Big Tobacco Buying stalks

[BigBonner]

I recently heard that a Big Tobacco company ( RJR )was buying tobacco stalks .
My son loaded my long bed pick up truck with tied bundles of tobacco stalks . He took the load up there and they brought right at $220
They are paying 15 cents a pound for dried tobacco stalks .

Now I know this company has gone to making E Cigs . But they say they are using for making the cigarette packaging .
What I wonder is that maybe they are draining the stalks of nicotine first and then making packaging .

I build up places in my cow pastures with my stalks . They do a great job of making grass grow with the nutrients left in the stalks .
This make me wonder if selling my stalks VS putting them back on my land to build up my soil is worth me selling my stalks or not .

 

[leverhead]

It's probably like Sausage making, they use everything but the squeal. If they're going to pulp it for paper, removing the nicotine wouldn't be a big stretch. Do you know the NPK value of stalks? The biggest difference would be that you're selling off the organic matter that would have been put back into the soil.

 

[istanbulin]

Tobacco stalks has certain amount of nicotine (lower than leaves, approx. 1/5), there're some researches on making pesticides from stalks. Tobacco stalks also can be used as biomass, compost etc. Of course there're some researches on paper making with tobacco stalks, there may be some companies making paper from the stalks. So, I think you're right they'll benefit both from nicotine and cellulose (to make paper). Also they may also use the wastes.

Here're some papers about alternative usage of tobacco parts;

http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-8109/2011/1450-81091103207K.pdf
http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-8109/2010/1450-81091001045P.pdf

 

[BigBonner]

It's probably like Sausage making, they use everything but the squeal. If they're going to pulp it for paper, removing the nicotine wouldn't be a big stretch. Do you know the NPK value of stalks? The biggest difference would be that you're selling off the organic matter that would have been put back into the soil.

Here is a study
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/agr/agr23/agr23.htm

 

[istanbulin]

Now you should be able to calculate. I don't know your fertilizer prices there and what you're growing for pasture.

 

[bonehead]

i hate dealing with my small amount of stalks i get every year. i thought about using them for kindling wood in the wood stove but didn't know how much creosote like crap they would produce. i used stems a couple of times because they were in the room with the wood stove after shredding to get the fire going and they worked good. i can't imagine the pile of stalks you get from acres of tobacco.

 

[Dean]

Been using them in the outdoor fire pit to keep warm while I have a smoke and a beer after work. Burn great and quickly so a few kick up a fire nicely. I reckon they would produce plenty of creosote but a hot fire afterwords will remove a lot of it.

 

[Dean]

Tobacco stalks has certain amount of nicotine (lower than leaves, approx. 1/5), there're some researches on making pesticides from stalks. Tobacco stalks also can be used as biomass, compost etc. Of course there're some researches on paper making with tobacco stalks, there may be some companies making paper from the stalks. So, I think you're right they'll benefit both from nicotine and cellulose (to make paper). Also they may also use the wastes.

Here're some papers about alternative usage of tobacco parts;

http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-8109/2011/1450-81091103207K.pdf
http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-8109/2010/1450-81091001045P.pdf

so if I understand correctly the second paper there is more nico in the roots than the leaves. For insecticide production this would be great I will now keep my root balls for this purpose.

great post.