Michael Phillips
facetofaceOct14
Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips was the ag extension agent for Nicholas County through some of the best and worst times for an industry the county’s farmers relied on: tobacco.
At its top, farmers in the county produced more than 6 million pounds of tobacco leaf for market; this year, his first since retiring in January, Phillips expects farmers to produce about 40 percent of the peak total.
“When [the tobacco industry] really started to be downsized and the buyout took place, we weren’t real sure where the market would shake out at. But I’ve always thought that tobacco will be an important part of Nicholas County’s ag community,” Phillips said.
And for a county the U.S. Census Bureau estimated to have just 7,039 residents in 2013, 2.5 million pounds of tobacco is still a hefty yield, given the market, Phillips said.
“We’re so closely tied to tobacco for generations that we are going to continue as long as there is a market to sell into,” he said.
But to fill the void tobacco has left and to continue building on the county’s economy, Phillips is working with a group of county leaders, including Carlisle mayor Larry Jolly, Carlisle/Nicholas County Industrial Development Authority chairman Bascom Sorrell and Nicholas County economic development assistant Ryan Osborn.
The cattle industry has become a good pivot for farmers, as Phillips estimates the industry is up around 20 percent, thanks to the investment of tobacco settlement money for new fences, pastures, water and bulls with better bloodlines.
But the focus for the retiree who still has a foot solidly in the ag industry is agritourism options for the county.
“I see it as the new horizon, a new enterprise to ag, to the family-farm income stream,” he said. “It’s just another revenue source that needs to be explored, and it’s not going to be for every farm, but for those that can make it operational and can fit it into their schedule and have an interest in it, it provides a real opportunity to display what Nicholas County has to offer.”
Phillips will spend the coming months talking with farmers whose operations make the best candidates for the growing agritourism industry that invites visitors to see and participate in the farming activities — for a charge — and have retail products available to purchase at the end of the day.
Phillips knows agriculture will always be a major part of the economy in Nicholas County; he just wants to make sure it is a more stable one from year to year for the county’s producers.
“You just can’t divorce agriculture from the community. It is just part of it,” he said.