[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11682-S11683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO WILL EDD CLARK

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I today pay tribute to Will Edd Clark, 
who is the general manager of the Western Dark Fired Tobacco Growers' 
Association in Murray, KY. Will Edd has served in this role for 27 
years, and during that time, he has been a tireless advocate for 
tobacco farmers in western Kentucky.
  The Western Dark Fired Tobacco Growers' Association was established 
in 1931 and has helped administer the Federal tobacco program as well 
as represent the interests of tobacco growers in nine counties in 
western Kentucky, plus three counties in Tennessee. In 2004, the 
tobacco quota buyout program was signed into law, which dismantled the 
Federal tobacco program that had been in place since the 1930s. Will 
Edd realized the benefit that the association's growers would receive 
from this historical piece of legislation, and he played a vital role 
in securing its passage.
  Now that the tobacco quota program is gone, the Western Dark Fired 
Tobacco Growers' Association has decided to close its operations at the 
end of 2006. Although the association will no longer be in existence, 
the association's historical papers will be kept by Murray State 
University, which will preserve the legacy of Will Edd as a true 
supporter of Kentucky's tobacco industry. I ask unanimous consent that 
an article which appeared in the Murray Ledger & Times on December 1, 
2006, detailing the association's history and Will Edd's record of 
service be printed in the Record. I ask my fellow Senators to join me 
in thanking Will Edd Clark for his service to the people of Kentucky.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

    Despite Closure, Tobacco Association's History, Efforts Will Be 
                               Preserved

                            (By Greg Travis)

       Murray's Western Dark Fired Tobacco Growers' Association is 
     closing its operations after serving the people of western 
     Kentucky and west Tennessee since 1931. An absolute auction 
     of the association's business office and warehouses was held 
     Thursday for the 4,048 brick, business office complex at 206 
     Maple Street and property consisting of 55,599 square feet of 
     three commercial warehouses located at Poplar and Elm 
     streets.
       ``We appreciate everyone's interest in the auction. 
     Naturally, we would liked to have seen them bring more but we 
     had to sell them. We had no choice,'' Association General 
     Manager Will Edd Clark said, adding that the combined totals 
     realized from the sale was just over $400,000.
       ``Those bidding knew this was an absolute auction. We're 
     proud for them. They got some good buys today.''
       He said the office went to Rick Hixon and the warehouses 
     were purchased by Keith Brandon.
       He said that as a result of the tobacco buyout program, 
     directors of the association decided there was no need or 
     purpose for the association to continue.
       ``The association came about as a result of low prices that 
     were being realized from the

[[Page S11683]]

     early 1900s to the 1920s. Farmers were looking for security 
     in their production of tobacco,'' Clark said. ``The tobacco 
     industry as we know it today did not exist. There were Night 
     Riders in the area and other situations that influenced the 
     production of tobacco for many growers.''
       He said the tobacco business that most people are familiar 
     with existed from the 1930s until the tobacco quota buyout 
     that was included in the America Jobs Creation Act of 2004 
     terminated the federal tobacco price support and supply 
     control programs.
       He said the program that had been in place until then 
     worked well and was one of the best farm programs. ``But 
     everything has a life span. With the anti-tobacco feelings in 
     the country today it's hard to generate changes in the 
     program,'' he said.
       He said the local organization had a lot of local history. 
     ``Tobacco will continue to play a major role in this region. 
     It will still be here for many years to come, but you have to 
     change with the changes, and our changes will really start to 
     be felt with the new owners of our properties.''
       Clark said that once the properties are disposed of and all 
     the business issues are settled, the association will go back 
     and return those assets to the association's members.
       He added that James R. Cash of Mayfield, who is a member of 
     the association, offered to conduct the auctions at no fee 
     charge. ``He said that, as a member, he has been fortunate to 
     assist other members with auctions of land and equipment and 
     that he wanted to conduct this auction with no fees,'' Clark 
     noted. ``This will be a great benefit to the association and 
     its members.''
       Clark said the association will still maintain a presence 
     in the community for some time. He said, as with any industry 
     of its size, there are still business-related issues that 
     will require time and attention. He estimated that his final 
     days on the job would probably be in a few months. ``The 
     association had a good run. There have been lots of directors 
     and I have no regrets for my time here.''
       The association has approximately 1,000 members, it was 
     reported.
       He noted that, over the years, tobacco has paid billions of 
     dollars in taxes and those dollars collected have paid for 
     many things. ``Tobacco has meant so much to so many people 
     and it has impacted everyone. Our forefathers thought it was 
     important enough that there are tobacco leaves on the facades 
     of many important buildings. Tobacco has saved many farmers, 
     helped families and sent many children to school.''
       Throughout the years the local association has administered 
     the tobacco program and lobbied for the growers in the nine 
     counties of the Jackson Purchase and the Tennessee counties 
     of Henry, Weakley and Obion.
       ``Since there will not be a tobacco program or a price 
     support system, then there really isn't a need or purpose for 
     our association any longer,'' Clark said. ``We have been 
     working to get things in place for the closure.''
       Clark said he has arranged with Murray State University to 
     take over some of the association's historical papers.
       ``This will be a big benefit for residents of the 
     community. MSU's people will have to go through the old 
     papers and catalog all of those items before they are 
     available to the public,'' he said. ``We have old records, 
     papers and even the minute books from the first meetings. 
     Many papers date back to 1931. And there are old floor sheets 
     on tobacco that went to pool. There's lots of information and 
     names.''
       He said the vintage documents will be of interest to a lot 
     of people.
       ``One of the very first things I did when I came to work 
     here was to go back and read through all of the old minute 
     books. It really helped me to know where we were as an 
     association and it helped to plan for the future,'' he noted.
       Clark is only the fourth or fifth manager since the 
     association began. He said he was unsure what he would do, 
     but he added, ``something will come along.''
       Association President Jim Kelly said the sale was the end 
     of a long era in Calloway County. ``Lots of farmers were 
     helped through the association. Things are just different 
     now. Farmers are contracting with companies and that's where 
     most of the farmers are at these days. The pool was a safety 
     net that would grade and process tobacco until somebody 
     needed it,'' he said.
       Kelly, who farms 76 acres of burley and dark-fired tobacco, 
     said more farmers were going for larger acreage and many of 
     the smaller farmers were dropping out the businesses. ``With 
     the costs of farming nowadays, it's just not something that 
     people get into the way they used to do.''
       He said farmers were basically at the mercy of what the 
     companies would pay for the tobacco. But even then, there are 
     pluses and minuses to the situation.
       He added that the association was in a shut-down phase and 
     assets would eventually be returned to its members.
       ``There hasn't been any tobacco stored in those warehouses 
     in a long time. It's sad to see it all come to a close,'' he 
     remarked.

                          ____________________