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Post-Frame Burley Curing Structure

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Knucklehead

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"The purpose of this research was to develop a post-frame structure to utilize wire-frame racks in the curing of burley
tobacco in nontraditional growing areas. Since the 2004 federal tobacco quota buyout legislation, burley tobacco
production has moved into the piedmont and coastal plain regions of North Carolina, where there was no existing burley
curing infrastructure. This presented a unique opportunity to build curing infrastructure based on the most efficient and
least costly alternatives. The current trend for mechanically harvested burley tobacco utilizes the cut-notch method.
Wire-frame racks are used by many growers as part of an infield curing structure for cut-notch harvested plants.
Incorporating wire-frame racks into a post-frame structure provides greater protection from adverse weather than a
typical in-field wire-frame curing structure. All of the in-field advantages and mechanisms of wire-frame racks are
retained with this design. A 2-tier test building was designed and constructed to handle modified wire-frame racks
conveniently. Individual rack weight data were collected during the curing season to observe the effect of plant weight
loss on structural load duration. Individual rack weight change was recorded for the entire curing process. The
most significant changes in weight and color occurred during the first 28 days. The tobacco underwent 3 distinct visual
curing stages: green, yellow, and brown. When these stages were examined on an individual basis, weight-loss rates
doubled between visual curing stages. The overall data set followed a simple decay differential equation. The rate at
which the plant lost weight can be attributed directly to respiration and water loss."
The Tobacco Science Journal



The second post is a method to convert older, conventional curing barns to use a hoist system to raise racks of tobacco into the upper reaches of the barn. It uses an electric winch and can be operated by two men. Labor needs can be cut by 45%.
 
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