Law requires a new referendum be held every six years and requires a two-thirds favorable vote which means the growers are willing to assess themselves to support tobacco research and education.
(Voting will take place during office hours from 8:30 to 5 p.m. For more information contact Whitehead at 252-583-5161)
The assessment is 10 cents per 100 hundred pounds of tobacco produced in the state and about $300,000 is collected yearly at buying stations by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The money is allocated by the Tobacco Research Commission to research and extension projects for the crop at North Carolina State University.
Last year, Whitehead said, there were 2,891 acres of tobacco grown in Halifax County. In 2013 there were 3,670 acres.
The research includes ways to produce better varieties of the crop as well as developing better curing methods.
Voting is open to anyone 18 and up who is directly involved in growing tobacco in the county.
