and hopes were high for a good price. But the results were disappointing. "The price range for most of the tobacco offered was $1.10 to $1.50 a pound," said warehouseman Billy Anders. "The farmers were generally discouraged." One reason for the disappointing price was that so much of the leaf was carryover from the 2014 season. Anders es- timated that 60 percent of the offerings were carryover that didn't find favor with the buyers. More new crop burley had been expected, but dry atmospheric conditions the previous 10 days made it difficult to strip leaf from the stalk and bale it in time for the sale. There was still substantial unsold burley leaf in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, Anders said, and he expected to hold another sale at the end of January. One Asheville area burley grower who sold at the Planter Warehouse auction said he had only 2014 carryover left to sell. It was still on the stalk, and he didn't think it feasible The last leaf before the frost: This flue-cured leaf was harvested near Oxford, N.C., on October 16, two days before killing frosts struck there and in much of the Tobacco Belt. Tobacco as ripe and damage-free as this was very hard to find afterward, and the harvest season was essentially shut down except in areas that were spared the cold. FENIX The right choice for on-line weight measurement & control Isatec Ltd. introduces the latest version of their widely accepted FENIX control and information system for cigar making machines. The FENIX system has successfully evolved over 20 years to meet the increasing quality and information demands of the international cigar manufacturing industry. Using a third party Microwave sensor for on-line measurement of cigar density and moisture, FENIX controls the weight of cigar rods up to 14.5mm diameter. With FENIX systems installed worldwide on a variety of cigar makers, Isatec continues to be the right choice for on-machine control and information systems. FENIX Support Services Isatec Ltd. are renowned for excellent support of its products. For the new generation of Fenix systems, our team of experienced software and hardware engineers will continue to enhance our reputation. Measure Monitor Control Isatec Ltd, Watermeadow House, Watermeadow, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 1LF, UK Contact Us Tel: +44 (0) 1494 792602 Fax: +44 (0) 1494 792608 Email: info@isatec.co.uk www.isatec.co.uk/fenix Isatec LTD_BG_2012 1/23/12 4:35 PM Page 1 U.S. LEAF REPORT