Each week we’ll round up the latest N.C. agriculture headlines from newspapers across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. Click on the links to go straight to each paper’s full story.
- “Land will remain forever green,” Raleigh News and Observer: It seems to Lin Andrew that his family has been farming forever on the verdant land in northwestern Chatham County where he raises layer chickens and beef cattle. A conservation easement he signed will make sure it always looks that way, at least. …
- “Community to share garden,” Hendersonville Times-News: Do you feel like getting your hands dirty this summer? A new community garden gives residents a place to grow lettuce or a few tomatoes. …
- “What does ‘organic’ mean?,” Hendersonville Times-News: Organic farming has become one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture. To illustrate how popular the movement is here in WNC, the Organic Grower’s School, an annual conference, was held on March 21 and 22, at the Blue Ridge Community College. …
- “North Carolina sets boll weevil assesment,” Southeast Farm Press: The board of the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation of North Carolina has set the boll weevil assessment for 2009 at $1.25 per acre of cotton. … “Cotton is still a significant crop in our state,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We need to continue to protect this $250 million crop by making sure the boll weevil doesn’t come back to North Carolina.” …
- “March rain helps ease drought,” Hickory Record: One one-hundredth of an inch doesn’t seem like much, but that tiny bit of rain put the Hickory area over the average for March rainfall. … That’s good news for people who grow things for fun and profit, although farmers would like more days in the field. …
- “Agritourism trend sweeps local farm,” Daily Tar Heel: The Maple View Agriculture Center doesn’t look like something you’d find on a farm. Its four classrooms are filled with colorful pictures of animals and farm equipment. There are separate rooms for teaching about soil science, rocks and minerals, recycling and wildlife. …
- “Horse owners reminded of threat,” Richmond County Daily Journal: Now is the best time for equine owners to vaccinate their horses, donkeys and mules against West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE), according to North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. …
- “Tax increase rankles tobacco growers,” Associated Press in the Raleigh News and Observer: For more than a century, the Sharp family of Eastern North Carolina has grown tobacco, nicknamed the “golden leaf” for reasons that went beyond the cured plant’s rich color. But this week, the federal tax on a pack of smokes more than doubled. Pender Sharp says cigarette makers had already cut back orders in anticipation, leaving him to wonder whether Sharp Farms and thousands of fellow growers across the South will be forced to hire fewer seasonal workers or lay off full-time employees. …