Tobacco Grading Services

The Cotton and Tobacco Program provides tobacco grading services on harvested tobacco submitted for potential Risk Management Agency (RMA) crop insurance quality-loss adjustments.  This partnership is between the Agricultural Marketing Service, Risk Management Agency and a third-party cooperative seeking to coordinate and authenticate tobacco producers’ insurance claims.  

C&T’s role is to provide unbiased, third-party grading on tobacco submitted for potential RMA crop insurance quality-loss adjustments, and are offered to producers, companies, and researchers on a voluntary basis.  Tobacco grades are used as the final determination for quality on the product.  This quality grade translates into a value of the crop, allowing the producer to apply a quantifiable value to a loss.  RMA then uses this information to support or deny the producer’s loss insurance claim.

Tobacco Pesticide Testing

The Cotton and Tobacco (C&T) Program’s Grading Division collects samples, upon request from customers, for pesticide residue testing by the AMS Science and Technology Program.

Contact Info:

The Grading Division maintains one tobacco operations office based in Raleigh, NC.

USDA AMS Cotton and Tobacco Program
Tobacco Field Operations
Gilbert L. Todd, Sr.
1306 Annapolis Drive, Room 205
Raleigh, NC  27608-0001
Phone:  919-856-4553
FAX:   919-856-4208
Email: gilbert.todd@usda.gov