More than 200 tobacco producers and warehousemen met with representatives of Flue-Cured Tobacco Cooperative Stabilization Corporation Monday night at the Stratford Conference Center in Danville.
A Stabilization spokesman said the question of whether the auction system will survive is likely to be decided during the 2002 season when the farmers choose to market their leaf either at warehouses or through contract sales.
If the auction system collapses, Stabilization fears the growers could lose governmental price support, and ultimately the export leaf market.
Representatives of stabilization urged producers to sell at least some of their tobacco at auction.
"All farmers need to put some tobacco in an auction system, it will be like an insurance policy," said Arnold Hamm, assistant general manager of Stabilization.
This year, Stabilization plans to operate 14 warehouses, including two in Virginia.
The marketing centers for the Dan River Region are planned for Danville and South Hill.
If farmers choose to sell their leaf at a Stabilization-run marketing center, Halifax County growers will need to drive to one of these centers.
"South Boston farmers are welcome anywhere," said Nancy Motley, who is renting her warehouse to Stabilization for the Danville center.
Charlie Payne is planning to independently operate the New Planter's Warehouse in South Boston for the 2002 season, and is angry at Stabilization for not consulting the warehousemen before making the decision where to locate Stabilization's warehouses.
"The South Boston market is trying to save the auction system, too," Payne said.
Hamm suggested that the most important thing is not where the farmer chooses to sell, but that the farmers choose to sell some of their leaf at auction.
"(They farmers) are a loyal bunch of people and if someone wants to operate an auction in South Boston, good. The farmers will support it. The main thing is to sell some of the tobacco at auction somewhere."
Andrew Shepherd, president of District 10 for Stabilization, said that the decision to place the warehouses in these two communities was due in part to their location on each end of the primary growing area in the state.
If Virginia had only had one center, Shepherd said, it would likely have been in South Boston or Clarksville.
"But we didn't want the producers to have to travel so far to market their tobacco," he said.
"It was pretty cut and dried as to where to put them," he added.
Shepherd said that he didn't know whether any of the other warehousemen were consulted before the decision was made.
"The board made the decision," he said.
Stabilization tried to economically and geographically locate the marketing centers so that the farmers wouldn't have to drive more than 50 miles to sell their tobacco, according to Shepherd.
"It was a hard decision for our board to make," he said of opening just 14 marketing centers.
Shepherd said that Stabilization will pay for the centers with interest accrued from its holdings.
He added that using the interest wouldn't take away from money the growers had been putting into Stabilization since the 1940's.
"We're not going to make any money operating the warehouses. We just want to keep a viable auction system in place," Shepherd said.
Hamm added that there are buyers available to purchase tobacco sold at auction, but cautioned that enough tobacco needs to be available to the purchaser.
"If the farmer doesn't bring his crop to auction, then the buyer won't come," he said.

