Growing your own...

Sounds like a fun project, Eric. Good luck.
Here are some older threads to look at - I'm not sure how much info is in them.

Grow Your Own

Just Got My Seeds

Anyone Grow Your Own Tobacco?

Eric, I think if you do some research, I think you will find that the processing of pipe and cigar tobacco is so labor intensive that it will cost you way more than if you purchase it. I have been to the Fuente farm and factories in the Dominican Republic. I have been to the Partagas and Cohiba factories in Cuba, you cannot imagine how many hands have touched your cigar before you smoke it. It could take a lifetime for you to learn all you would need to produce a quality cigar. Pipe tobacco is not as bad as cigars but it is close.

I have purchased a bunch of raw leaf from leafonly.com. I would start there first. Let me tell you, It's not easy to make raw leaf into a quality smoke. I have had some guidance from the great Russ Ouellette and still having difficulty. I finally got a couple of casings that I like, and the taste is amazing, but they are extremely harsh. Russ said that it takes 6 months of cure time after the tobacco is cased before that harshness goes away. It is so much fun coming up with flavor combinations, and a lot of hard work. Six months down the road will be very rewarding though. I say that if you have a year of patience, and a lot of time, then go for it man!!!!

I think if you got the time, and its something you enjoy, give it a go. Can't but nothing learn from your mistakes and have fun along the way. There's a whole lot of info out there on the web, and there is a guy that grows it up in Minnesota. If I hadnt have stepped out on my own when someone told me that being a beekeeper was out of my realm 40 yrs ago with all the back breaking labor, worrisome winters, and new pests coming at us every year, I wouldn't be enjoying some of the nice things in life that I do enjoy. Nothing like being subsistant and cultivating a new hobby if nothing else ( no pun intended)....
From the bean fields of central Michigan,

Bill

Eric, I am not too much of a youtube fan, but here's a guy in Michigan that grows his own by the seat of his pants, if you take a look at his latest video, hes pressing cake pipe tobacco from his own growing. Hes about 80 miles north of me here in Michigan. Another note that I agree with, is just like when I raise my own beef, I know whats going into my burger that I am taking off the grill..just some more "food" for thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvbJ4-dz4C0

shawn622 please keep us updated on your casing-project. It sounds very exciting!

Bill, great advice. It is very encouraging to me because I have a few "dreams" and side projects that involve craftsmanship - I'd be happy to pursue any of them. But, they definitely aren't the easy road... It's nice to hear from someone who has taken the path less travelled and has emerged all the better for it. (Beekeeping is actually a hobby I have considered when I get some of my own land but I have been discouraged by the harsh climate around here - I love mead)
As far as growing your own tobacco, I've thought about it just for its own sake but I'd go into it knowing that you would very likely lose the entire batch to pests, mold, rot, or some other calamity somewhere from the farming to the curing process... Still, you can learn a great deal from your first attempt and you could certainly keep trying until you perfect the process over several seasons.
As far as making pipe tobacco AND cigars, that's two different sets of skills altogether and I'd say you are probably better off perfecting one or the other unless you know any jack of all trades tobacco growers/processors to have at your beck and call!
PS: Shawn, that sounds really cool! I've wanted to make my own molasses-cased pipe tobacco but I've never thought to take it all the way from the leaf... Good luck.

Definitely will keep you all posted, and send out samples when I come up with something good. I have used Alcohol, coffee, molasses, honey, maple sugar, vanilla, and anise sparroa. When it has aged I will send stuff out. I have a bunch of dark fired leaf that I haven't figured out how to use yet. I is so strong and harsh that it burns your mouth and sinuses and overpowers everything i put it in. But like I said, It is all harsh arter it is cased, and smells like hay before its cased. I will start a thread soon. I am working on making a cake next. Good luck in your adventures Erik!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds good brother! I have been wanting to try molasses and anise tobacco for a long time... I'd say the others would be nice too but they are definitely more common on the pipe tobacco market. Great work! Keep it up. I'm sure even if it is not as mellow as you'd like it is still going to turn out decent with a bit of patience...

anise would be awesome. I grew up eating anise sugar cookies during christmas because my grandma made them. Every time I have one it brings back memories.