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The Geographical Review October 1996, 86 (4), pp. 550-572. Turmoil in Tobbacoland John Fraser Hart and Ennis L. Chestang ABSTRACT: The flue-cured tobacco-producing areas of eastern North Carolina have been in turmoil since the 1960s, as farmers have tried to reduce their dependence on tobacco by diversifying their operations. Large landholdings, level land suited to machinery, and local entrepreneurs have facilitated innovation and the development of the necessary infrastructure. Soybeans have been a cash crop of expediency, but cotton has become increasingly important since boll weevils were eradicated. Experience with contract feeding of livestock and vertically integrated poutry production preceded the large-scale development of confined feeding of hogs. Even in the midst of the turmoil, however, areas of small farms in the Old Best on the Piedmont remain heavily dependent on tobacco. Keywords: broilers, cotton, entrepreneurs, farm size, hogs, North Carolina, soybeans, tobacco, turkeys. Dr. HART is a professor of geography at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455. Dr. CHESTANG is a professor of geography at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353. To contact the lead author: Professor John Fraser Hart Department of Geography 414 Social Sciences Building 267 - 19th Avenue South University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Campus Minneapolis, MN 55455 Phone: (612) 625-6080 office, (612) 624-1044