Mechanical harvesting, bulk barn curing, and acres of flue-cured tobacco produced per farm increased substantially during 1972-79, while labor used to harvest tobacco dropped by 35 percent, from 72 million to 47 million hours. Only 16 percent of the tobacco producers owned all the quota they produced in 1979; 63 percent rented some land with quota and 43 percent leased some quota. This study identifies trends in flue-cured tobacco farming in four Southeastern States. The amount of labor used to harvest flue-cured tobacco in the next few years will likely drop as mechanical harvesting and acres per farm increase.