Each week we’ll round up the latest N.C. agricultural 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.
- “Across the county there’s a growing Buzz in the air,” Greensboro News & Record: There’s a buzz in Rockingham County about beekeeping. Concern for the environment and a desire to eat natural foods seem to be the driving forces behind the interest, said Kathryn Holmes, an agriculture extension agent in Rockingham County. …
- “Three area restaurants up for culinary honor,” Hendersonville Times-News: Summer in the mountains is about fresh food. People flock to the farmers’ markets, fish the local streams and even scavenge for edibles in the woods. Three area restaurants were named finalists in the “Best Dish in North Carolina” competition in the casual dining category for the use of local food in their menus. …
- “Southeast farms attracting tourists,” Southeast Farm Press: “At the vineyard, we are having more tour groups and a lot more families come out for the day. They come to attend our special events or to stay overnight in the cabins we offer.” Despite the hard economic times and gas prices higher than a few years ago, the one segment of agriculture that seems to be flourishing right now is agritourism. …
- “It’s berry-pickin’ time,” Greensboro News & Record: It was worth the drive and a couple of wrong turns to get here. Bernie’s Berries. It’s a slice of strawberry heaven. It’s my first visit to a local strawberry farm, and I’m a convert. …
- “Ag chief impressed with farm tunneling’s potential,” Salisbury Post: Experimental high tunnels a few miles from Salisbury will change the way North Carolina farms, predicted the state’s top agriculture official. Steve Troxler, N.C. agriculture commissioner, spent Tuesday at the Piedmont Research Station, talking to farmers and tasting strawberries grown under plastic-covered, 150-foot long tunnels. …
- “Blog: Bravo’s ‘Top Chefs’ cook fresh and local at NC Farmer’s Market,” Raleigh News & Observer: Bravo’s Top Chef Tour stopped in Raleigh today to cook up some local goodness at the North Carolina Farmer’s Market. Former Top Chef contestants Carla Hall (finalist from season 5) and CJ Jacobson (season 3) performed in three live shows today, using food purchased from Farmer’s Market vendors. …
- “Preserving land for the future,” Asheville Citizen-Times: Landowners across the county are turning to conservation easements to help them preserve their land for future generations. …
- “Second Helpings,” Raleigh News & Observer: When my wife and I stopped in for a late Saturday morning breakfast recently at the State Farmers Market Restaurant (1240 Farmers Market Drive; 755-1550; www.ncsfmr.com), my hunger was tempered with more than a little wariness. … Most important of all, a plastic squeeze bottle of molasses still sits on each table. As soon as I spotted those bottles, I knew that I needn’t have worried about the Farmers Market losing its direction. …
- “Grapes of Profit,” Winston-Salem Journal: It’s no secret that there’s big money in wine sales, but the prospect usually brings to mind France, Italy or California for those with a nominal understanding of the industry. Wine aficionados could tell us that many other places are producing fine wines these days — including Northwest North Carolina. The industry is providing farmers with a new cash crop and drawing tourists. It deserves all the support it can get. …