Previous studies by our laboratory have shown there is variability in accumulation of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) in air-cured tobacco on a year to year, plant to plant, location to location and variety to variety basis. Little or no information is available for producer harvesting practices of stalk cutting and handling of tobacco on accumulation of TSNA during air-curing. In the USA burley tobacco is stalk cut, speared on a stick (6 plants per stick) and allowed to remain in the field for one to four days to ease handling before being transported to a curing barn. Another method that is used less frequently is hanging sticks of harvested tobacco on portable curing frames and after three to four days transporting these frames to the curing barns. A study was initiated to compare TSNA data from stalk-cut tobacco that had been allowed to stay in the field, hung on portable curing frames and stalk-cut tobacco that was transported directly to a conventional curing barn after harvest. Stalk-cut tobacco, in the field and on a portable curing frame, was transferred to the curing barn at 6, 8, and 14 days after harvest. After curing three replicate samples were taken from the outside plants and the inner plants on a stick. The samples were separated into lamina and midvein, ground and analyzed for individual TSNA, individual alkaloids, nitrate and nitrite. There were statistically significant differences between post harvest handling of tobacco and nitrite and TSNA. Position of stalks on the stick influenced the accumulation of TSNA for only the lamina. From this study it is concluded there may be changes in post-harvest practices that can result in decreased accumulation of TSNA for burley tobacco.