Tobacco was once the main crop of North Carolina and Madison County was one the three counties in the western part of the state that were major producers. But times change and the demand for tobacco has dropped due to a reduction in smoking and foreign imports, so the crop is all but gone today.

One of the few farms still growing tobacco belongs to Buster and Jessie Norton. They are a funny and loving couple and are two of the hardest working folks we have met. They farm multiple plots of land in the remote Grapevine section of Madison County, NC where they grow a large garden, make hay, cultivate corn, grow sorghum cane to make molasses, and are one of the last people to produce tobacco.

Here you can watch this all-but-gone process as Buster and Jessie describe the growing and harvesting process, talk about their life farming, and the demands they face as they grow older in the profession. We visit their tobacco fields, watch them harvest the crop, and sit with them for a conversation in the barn where the tobacco is hanging to dry.

For over forty years I have photographed tobacco production from planting through harvest, and all the way to the auction houses at the end of the season. I share images from my files and books, The Face of Appalachia, On Earth’s Furrowed Brow, and Hands in Harmony. Be sure to check out our other episodes and our books about the area at www.barnwellphoto.com

If you’d like to help us produce more episodes about Appalachian life, you can support our efforts through our GoFundMe page. With your contribution, we can continue preserving this fading way of life. Every donation makes a difference. Please visit our GoFundMe and help us keep Appalachian history alive for generations to come (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-FOA). You can also contribute directly to our channel through YouTube using Super Thanks.

📌GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-FOA

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📌Be sure to check out Tim Barnwell's books on our websites:
✅The Face of Appalachia: Portraits from the Mountain Farm
✅On Earth's Furrowed Brow: The Appalachia Farm in Photographs
✅Hands in Harmony: Traditional Crafts and Music in Appalachia
✅Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas (guidebook)
✅Great Smoky Mountains Vistas (guidebook)
✅Tide Runners: Shrimping and Fishing on the Carolinas and Georgia Coast
✅Faces & Places of Cashiers Valley
✅Jewels of the Southern Coast: Architectural Gems of Charleston, Savannah and Beyond

📌 Follow us for more:
🌐 Websites: https://www.barnwellphoto.com/ and https://thefaceofappalachia.com/
📷 Instagram:   / timbarnwellphotography  
👍 Facebook:   / tim-barnwell-photography-100063064160549  

LINKS:
📌GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-FOA

Barnwell Photography/books:
https://www.barnwellphoto.com/
https://thefaceofappalachia.com/