Tobacco Associates meeting Friday
By Staff Reports
Published in News on February 25, 2009 1:46 PM
WILSON -- Tobacco Associates Inc. will hold its 62nd annual meeting Friday at the the Wilson County Agricultural Center Auditorium at 1806 S. Goldsboro St. in Wilson.
The meeting program will begin at 10 am. This year's speakers will discuss changes and trends in the domestic and international tobacco market.
The program will include comments from these guest speakers: Rick Smith, Lrdependent Leaf Tobacco Company, will focus on global trends, issues, problems and opportunities in the world market; Larry Wooten, President of the N.C. Farm Bureau, will provide an update on the effort for a national check-off for export promotion of U.S tobacco; Herb Vanderberry, the state director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will outline the need for collecting accurate tobacco data; and Keith Oakley, Executive Director of NCSU's Advancement Office for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will provide an update of the activities of the Tobacco Foundation.
Kirk Wape, president of Tobacco Associates, will report on the organization's market development activities and Allen Wooten, the chairman of the board, will preside at the meeting and provide a grower's perspective on promoting U.S. tobacco.
During the business portion of the meeting, the delegated members from the five flue-cured tobacco producing states will nominate and elect the 2009 Board of Directors of Tobacco Associates.
Tobacco Associates, financed by the tobacco farmers, was organized in 1947 with the mission of promoting U.S. tobacco in the world market. Anyone interested in tobacco is welcome to attend.