INDIAN MOUND, Tenn. (WTVF) — Bobby Darnell isn't sure what he's going to do.
Last week, all of his farm equipment stood idle, sans the fertilizer truck getting stuck in the mud. The amount of rain Middle Tennessee experienced in May was substantive, leaving the soil too soft in some places.
His bright green tobacco plants sat in a wooden box with water beside the barn — a sight soon to be long lost in Tennessee. Darnell is one of the last farmers standing growing the labor-intensive crop.
"Tobacco is almost done in Tennessee," said Darnell, who kicked aside a tobacco stalk on the barn floor. "None of my kids want to do tobacco. They hate it. Tobacco is about over in America."
Don't remember what tobacco plants look like? Watch Darnell's story in the player above.
Darnell's family has been raising tobacco since the 1800s. Tobacco has been a bedrock in Tennessee since before its statehood. However, tobacco farming is changing, and the precipitous drop of tobacco farmers started dropping in 2002. While many still dip and smoke, tobacco is also coming afloat from foreign countries, muddying the water for local farmers.
"I will tell you this," Darnell said. "I am living. I am not making money. I am paying my bills, but we are selling things. If I don't, I don't know what we are going to do. We are doing everything we can to keep the farm, to keep the house. A lot of people are probably against tobacco, but there aren't going to be any farms left."
How many tobacco farms are in Tennessee
Tobacco farms are nearly gone in Tennessee.
Back in 1992, there were nearly 23,000 dotting the landscape.
Now, that number is barely above 200.
Darnell is now only growing 40 acres of crop, which he blames tobacco companies for giving such a low allotment or amount of acres.
"We were growing 125 acres of tobacco," Darnell said. "And now the tobacco companies have cut and cut and cut. They cut some people 58% and cut some people totally out.
Tobacco farms have been given allotments for decades, a precedent set to not over-saturate the market with too much of the crop when it was thriving. Many farmers in Tennessee were offered a government buyout to stop growing tobacco, especially after tobacco companies faced a reckoning about the true health concerns the crop could cause from smoking and dipping.
Tennessee counties bordering Kentucky have always grown the most, as Darnell has witnessed. The Stewart-Montgomery County line goes right through his farm.
What's the future?
The Darnells are trying everything they know.
While the fertilizer truck was stuck, that didn't stop the rest of the family from raking and baling hay. Three generations worked on the farm together from the field to the cattle pasture.
Darnell said they are doing what they can to generate income outside of tobacco, knowing that one day the family farm won't grow the crop.
However, he's not sure if that will be in his lifetime.
"Most farmers stop when they die," Darnell said. "I don't know of many retired farmers. Do you?"
By 2027, the amount of land loss is expected to rise to 2 million acres.
I found this study from the University of Tennessee Ag Institute that showcased this quandary.
During the last five years, Williamson County has lost the most farmland to development. That tracks as the population has risen significantly in Williamson. The U.S. Census has a quarter of a million people now living there.
Meet The Cherry and why they keep farming by tapping the link.
With farmland disappearing, I had to find out where it was going and getting lost.
Sumner County was suffering a similar fate to Williamson.
From 2014 until 2023, Sumner County lost more than 15,000 acres of land to development — both residential and commercial.
On average, 63,537 acres are developed on a yearly basis in Tennessee, according to UT economist Charley Martinez. However, since 2017, that number shot up to an average of more than 86,000 acres.
Sumner County ranks ninth in Tennessee for farmland transitioning to houses or commercial real estate since 2017.
You can tap the link to read why this group of people said they will fight farmlands going to development.
Despite Franklin County agriculture producing a $162 million economic impact, the rolling farmland nestled in the valley of Monteagle Mountain has slowly been affected by development.
Franklin County has lost the most acres since 2014. It totaled up to 26,000.
The Dixons don't want their farmland to become a part of the statistics.
In attempts to diversify the farm, Dixon is the primary manager for Granddaddy's Farm, a fall experience for families that includes pumpkins, corn mazes, a kids zone, landslides, pig races, flowers, and food.
Right now, three generations are farming together. Andrew is the fourth generation. He is hoping his son Carter will take an interest in becoming the fifth.
You can read about the Dixons and generational farming in Tennessee by tapping this link.
Farmland and Tennessee
Are you seeing farmland disappearing or land changing in your neighborhood? Please tell me.
I have been working on stories about the tug between agriculture and development. I came to this topic because of a line in a press release from August from the University of Tennessee Agricultural Institute. It pointed to a study about disappearing farmland an economist had done. I found the economist, talked with him and compiled the data for our viewing area for NewsChannel 5, which covers 45 Tennessee counties.
I am now exploring how this affects you. If you want to talk, my email is emily.west@newschannel5.com.
Journalism is at its best when we can shine a light on an issue that needs more attention. Once again, Hannah McDonald does this beautifully by highlighting the hardships of teens aging out of the foster care system. I learned something new in her reporting and am inspired by the work I AM NEXT is doing to make a difference. I think you will be too!
-Carrie Sharp