By Cathy Cochelin
The News-Progress
CLARKSVILLE - Fire swept through the Merifield Acres home of Gary and Jean Wilburn on Monday afternoon, destroying the lakeside wood-frame structure and all the couple's belongings, and threatening the woods surrounding the property until late into the evening.
The blaze, the cause of which was still undetermined Tuesday afternoon, came little more than a week after an experimental single-engine airplane the Clarksville man owned crashed near Marks Municipal Airport here.
The North Carolina pilot who was conducting a test flight aboard the craft died, but a cause has not been determined by the National Transportation Safety Board.
"It's been a vicious two weeks," Wilburn said by telephone from a friend's home Tuesday afternoon. "But we're OK and we want to say a big thank you to everybody. We've been absolutely overwhelmed."
The report of the fire on Longmeadow Drive was received by Clarksville Fire Department officials at 1:37 p.m., according to Shane Hite, who said that when firefighters arrived, the home's garage was fully involved and flames were spreading into the living area.
"It was a really bad situation for all of us," Hite said, noting that a less-than-desirable supply of water at the scene was only compounded by bitter winds that at times were believed to have gusted near 30 miles per hour.
Four Clarksville trucks and some 20 firefighters were joined over the next several hours by another 20 of their colleagues from Chase City, Boydton, Bullock, N.C., and South Hill, which later in the day brought a truck to fill the air bottles of the other firefighters, Hite said.
Although the home was situated on Buggs Island Lake, pumping water from the lake was not an option because of the elevation involved, he said, so at least four trucks made six or seven trips each to a fire hydrant located near the entrance to Burlington Industries for water.
With the winds fanning the flames faster than they could put them out, Hite said tremendous amounts of water were needed to contain the spread into the nearby woods.
"Even then, with a fire of that magnitude and the winds so high, we just couldn't get enough water on it," he said, noting that approximately an acre of woods around the home burned. "In addition, the fire jumped across the cove when the wind blew the embers, burning another 1 1/2 acres."
He said officials with the Virginia Department of Forestry assumed responsibility for the secondary blaze across the cove, and by 10 p.m., all fire officials were able to clear the scene.
Hite said the home would be considered a total loss, although no monetary estimate was available. He said fire officials had not determined a cause as of yet.
"We just want to thank everyone for their help," he said. "We were up against some trying conditions, but a lot of people helped and we want them all to know how much we appreciate it."
The Wilburns, who stayed with neighbor Carol Ward throughout much of the afternoon and into the evening, were receiving much community support on Tuesday.
"They've lost everything they owned," Ward, who has lived next to them for eight years, said from her home Tuesday morning. "But they're holding up a lot better than most of us would. It was a horrible thing to witness.
"I looked over there and the flames were just so high. I called 911 and saw Jean running to my house. She wanted to go back and see if her husband was all right, but I just wouldn't let her. I knew the house was gone even before the fire department got there."
It would be another half hour before Jean Wilburn would see her husband and know that he was unhurt, Ward said.
"I just felt so helpless," she said. "They held up so well, thinking ahead about what to do about their medication, about what they were going to do next. I know it was a trying time for them and will continue to be."
Wilburn, who is the treasurer for the Merifield Acres Landowners Association, said Tuesday that he had just arrived at his house around 12:30 p.m. after attempting to play golf, but finding it too windy to do so. He was going through some mail in his office, then sat down to read the newspaper.
"My wife looked out of the big picture window to the south past the garage and noticed smoke coming from the eaves of the garage," Wilburn said. "By that time, it was well aflame and I tried to call 911, but there were no phones and no electricity."
While his wife ran to the Ward home, Wilburn said he tried to find a water source for the blaze, but was unable to do so.
He said that although their plans are very short-range at this point - they are planning on spending the next few days at his brother's home in Chapel Hill, N.C. - they do hope to rebuild their home on Longmeadow Drive. The couple began construction of the house in 1982 and moved in there in May 1982, he said.
"There's an awful lot to consider, but we'd certainly like to make our home here once again," Wilburn said.
He said he had been building another aircraft in his basement - a Falco - and that it was about 70 percent finished. Like everything else in the house, it too was destroyed in the fire.

Three of four inmates who escaped from a Halifax County Circuit Court holding area last year were convicted Friday of felony escape after separate bench trials before Judge William L. Wellons.
Maurice Daniel Dance, 24, of South Boston, 21-year-old Titus Lamontavon Singletary of Danville and 18-year-old Theotis Johnson of Atlanta were each convicted of the charge, which came as a result of their temporarily escaping custody August 28, 2001.
They were additionally convicted of the assault and battery of correctional officer Clarence Bailey during their escape, possessing a tool for escape and conspiring to escape a correctional facility.
The fourth inmate captured after fleeing the courthouse, Lawrence Harvey Everett Jr., has not yet stood trial on similar charges.
An administrator for the Blue Ridge Jail Authority stated it appeared the four possessed what was described as a "generic key" to aid them in unlocking their restraints.
They, along with five other inmates, were escorted to court the morning of August 28, and were assigned two correctional officers to guard them.
All nine inmates were wearing both arm and ankle restraints while being transported and while they waited in the holding room until their appearance in the courtroom.
Three of the escapees were in custody within minutes of their flight from the courthouse grounds, while Johnson evaded authorities until his capture about 6:30 p.m.
Judge Wellons remanded Dance, Singletary and Johnson to custody to await sentencing in the March term of court.
Other Trials
· Theodore David Watkins, 25, of South Boston, entered an Alford plea Friday to charges of credit card fraud involving W.A. Fuller Ltd. on November 4, 2000 and Radio Shack on November 5, 2000, as well as one charge of conspiring to commit credit card fraud on November 5, 2000.
Under terms of the Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but realizes prosecution evidence would make a guilty verdict at trial almost certain.
The commonwealth nol prossed four additional credit card forgery charges and one additional credit card fraud charge against Watkins during the hearing.
Judge Wellons ordered a presentence report due for the March term of court.
Watkins is free on bond and under supervision of Halifax-Pittsylvania Court Services until presentencing.
· Maurice Daniel Dance pleaded guilty Friday to an amended indictment of misdemeanor assault and battery of Nicholas Jerome Breedlove on November 12, 2000, and was sentenced to six months in jail by Judge Wellons.
The conviction came after a trial separate from the one in which he was convicted of felony escape.
· Darryl King Watts, 43, of Scottsburg, was convicted Friday of the grand larceny of two chain saws last September belonging to J. Hudson Reese Jr.
Unsecured bond in the amount of $5,000 was set for Watts pending a presentence report in the March term of court.
· Deborah Clay Wilmoth, 40, of South Boston, was convicted Friday of one charge of cocaine distribution.
Wilmoth is free on bond and under supervison of Halifax-Pittsylvania Court Services until presentencing in the March term of court.
Medley Charges Nol Prossed
During a motions hearing on Friday, the commonwealth nol prossed three charges against 23-year-old Marque Lamont Medley.
Those charges included attempting to rob Brian Scott Jones, shooting at an occupied vehicle and using a firearm to commit a felony.
The alleged offenses occurred August 22, 2001.

