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.
- “N.C.’s three-season gardening: Growing throughout the year made possible by the climate and an extra ounce of ingenuity,” Winston-Salem Journal: With more penny-pinching people interested in vegetable gardening this year, consider this: You’re really lucky to live in central North Carolina. …
- “Veggies from home: Growing one’s own food is a challenging, nourishing thing to do,” Winston-Salem Journal: Whether driven by the economy, the desire for fresh and untainted food, or the need to minimize your environmental footprint, beginning a vegetable garden can be a daunting task. …
- “Farm & Garden Briefs,” Hendersonville Times-News: Now’s a good time to get horses vaccinated. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler reminds equine owners that now is the best time to vaccinate their horses, donkeys and mules against West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis. State Veterinarian Dr. David Marshall said these diseases are now endemic to North Carolina, but they are easily preventable. …
- “Survey: Residents would pay to protect farmland,” Hendersonville Times-News: The study surveyed nearly 1,000 residents in Henderson, Madison, Buncombe and Haywood counties, as well as visitors to the region. Called the Farmland Values Project, it examined the appeal of farmland and what value people placed on farms. The study was conducted by Leah Greden Mathews, a UNCA economics professor, and a team of researchers. …
- “Precious protection,” Raleigh News & Observer: It was heartening to read the March 28 article “Land will remain forever,” indicating that even in the midst of our financial woes some landowners can still set their priorities. …
- “Appreciates everyone involved in farmland preservation,” Asheville Citizen-Times: I wish to thank the Asheville Citizen Times for the recent articles supporting farmland preservation. The articles mentioned the role public money plays in protecting farmland so future generations will have land available to grow and produce food and provide for the people of Buncombe County. …
- “The old ways endure,” Raleigh News & Observer: In black and white stills, Tim Barnwell captured the images of a vanishing way of life: family farming in the Appalachian Mountains. An exhibition of Barnwell’s work, “On Earth’s Furrowed Brow: The Appalachian Farm in Photographs” opened last week at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh. …
- “Carolina farmers scramble in late-season cold snap,” Raleigh News & Observer, Winston-Salem Journal and Charlotte Observer: Temperatures dropped across the Carolinas in a late-season cold snap that had farmers scrambling to protect their budding harvests with hopes of preventing a similar April chill that caused millions of dollars in crop damage. …
- “Farmers: Limited crop damage due to snow, cold,” Hendersonville Times-News: Local farmers appear to have gotten through the recent cold spell with limited crop damage. …
- “Apple crop largely escapes damage,” Asheville Citizen Times: A blustery dusting of snow and temperatures that dipped into the mid-20s early Wednesday morning left apple farmers worried but largely without serious damage. …