End of the row.

• Position: EASTERN REGION - Tobacco production - Statistical data

A decade-long federal program that eased tobacco growers into the free market ended in October, halting payments that brought a steady stream of revenue to growers. As the nation's largest tobacco producer, the state benefited more than any other from the Tobacco Transition Payment Program, started in 2005 to end the antiquated quota system. It pumped an estimated $2.7 billion into North Carolina's economy, according to a report by Blake Brown, an N.C. State University economics professor. "A lot of growers retired, and we had some who exited tobacco production and went into other lines of business," he says. "It's certainly going to be missed, but the end of this has been anticipated for 10 years. It shouldn't be a surprise." He doesn't foresee a dramatic decrease in the number of tobacco farmers.

The new China trade

Though the number of tobacco farms has dwindled by 80% during the last decade, cash receipts have increased "A lot of people used [transition]...