Farmer's Foods, the food store that moved from Halifax to Centerville Shopping Center less than two years ago, will close its doors March 4, and lay off approximately 63 employees.
John D. Farmer, owner of the Chase City-based independent food chain, said yesterday that, along with South Boston, stores in Buena Vista and Emporia were also being closed.
Store leases in all three locations have been sold to Food Lion but officials with the Salisbury, N.C.-based food store chain give no indication that any of the three Farmer's Foods store buildings will continue to operate under the Food Lion name.
"We don't have any current plans (to keep the stores open)," replied Jeff Lowrance, corporate communications manager with Food Lion.
Lowrance did say that Food Lion is encouraging all Farmer's Foods employees to seek employment opportunities with Food Lion. Food Lion operates two stores in South Boston, one in the Centerville area at Halifax Square Shopping Center and another in Riverdale at 1020 Bill Tuck Hwy.
The store in which Farmer's Foods moved into in June, 1999, had been vacated by Winn-Dixie in the same year. Florida-based Winn-Dixie closed a number of stores in 1999 as it scaled back operations in an effort to increase profitability.
Farmer's Foods entered the local market 20 years ago when the company leased a store in Halifax.
John Farmer, a native of Halifax County, opened his first store in Chase City in 1964. He said this week that Farmer's Foods locations in Chase City, South Hill, Stuart and Floyd will continue to operate.
Farmer blamed the store closings on economic conditions saying that it "just makes sense" to discontinue the operations.
The 36,000 sq.ft. building, along with approximately a dozen other stores located in the Centerville Shopping Center, is managed by Phil Neari & Associates of Winston Salem, N.C.
Farmer's Foods entered into a 15-year lease of the Centerville building in June 1999.
According to Farmer, efforts are underway to liquidate inventories in all three stores.
Farmer expressed gratitude to his staff of workers, many of whom he said had been in his employment for over 10 years. He, likewise, thanked his customers for shopping at his food stores.

