Tobacco is an extremely efficient crop to grow. With the right soil and weather conditions, a seedling can grow into a mature plant ready for harvest in just a few months.

You can almost see it growing in the field, William Elliott said. "You know, you can make as much as $15,000 an acre on the crop. No one's going to give you that kind of insurance.

Robertson County is Dark Fire Cured Tobacco country. You can tell by the way the smoke drifts from the barns near the highway each September and October — that’s the slow-smoked process of ...