Archived Issues

Editorial Board reflects you, the grower

by David Williams

One of the first things I was instructed to do when I become editor of Tobacco Farm Quarterly was to assemble an editorial board.
The challenge was to create a group from among the top people in tobacco that we could use as a sounding board for ideas and to help us make a top-notch publication that serves the needs of the grower.
Having been in the business for a very short time, I got some good help, and we reviewed several people we thought would be good candidates. We sought people with the background and credentials to carry weight on tobacco issues, people with enough enthusiasm for the magazine’s mission to want to help, people with the devotion to tobacco, and the folks that make their living off of it so they could give us an informed opinion relative to what you, the grower, are interested in and what you need in a magazine.
After a lot of deliberation and some careful conversation, we managed to put together one of the best panels anywhere. Their backgrounds are varied, coming from agricultural, scientific and business disciplines. Their credentials are unparalleled. Their life experiences are varied and their careers are honored.
Most of all, their collective hearts will beat with you, the grower. They will represent you in all that they do. We will be getting to their feelings on what we do in each issue and how it affects what you do.
While we are introducing the individual members of our editorial board to you in this issue, it is almost needless to do. As growers, you know one, some or all of these people, for they have been with tobacco and those who grow and process it for decades.
Georgia farmers know Dr. J. Michael Moore as a friend and an advocate. Dr. Kelly Tiller is one of the most respected scientific minds in the country. Rick Smith and Charlie Finch are two of the most respected tobacco business people from Kentucky to the Carolinas. And anyone who knows tobacco and how it grows knows Bill Collins—the man who authored the tobacco bible and pioneered the concept of test plotting.
They are five outstanding members of the tobacco community, and they speak for you and what you want us to be. We are honored that they chose to associate themselves with us. And we are never going to forget who they represent—you.
In the meantime, we are interested in hearing from you on what you like and what you do not like about our magazine. Don’t ever be afraid to get in touch with us. After all, your business is what we are in business for.