By BRUCE SCHREINER and RANDALL DICKERSON
Associated Press
FINCHVILLE, Ky. (AP) - For burley tobacco farmers in Kentucky and Tennessee, an average crop being forecast is a big relief.
A few weeks ago, the crop was on the brink of ruin from extreme heat and drought.
Now, tobacco specialists say much of the burley has gone through a growth spurt, thanks to recent rains.
Farmers are just beginning to harvest tobacco.
Central Kentucky farmer Doug Langley said Thursday he worried that half his burley crop would be lost due to the 100-degree-plus temperatures in July. Now he's hoping to squeeze a profit from his burley, unlike his corn crop, which he calls his worst ever.
University of Kentucky agricultural economist Will Snell says that with a decent curing season, this year's burley crop could fetch higher prices than a year ago.
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