The United States tobacco industry is rich in history. It was one of the first government subsidized crops, experienced rapid growth in the late 1800s and early 1900s, experienced declining domestic demand for the last 50 years, and most recently adjusted after the deregulation of the federal tobacco program. We examine some of these events in two essays: the first is an analysis of tobacco productivity before and after the tobacco buyout of 2004 and the second is an evaluation of the perceptions of tobacco producers knowledge, concern, and willingness to adopt biopharming.