The Suwannee River Valley of North Florida has been known for producing premium flue-cured tobacco since the 1920s. Recently, a Tobacco Extension Program Team was formed to assist local producers with current production practices, governmental regulations, and industry demands. Team goals were to (1) increase knowledge of improved cultural and production techniques and (2) encourage producers to incorporate new tobacco cultivars and crop protection agents (CPA) into their management practices.

The Tobacco Extension Program, which consists of an annual tobacco production meeting, an on-farm trial, and the Georgia-Florida Tobacco Tour, provided tobacco producers the opportunity to gain knowledge of the most current and researched production methods. The success of this Extension program was due to the long-term use of traditional classroom trainings that were coupled with on-farm demonstrations, field consultations, and small group learning experiences. From 2016 to 2018, approximately 50 tobacco producers, farm managers, and stakeholders from North Florida and South Georgia attended the annual tobacco production events. Exit evaluations showed that 87 % of the attendees showed an increase in knowledge specific to disease management and other best management practices. At the conclusion of the Georgia-Florida Tobacco Tour, 94 % of attendees reported an increase in cultivar selection knowledge. The adoption of recommended cultivars has increased yield and reduced CPA applications. This has generated a savings of $US 123.50 ha^-1 while increasing yields, thus resulting in a total savings of $US 55 000 in the Suwannee River Valley. It was also observed that producers attending the tour were more likely to interact with presenters when compared to the traditional classroom meetings. By executing our objectives through program activities, the Extension team was able to contribute to the sustainability of tobacco in this specialized region.