Tobacco Companies

North Carolina Special Superior Court Judge Ben F. Tennille ordered the tobacco companies to make the fourth quarter 2004 Phase II tobacco payment. Tennille ruled on Oct. 20 that the tobacco companies must make the 2004 fourth quarter payment within 10 business days. The order also stated that the companies are required to pay 8 percent interest from the Dec. 15, 2004 until the payment is made. "Judge Tennille's ruling today affirms our position from the very beginning that the entire 2004 payment should have been made by the tobacco companies regardless of when the tobacco buyout was passed," Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher said in a prepared statement.

FRANKFORT - State Rep. Lonnie Napier's support of legislation that would use $114 million in state funds to cover unpaid Phase II tobacco trust payments was key to the bill's 92-0 passage on Friday. House Bill 132, sponsored by Rep. Rick Rand, D-Bedford, and co-sponsored by Napier, R-Lancaster, would use agriculture funds from the state's Phase I master tobacco settlement to make 2004 Phase II settlement trust payments to Kentucky's 163,000 tobacco farmers and quota holders. The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

Dear Editor: Last year in Washington, Congress passed the Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act of 2004. The act's intended purpose was to ensure that tobacco companies made Phase II payments for 2004 to tobacco growers and quota owners. But a recent court decision ruled that the tobacco companies are not required to make the Phase II funding available for 2004 as intended by Congress. Due to this unfortunate ruling from an unelected judge in North Carolina, some 160,000 tobacco growers and quota owners, deserving and expectant of the promised monies, stand to lose the $124 million promised to them.

Tobacco growers eligible to receive 2004 Phase II payments should be able to find some money in their mailboxes this week. "We have worked as quickly as we could to get tobacco families the money they need to continue their way of life," Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster, said Friday. "I am proud to say that during the week of June 20, your check will finally be in the mail. Kentucky expected to receive $124 million in Phase II settlement money from the tobacco companies last year that would be paid directly to growers, but the money was denied by a North Carolina judge's decision in favor of the companies.

Tobacco companies know that people would not purchase their deadly product if they told them the truth, so instead they spend more than 13.3 billion a year on deceptive advertising and marketing. They advertise with messages like "Be Kool," "Pleasure to burn" and "Light and Luscious. " They are in most magazines, movies and stores in which we shop. Big tobacco companies claim they do not target our youth, but evidence begs to differ. Research has shown that cigarette and spit-tobacco companies continue to advertise strongly at retail outlets near schools and playgrounds, with large ads and signs clearly visible from outside the stores.

The heat and drought made it a tough summer for farmers, but some tobacco growers are only now feeling the true effects of summer's wrath. "We're just hoping that tobacco companies will be a little more lenient and pay farmers a decent price for this crop," said Jerry Little, Boyle County agriculture extension agent. "Weather is something we can't control. " Between the extreme heat and little moisture, some tobacco crops this year are yielding some green and yellow leaves that can affect the price per pound at the market.

The first burley tobacco auction sales of the post-buyout era will begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Farmers Tobacco Warehouse in Danville. While tobacco is primarily sold through direct contracts with manufacturers, 15 auction warehouses in the burley-belt have announced plans to host auction sales this year. Additionally, the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association (BTGCA) has announced plans to participate in the sales and purchase tobacco for export customers. The tobacco buyout legislation passed by Congress in 2004 eliminated all price support regulations, so the auction markets will have no minimum price guarantees.

A federal tobacco reform in October 2004 has changed the landscape of Jessamine County tobacco farming in 2011, Jessamine County Extension Agent Rob Amburgey said. “The tobacco buyout has significantly decreased the total amount of tobacco raised in Jessamine County,” he said. “It went from about 2,600 acres down to 400 acres now. We went from many, many tobacco farmers to about a dozen left in the county.” The Fair and Equitable Reform Act signaled the end of federal government intervention and left tobacco farmers to fend for themselves when it came time to sell their crop.

There will be plenty of icy weather during Christmas, but what is leaving local tobacco farmers cold is the sudden loss of the promised Phase II money once slated to arrive from the tobacco industry this week or next. Instead, farmers received word that a North Carolina Business Court judge ruled Wednesday in favor of tobacco companies, releasing them from the required pay-outs of a 1998 settlement. Farmers who had expected the judge to rule in their favor were "shocked," said Dan Grigson, Lincoln County Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture.

Dear Editor, Recently, economist Bob Martin rejected the notion that scholars have an obligation to "inform the public" about "conflicts of interest" with respect to "a public issue. " He says issues should be decided by "objective evidence. " We differ in that he equates informing with either partisanship or advocacy; I do not. Also, he sees only one issue, while I see two. Before internal documents revealed that tobacco companies were lying to us, smokers and those considering smoking were sometimes confused because scientists were divided about smoking's health effects.

