What I Was Born To Do

Jackie Thompson is one of the last American tobacco farmers in Wake County, North Carolina. The J&J Thompson Farms operate on about 1200 acres of land, cultivating organic tobacco, soybeans, canola, and pickling cucumbers. He comes from a long line of farmers on both sides of his family, dating back to the 1700s, when his mother’s ancestors was granted land from King George of England. Here, Jackie holds freshly “primed” or picked tobacco from the field on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.

Currently, J & J Thompson Farms has multiple fields spread throughout Wake County. “Right now, we farm about ten miles east of us, around the Hopkins area. We farm 22 miles north of us. And west up's about ten miles. And then south of us, we're about five miles,” said Jackie. The lack of available farm land has forced farmers like Jackie to find spaces further away from his home. Here, workers are priming tobacco and loading it into a trailer to be transported to a barn where the leaves are dried.

Fernando Correa, one of Jackie’s right-hand men, speaks to him from outside of Jackie’s truck. Fernando helps with any issues on the farm, from fixing machinery to organizing the other workers. As Jackie grows older, he’s starting to rely more on others. “My daddy told me, he said, ‘Son, if you think you're gonna be a big farmer and do it all yourself, might as well think again [...] you gotta surround yourself with good folks.’ And we got 27 guys right here. And our son, 28. And I’d put them up against anybody,” said Jackie.

Migrant workers from Mexico help cultivate and package crops the farms. Through the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Program, Jackie is able to hire seasonal workers due to shortages in domestic labor. “Years back, we were able to get local workers, you know, the community. People wanted to work, and now they don't want to work”, said Donna Thompson, Jackie’s wife. However, these migrant workers come back year after year, often bringing back other relatives to help. One of their tasks is to take the primed tobacco leaves and store them in barns to dry, as seen in this frame.

Jackie contemplates whether to increase or decrease the humidity levels of the barn where dried tobacco is being held. After drying out for 7 days, humidity is reintroduced so that the tobacco can be baled without crumbling. This kind of knowledge and micro-decisions are based on decades of experience, and something that only Jackie can do.

Jackie feels partially dried tobacco leaves in order to gauge how much humidity is needed to manage the drying process. He continues to get out everyday and puts out any fires in order to keep the farm running.“It's hard for me to get out now, but I’m still engaged”, he says.

Fernando and Jackie pile dried tobacco into the “Bacca Baler” to be compressed into bales that weigh roughly 700 lbs. These bales are then sold to manufacturing companies to be made into cigarettes and cigars.

Jackie closes up the back of the tobacco barns, after checking the machinery to make sure they are functioning properly. The price of tobacco hasn’t increased to keep pace with labor, machinery, and gas costs, among other things. This ultimately has put a financial strain on farmers, like Jackie, who are struggling to produce more and more tobacco.