Evaluating Labor Costs in the North Carolina Tobacco Industry

Flue-cured tobacco is a labor-intensive crop with labor costs accounting for up to 37% of the total cost of production. The H-2A program is important throughout agriculture but especially for labor intensive crops such as tobacco. The H2-A program allows U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs. With the growing uncertainty of regulations involved in labor in the agriculture industry, understanding how there regulations might affect tobacco production is of a critical importance.

The “Evaluation of Flue-Cured Tobacco Labor Cost” assessed the labor costs with different production systems, equipment components, and sources of labor. The research results will be used to update and validate tobacco labor hours, update the cost associated with labor, and understand the overhead costs connected with with H2-A workers.

Read the full report here.