.. Deep in my memory banks, the "reason" farmers
(using the word loosely) grow tobacco is that the soil is too poor to grow
anything else and they get government subsidies so they can stay in
business. Keep in mind this info came across from politicians years ago,

Glenna
No tobacco is grown on excellent soil and is taken very good care of.Again
that's for the top quality tobacco used in cigars not that anemic sickly
looking stuff grown in Va.,Tn, or anyplace other than Pioneer Valley along
the Connecticut River and a small area of Florida.
Fields that used to have field or shade tobacco on them are now growing
everything from lettuce,beans,squash,eggplant,bokchoy just about any veggie
that will grow in zone5 are doing great on fields that were once tobacco
fields.
Tobacco always was a cash crop and will stay that way till there is no
demand for. Its a crop that is labor intensive but when you can make clear
thousands of dollar per acre people will continue to grow it.