The Cumberland County Tobacco Research Referendum will be held at the N.C. Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County on November 18, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The N.C. Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County office is in the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center at 301 E. Mountain Dr., Fayetteville.

The referendum is being held to let tobacco growers decide if they wish to continue the self-assessment program. The assessment is 10 cents per hundred pounds of flue-cured and burley tobacco produced in North Carolina. A two-thirds favorable vote by growers will mean they are willing to continue to assess themselves to support tobacco research and education.

This program has been in place since 1991, and the law requires that a new referendum be held every six years. The most recent referendum was held in 2015.

The funds are collected at buying stations by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Funds are allocated by the Tobacco Research Commission for research and Extension projects for tobacco at NC State University. Approximately $250,000 is collected annually to go toward research.

For more information on the referendum, please call 910-321-6880.

For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact Lisa Childers at 910-321-6880, no later than 10 business days before the event.