Tennessee
Tobacco farming, once integral to Southern and Tennessee culture, has virtually vanished
Tobacco farming — once central to the South’s economy and culture — has all but vanished from the region.
The end of government support for the crop in 2005, coupled with a sharp decline in smoking and stiff global competition from China, India and Brazil, guaranteed a decline in tobacco production. But even experts have been surprised by how quickly the crop has faded from prominence.
“The magnitude of loss in farms is pretty alarming,” said Will Snell, who studies tobacco production at the University of Kentucky.
The most recent data collected reveals a severe drop in tobacco production, according to the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture released in February.
The number of U.S. farms growing tobacco shrank 95% from 2002 to 2022. Meanwhile, Tennessee saw a 97% decline in tobacco farms. Only 241 Tennessee farms grew tobacco in 2022 compared to 8,206 farms in 2002.
The rise of vaping and nicotine pouches has further reduced the demand for tobacco.
As predicted by experts, the farms that continue to grow tobacco have increased the number of acres they devote to the crop.
The average Tennessee tobacco farm was 4.4 acres in 2002. In 2022, it jumped to 51.4 acres, according to the Census.
“I think we’re down to a critical mass of growers,” Snell said.
In Tennessee, the little tobacco farming that remains has concentrated in Middle Tennessee, said Mitchell Richmond of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.
Richmond, who comes from a farming family, remembers when a few acres of lucrative tobacco was essential to a family farm in Tennessee.
“A couple of acres max of tobacco is how a lot of families would pay for the farm, pay for the Christmas groceries,” he said.
Many people Richmond knows paid for their college by working for tobacco growers in the summers.
Other crops, like watermelons and hemp, have held promise as new high-value cash crops but haven’t matched the onetime-prominence of tobacco.
“There’s never really been a crop that has come through since that can replace that kind of income,” Richmond said.
Todd A. Price is a regional reporter for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at taprice@gannett.com.
The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 2 drawing
15-26-43-48-60, Mega Ball: 12
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 2 drawing
Morning: 0-0-1, Wild: 3
Midday: 9-7-5, Wild: 4
Evening: 7-6-1, Wild: 0
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 2 drawing
Morning: 8-9-1-2, Wild: 9
Midday: 2-9-3-3, Wild: 2
Evening: 6-6-1-6, Wild: 7
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from June 2 drawing
02-03-05-36-38
Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 2 drawing
16-33-41-50-52, Bonus: 01
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.
For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:
Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.
When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
- Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WCYB) — The Washington County, Tennessee Isaiah 117 House hosted a fundraiser event Tuesday to help support area children who are entering the foster care system.
The event took at Boones Creek Christian Church where organizers hope to raise around $20,000 to go towards funds for the house and raise awareness for the organization.
The organization which began in the Tri-Cities now has more than 60 houses in 13 states.
The group helps care for children who are entering foster care while they are waiting on their foster placement.
“We feel like we have an obligation to continue to do this for the generations to come, for the children who haven’t been born yet,” Washington County Isaiah 1:17 House Support Coordinator Katie Wilt said. “We know they are going to need us. We wish they didn’t but we know that they are, so part of this luncheon is to fundraise to make sure that we are able to sustain the care and the hope for the children of the future.”
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To view the Isaiah 117 website, click here.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Gov. Bill Lee and First Lady Maria Lee have wrapped up a yearlong, statewide America 250 tour that spotlighted Tennessee’s role in the nation’s history.
The tour, themed “Tennessee: The Original Frontier”, highlighted people, places and events tied to Tennessee’s contributions to America. Over the past year, Lee visited all 95 counties as part of the effort to commemorate the milestone with Tennesseans across the state.
Over the past year, Maria and I have traveled from Mountain City to Memphis, and we’ve been reminded that our state’s greatest strength is its people,” Lee said. “As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, Tennesseans can take pride in the Volunteer Spirit carried forward in the individuals, communities, and stories that have helped shape our nation from the very beginning.
The tour concluded in Van Buren County at the same venue where Lee held his first gubernatorial campaign event in 2017, returning to the place where his statewide journey began.
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