North Carolina lawmakers are launching a bipartisan push in Washington to rescue the state's struggling tobacco farmers.
Democratic Congressman Don Davis and Republican Senator Thom Tillis—along with four other state representatives—sent a joint letter to congressional leaders today demanding that tobacco producers be included in future agricultural disaster relief packages.
Lawmakers point to a perfect storm of financial strain, including severe droughts, cratering commodity prices, and weakened export markets.
New data from NC State University reveals that tobacco production costs spiked thirty percent over the last four years—climbing to nearly $5,400 per acre. Lawmakers argue these families deserve the same emergency federal support as other commodity crops.
