I am a teacher and we are currently in our health and nutrition science unit. I would like to tie in the Goodness Grows in NC program with our study of good food choices. Do you have a list of food products that are made in NC or any other information that I could use in my classroom to help promote our state and good food choices? — J.P.
Thank you for you interest in North Carolina agriculture and the Goodness Grows in NC program.
North Carolina is the fourth most agriculturally diverse state in the nation. We are number one in production of several commodities and in the top five of many more. You can find this information in the statistics section on the NCDA&CS Web site. There are several links on the page you can sort through for the information that is most relevant to your lesson. There is also a season availability chart for determining what produce items are available from our farms at different times during the year.
In addition to the many farm products available from N.C. farmers, our state is home to many processed and value-added products. The Goodness Grows in NC General Store is another excellent place to search for the different types of products available. I’d also suggest checking out our nutrition section on the site for information on healthy food choices, and the kids section for activities designed for children of different ages.
I hope this will get you started on your lesson, and if you need any further information, please let me know. I can be reached at jeff.thomas@ncagr.gov or 919.733.7887, ext. 278.
— Jeff Thomas, manager, Goodness Grows in NC