The owners of one of the few remaining independent tobacco warehouses operating in the state have moved on from one historical site to another building used by another former tobacco auction mainstay during the fall selling season. Months after Farmers Tobacco Warehouse No. 1 was demolished, owner Jerry Rankin has set up shop and held auctions in what had been Peoples Tobacco Warehouse on Harding Street behind Toliver Elementary School. Since November, there have been eight auctions at the renovated warehouse, which Rankin is leasing from Robert Hamlin, with another held at Farmers Warehouse No. 2. It is the first time the Peoples building has been used in almost a decade.

A federal tobacco reform in October 2004 has changed the landscape of Jessamine County tobacco farming in 2011, Jessamine County Extension Agent Rob Amburgey said. “The tobacco buyout has significantly decreased the total amount of tobacco raised in Jessamine County,” he said. “It went from about 2,600 acres down to 400 acres now. We went from many, many tobacco farmers to about a dozen left in the county.” The Fair and Equitable Reform Act signaled the end of federal government intervention and left tobacco farmers to fend for themselves when it came time to sell their crop.

Most people today know that smoking is bad for their health and that it’s a hard habit to break. But do people think about the global effects of tobacco? Or how much money tobacco-related diseases cost us? Tuesday was World No Tobacco Day. On May 31 of each year, countries around the world work to educate on the dangers of smoking and encourage their citizens to quit smoking or to never start. This year the theme was the promotion of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Tobacco companies know that people would not purchase their deadly product if they told them the truth, so instead they spend more than 13.3 billion a year on deceptive advertising and marketing. They advertise with messages like "Be Kool," "Pleasure to burn" and "Light and Luscious. " They are in most magazines, movies and stores in which we shop. Big tobacco companies claim they do not target our youth, but evidence begs to differ. Research has shown that cigarette and spit-tobacco companies continue to advertise strongly at retail outlets near schools and playgrounds, with large ads and signs clearly visible from outside the stores.

The heat and drought made it a tough summer for farmers, but some tobacco growers are only now feeling the true effects of summer's wrath. "We're just hoping that tobacco companies will be a little more lenient and pay farmers a decent price for this crop," said Jerry Little, Boyle County agriculture extension agent. "Weather is something we can't control. " Between the extreme heat and little moisture, some tobacco crops this year are yielding some green and yellow leaves that can affect the price per pound at the market.

Dear Editor, Recently, economist Bob Martin rejected the notion that scholars have an obligation to "inform the public" about "conflicts of interest" with respect to "a public issue. " He says issues should be decided by "objective evidence. " We differ in that he equates informing with either partisanship or advocacy; I do not. Also, he sees only one issue, while I see two. Before internal documents revealed that tobacco companies were lying to us, smokers and those considering smoking were sometimes confused because scientists were divided about smoking's health effects.

FRANKFORT - Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster, announced that he is running for re-election to the state House of Representatives. A veteran lawmaker, Napier has served for 10 terms since being elected in 1984. "I consider it a distinct privilege to serve in the General Assembly and I am honored to represent the people of my district. I have worked hard to bring projects home and I will continue to do the same in the future," Napier said. Napier has gained statewide recognition for his work on behalf of Kentucky's farmers.

The first burley tobacco auction sales of the post-buyout era will begin Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the Farmers Tobacco Warehouse in Danville. While tobacco is primarily sold through direct contracts with manufacturers, 15 auction warehouses in the burley-belt have announced plans to host auction sales this year. Additionally, the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association (BTGCA) has announced plans to participate in the sales and purchase tobacco for export customers. The tobacco buyout legislation passed by Congress in 2004 eliminated all price support regulations, so the auction markets will have no minimum price guarantees.

North Carolina Special Superior Court Judge Ben F. Tennille ordered the tobacco companies to make the fourth quarter 2004 Phase II tobacco payment. Tennille ruled on Oct. 20 that the tobacco companies must make the 2004 fourth quarter payment within 10 business days. The order also stated that the companies are required to pay 8 percent interest from the Dec. 15, 2004 until the payment is made. "Judge Tennille's ruling today affirms our position from the very beginning that the entire 2004 payment should have been made by the tobacco companies regardless of when the tobacco buyout was passed," Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher said in a prepared statement.

Tobacco growers eligible to receive 2004 Phase II payments should be able to find some money in their mailboxes this week. "We have worked as quickly as we could to get tobacco families the money they need to continue their way of life," Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster, said Friday. "I am proud to say that during the week of June 20, your check will finally be in the mail. Kentucky expected to receive $124 million in Phase II settlement money from the tobacco companies last year that would be paid directly to growers, but the money was denied by a North Carolina judge's decision in favor of the companies.