One game at a time.
That's the approach the halifax County Middle School Lions girls and boys basketball teams are taking into the Southside Middle School Conference basketball tournament.
The Lions boys team enters this week's conference tournament as the defending tournament champions.
Halifax County's girls team, on the other hand, enters this week's action as last year's tournament runner-up.
The tournament opens tonight with first-round games on the home floor of the higher seeded teams.
Halifax County Middle School's girls team will face Central Middle School from Charlotte County here tonight at 6 p.m. in a game that will pit the Lions, the East Division champions, against the fourth seed from the West Division.
The Halifax County Middle School boys team, the East Division champions, will host Nottoway, the fourth seed from the West Division, here tonight at 7:30 p.m.
After tonight's action, Halifax County Middle School will host the semifinals and finals of both the girls and boys tournaments with four semifinal games set here Friday and the two championship games to be played here Saturday.
Halifax County's boys team, which is seeking a second straight conference tournament title, comes into this week's tournament fresh off of a 52-13 win over non-conference opponent Rockingham County, N.C.
The Lions girls, on the other hand, enter this week's tournament after losing to Rockingham County, N.C. 42-34 in a non-conference game.
Lions coach Mike Hailey, whose team finished 13-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference after a loss to conference opponent E.W. Wyatt in the next-to-last game of the season, says his team understands what is ahead of it this week.
"Every night is do-or-die night and the kids understand that," said Hailey.
"They've got to be ready to play every night. They've got to be emotionally ready to play. We've got to be at the tip-top of our game."
The Halifax County Middle School boys team is expected to be strong out of the box tonight.
Hailey's primary concern tonight is that his team may not quite be at full strength.
"We've got some kids that are sick and a couple of injuries, none of it serious," Hailey said Monday evening.
"I feel like we'll be okay and I certainly feel that by Friday we should be okay."
Hailey said preparations for the tournament are going well.
"We're working on some things preparing for the tournament," hailey said.
"We've got some plays we want to implement for the tournament."
Hailey acknowledged that his team has to play well in order to get into Saturday's tournament title game.
He said if his team can advance through the first two rounds, he expects his team to come face-to-face with E.W. Wyatt in Saturday night's championship game.
If that happens, this will be fourth year in a row that Halifax County and E.W. Wyatt will face each other for the tournament championship.
"Wyatt is the team that, from all indications, will likely be there on the other side of the (tournament) bracket in the finals," Hailey said.
"I think we understand better what Wyatt did to us (in the recent loss). Knowing what we know now, we're going to do our best to try to make sure it doesn't happen again. We're putting some things in to alleviate some of the problems we had with Wyatt."
Hailey said the big plus in his team's favor is that it will play all of its tournament games here at home in the cozy confines of the Halifax County Middle School gym.
Halifax County's boys team has lost only two games in the Halifax County Middle School gym in three years.
"Playing here is definitely a big plus for us," said Hailey.
"It keeps us off of the bus and out of a strange gym. We're comfortable here and we'll have a friendly crowd here. We play better basketball here."
While having the opportunity to play on its home floor is a big plus, it also puts a little pressure on the Lions.
"We really want to play well and win, especially the first two games," Hailey said.
"We at least want to be in the championship game Saturday night. It would be very hard with the tournament being played here to have to come here and watch somebody else play for the championship in our gym."
Smith says his Lions girls team is ready for the challenge that lies ahead.
"I think we'll be ready," Smith said.
"We got a good tune-up against Rockingham County. Although we lost, I thought we played pretty well against Rockingham County on their court."
"We're going to try some new stuff," Smith added.
"The girls realize they've got to treat each of these games like it is their last game. They understand that if we lose, we can't come back. The way I look at it, if we lose Wednesday, we don't deserve to play Friday or Saturday."
Smith has put a young, yet talented team on the floor this season, a team that has four seventh-graders as starters.
While Smith's team is young, he says that will not be an excuse for whatever may happen.
"That seventh-grade stuff is down the road," he said.
"We've played 14 games so these girls should have grown up. By now these girls should know how to win and how to play."
Smith says his team should have all of the confidence in the world entering the tournament.
"I haven't seen all of the teams from the other side of the conference," Smith said.
"But, if we play defense like we're capable of playing and we do the things we should do on offense I feel like we can beat anybody.
"I really don't think we'll play anybody that will play any better than the team we saw at Rockingham County."
Like Hailey, Smith said he feels it is important that his team play well enough to at least get into the championship game.
"We really want to win this tournament," Smith said.
"To me, going 13-1 and winning the regular season title doesn't mean near as much if we can't win the tournament.
"I, at least, want to make it to the championship game," continued Smith, "and then see how well we play.
"We're playing the tournament here on our home floor. That's a big plus in our favor. We've lost only two home games in five years. Our home floor has been good to us."

