CHRISTIAN COUNTY, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Amidst the vast agricultural landscape in Christian County comprised of mostly family-owned farms who curate expansive fields of wheat, corn, and soybean crops, there are still around 100 growers who are committed to tobacco production. The fragrance emanating from tobacco barns that are scattered throughout the county are a local indicator that fall is right around the corner and signals the end of a long growing season.

“Dark Fired barns are what our area is famous for,” said Matthew Futrell with the Christian County Extension Office. “A misconception is that many people think that tobacco is being burned in the barns when it is actually hardwood slabs and sawdust burning to help cure the tobacco. The hardwood smoke provides the finish the tobacco desire in their dark fired products.”

The most recent census data from the USDA in 2022 shows that tobacco crops cover the least acreage of farmland in the county, at around 7,000 acres despite the fact that they are the second most profitable crop aside from grains. Meanwhile, soybeans extend over 88,000 acres and can predominately be seen this time of year driving down Bradshaw Road alongside corn crops that cover 80,000 acres, and 61,000 acres of wheat.

Tobacco growing process in Christian County

As an extension agent with a focus on agriculture and natural resources for the county, Futrell has expansive knowledge about crops in the area. He shared that local tobacco growers produce a wide variety including burley, dark fired, air cured, and cigar wrapper.

The growing season for tobacco started back in March with planting, with the plants then transplanted in the summer. Currently, the county is in the middle of harvesting season for cigar wrapper tobacco, which started mid-July. Other varieties are typically harvested through the end of September, according to Futrell. Next, the crop goes through the curing process in barns, the leaves are stripped from the stalks, bailed, and then shipped.

“Most producers like to have their crop delivered by Thanksgiving, but some may have delivery dates well into the first of the new year,” said Futrell. “Before long March rolls around and they get to start the process all over again.”

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History of tobacco in Christian County, Night Riders

Hopkinsville and Christian County’s history with tobacco production dates back decades, with the area historically referred to as the “Black Patch” due to curing process practiced in the region. The Pennyroyal Area Museum in downtown Hopkinsville dives further into this topic, sharing details about the Tobacco Wars that stemmed from production.

In the early 1900s, tobacco farmers in western Kentucky and Tennessee struggled against unfairly low prices put in place by a monopoly known as “the Trust.” To fight back, they formed the Association, but extremists broke off into a group called the Night Riders. Between 1906 and 1909 these masked vigilantes used threats and violence to force farmers into compliance in the Black Patch region, known as the Tobacco Wars. They burned down tobacco warehouses in Hopkinsville and surrounding areas, with authorities often looking the other way.

According to the museum, many locals tolerated or supported the Night Riders, seeing the Trust as a shared enemy. Farmers eventually organized against them, and the Tobacco Wars came to an end.

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