Discovering NC Agriculture is a social media series focusing on N.C. grown, raised, caught, and made commodities. Originally started in 2025, this series has been renewed to run for another year! Tune in each month to see how an N.C. commodity is grown, harvested, packed for consumer use and more. Learn nutritional value, find fun recipes to try, hear from local chefs who use that product, and other unique commodity facts throughout the series. We look forward to helping you better understand some of our N.C. commodities and how they impact your everyday lives!
Throughout our state’s history, tobacco has been an important crop for farmers, ag business workers, exporters and researchers alike. As the oldest research station in our state, the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station has been studying tobacco since the early 1900’s to help farmers develop high-quality leaves, mitigate pest damage and more.
There is a total of 18 research stations across the State of North Carolina, spanning from the mountains to the coast, NCDA with 12 stations and N.C. State University with 6 stations partner together to study a variety of crops and livestock grown throughout our state. Located in Rocky Mount, the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station was established in 1903, making it the first and oldest station in our state. Today, the station does research in tobacco, cotton, peanuts, corn, soybeans, small grains, and even weeds. “We work with N.C. State University project leaders and their students to conduct research that eventually help farmers across our state do their job more effectively,” said Creig Deal, Superintendent of the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station. “Tobacco has always been an important crop for our station, and we are proud of the research work that we do with it every year.” Since 2022, Creig has served as Superintendent of the research station where he approves tests/trials, orders chemicals and wears a variety of other hats to keep things running year-to-year. “My job is to ensure all the staff here at the station have the tools and resources they need to do their job correctly. “It’s an honor and joy to serve in this position on the farm that I call home.” With a background in farming and prior experience as Superintendent of the Peanut Belt Research Station in Lewiston Woodville, Creig has always loved tobacco as a crop, as well as the new research that is developed and studied each year.
The Upper Coastal Plain Research Station currently produces 30 acres of tobacco each year, with 15 of those acres being harvested and sold. “All of our tobacco starts in the greenhouse,” Creig said, “where we study new variety seedlings, as well as more common varieties.” Our research is in Flue cured tobacco, although we also had some burley tobacco research until 2013. Since then, the station does Variety Trials, Pesticide trials, Yield and Quality trials, all of which are primed four times during the growing process, graded, weighed and sampled. “It’s an intensive process because we have to keep all the research test separate from one another to study them efficiently and accurately,” Creig said.
The station also has a Granville wilt and Black Shank disease nursery. Black shank is one of the most destructive diseases for tobacco, especially in North Carolina, which is why the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station has three nurseries dedicated specifically to black shank resistance research. “Black shank disease is caused by a pathogen that thrives in warm conditions,” Creig said. “In tobacco, it creates dark brown to black lesions at the base of the stem, causes wilting and, also death of the plant itself.” Researchers at the station study multiple varieties of tobacco in these trails to determine which ones are more resistant to the disease than others. Researchers also conduct tests and trials for Granville Wilt, another devastating disease to tobacco caused by a soil-borne bacterium that leads to one-sided wilting, stalk discoloration and rapid plant death. “By determining what works in both preventing and treating these diseases in tobacco, we are helping farmers not only produce a stronger crop but gain more money for that crop by mitigating the losses that come from disease,” Creig said. “Black shank resistance is very important, even vital, to tobacco farmers in our state, so the research we do here to lessen that risk is crucial.
Within newer varieties of tobacco, researchers at the station are always testing leaf quality. “Tobacco has always been a money maker for farmers in our state, and we want it to stay that way,” Creig said. “Leaf quality testing is really important for tobacco that will be used in cigarettes which has historically been a big market for tobacco.” Leaf quality testing looks at a variety of factors to determine suitability for use, including color, shape, size, texture, elasticity, oil content and vein structure. “We recognize that tobacco will always have a place in the cigarette/cigar market, however, our researchers are constantly exploring new ways for farmers to utilize tobacco both on and off the farm.”
Researchers at the station also conduct many other trials on tobacco plants in the field. Pesticide residue trails, for example, detect the presence of pesticide residue on tobacco at any point in the growing process, which ensures the safety of consumers. “While a majority of the work that we do is to help farmers across our state, it also benefits the consumers by ensuring they receive the best product on the market and get what they pay for,” Creig said. “I encourage people to study the history and locations of all the Research Stations and schedule a tour, so they can see what we do up close, ask questions and learn from the researchers themselves why this work is important and how it benefits the NC Agricultural Industry”.
From the disease resistance trails to the tobacco breeding program, every piece of work done at the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station will help tobacco farmers stay in business for many years to come. “Tobacco is a foundational crop in our state that farmers can rely on,” Creig said. “Our job at the research station is to make sure it stays that way by changing with the times, working with Research to develop varieties and practices that produce a high-quality product across the board.” We are so proud of all that Creig, and his team do to ensure the future of the tobacco industry in our state. Be sure to stop by the station to see the research for yourself and learn about the advancement of tobacco, and other crops, across the industry!