Evelyn Lorene Jackson Walker

Evelyn Lorene Jackson Walker, 71, of 6041 Huell Matthews Hwy., South Boston, died February 3 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Walker was born in Halifax County on May 4, 1930, the daughter of the late Garland Stanley Jackson and Emma Oakley Hamlett and was married to Thomas Wendell Walker. She was a member of Black Walnut Baptist Church, Cluster Springs Homemakers Club, Alton Homemakers Club, and a former member of Grace Methodist Church, Roxboro, N.C. She was retired owner/operator of Lorene's Flower & Gift Shop.
Survivors include her husband; two daughters, Gail D. Epps and Wendy W. Cole and her husband, Mark, all of South Boston; one sister, Maxie J. Harris of Roxboro; four granddaughters, Brandy N. Epps of South Boston, Lesley M. Epps of Danville, Morgan Cole and Kimberly Cole, both of South Boston; and one grandson, Thomas Cole of South Boston.
Funeral services for Mrs. Walker will be held today, February 6 at 2 p.m. at Black Walnut Baptist Church with the Rev. Grover Stevens officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the American Lung Association, 6318 Peters Creek Rd., Roanoke, 24019, or the Arthritis Foundation, 1330 West Peachtree St., Atlanta, Ga. 30309.

Alfred Chambers Roberts

Alfred Chambers Roberts, 49, of Buffalo Junction, died February 4 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mr. Roberts was born in Mecklenburg County on May 13, 1952, to the late Chambers Roberts and Inez Roberts Staten. He was employed as a construction worker and was a member of Amazing Bibleway Church.
Survivors include his mother of Buffalo Junction; four sisters, Evang. Esther Byrd of Halifax, Doris Coleman, Joyce Johnson and Mary Marrow, all of Buffalo Junction; three brothers, Herman Roberts of Washington, DC, William Roberts of Forestville, MD. and Tony Roberts of Chase City.
Funeral services for Mr. Roberts will be held at 2 p.m. February 8 at Amazing Bibleway Church with Bishop Ray Stephens officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.
Helen Johnston Edmondson
Helen Johnston Edmondson, 85, of 2524 Fernwick Drive, South Boston, died February 5 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Edmondson was born in South Boston on July 3, 1916, the daughter of Archie Cleveland Johnston and Janie Richardson Johnston and was married to Robert Hurt Edmondson. She was a member of Main Street United Methodist Church.
Survivors include one son, Robert Hurt Edmondson of South Boston; and one sister, Harriette Johnston Smith of South Boston.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Patrick Henry Boys and Girls Plantation, PO Box 1398, Brookneal 24528.

Evelyn Barlow Waller

Evelyn Barlow Waller, 59, of 106 Stanley Court, South Boston, died February 5 at Halifax Regional Hospital.
Mrs. Waller was born in Newport News on February 19, 1942, the daughter of James H. Barlow and Mary Etta Forbush Barlow and was married to Perry Owen Waller. She was the owner and operator of Crossroads Auto.
Survivors include her husband; one son, Timothy Q. Waller of Buffalo Junction; and one brother, Joe Barlow of South Boston.
Services for Mrs. Waller will be held February 8 at 2 p.m. at Powell Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. John Bohannon officiating. Burial will take place in Oak Ridge Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home Thursday evening from 7:00 until 8:00.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider the Halifax County Cancer Association, PO Box 875, South Boston.

James Love Bray

James 'Jimmy' Love Bray, 67, of Roxboro, N.C., died February 5 at Person Memorial Hospital.
Mr. Bray was born in Person County, NC, the son of William H. and Dean Vera Tingen Bray, and was married to Betty Ann Miles Bray. He served in the National Guard and was a member of Theresa Baptist Church. Mr. Bray was a farmer and retired from ABB Power T&D Co., Inc. of South Boston.
Survivors include his wife; two sons, Stephen 'Steve' Bray and Perry Bray, both of Roxboro; four daughters, Ann B. Turner, Susan B. Long, and Tammy Bray, all of Roxboro and Donna B. Marion of Vass, N.C.; three sisters, Bertha B. Whitt and Nellie B. Gentry, both of Roxboro and Elizabeth B. Sacrinty of Reidsville; and 10 grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mr. Bray will be held at 2 p.m. February 7 at Brooks & White Chapel in Roxboro with the Revs. Herbert Brown and Judy Jennings officiating. Burial will follow in Person Memorial Cemetery.
The family will receive friends this evening, February 6 from 7:00 until 8:30 at Brooks & White.
Those wishing to give memorials are asked to consider Theresa Baptist Church, 3919 Chub Lake Rd., Roxboro 27573.