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.
- “Anoop to play State Fair; fans all a-Twitter,” Durham Herald-Sun: With the help of the magic power of Twitter, Facebook and blogs, the N.C. State Fair announced Friday that it had booked Anoop Desai to sing at the fair on Oct. 22. It appeared to start on June 23, when Desai, who is currently on tour with American Idol, twittered, “Thinking about the @NCstatefair this morning. Hope I get to go this year. Would love to perform too! Get in touch!” …
- “N.C. fairgoers urged to wash hands to protect pigs,” Raleigh News & Observer: After years of advising fairgoers in North Carolina to wash their hands to protect themselves from animal-borne illnesses, officials have issued an advisory to protect livestock from getting sick. The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on Tuesday issued a warning to 2009 fair patrons to wash their hands to prevent the spread of human-borne illnesses to pigs, specifically the H1N1 virus more commonly known as the swine flu. …
- “Buncombe County helps preserve farms, views,” Asheville Citizen-Times: Alma Spicer wanted her grandchildren to see the family farm the way she remembered it growing up in Fairview. Buncombe County Commissioners approved $356,000 for a conservation easement to preserve part of the Spicer farm on Garren Creek Road. Working with the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, the Spicer family decided to give up future rights to develop at least 170 acres of their property. …
- “Tobacco auction returns to Wilson,” Winston-Salem Journal: Starting today, tobacco will once again be sold at auction at the former Liberty Warehouse in Wilson. Prospective tobacco buyers will walk among the bales holding this year’s crop. But the auctioneer’s chant won’t be heard. Instead, the auction will be silent. …
- “Advance tickets discounted for N.C. Mountain State Fair,” Asheville Citizen-Times: People planning to attend the 2009 N.C. Mountain State Fair can save 50 percent on ride tickets if bought in advance at area Ingles stores, the WNC Ag Center, the WNC Farmers Market and on-line through the fair Web site. Gate tickets are discounted as well. …
- “Apple crop looking good for 2009,” Hendersonville Times-News: The 2009 apple crop looks good but won’t beat last year’s bumper crop, which brought in $50 million. Local apple growers and the area extension agent say this year’s harvest should be around 50 to 60 percent of a full crop. …
- “Watermelon Day escapes cancellation,” Raleigh News & Observer: As more than 150 people gathered Thursday for the annual watermelon weigh-in at the State Farmers Market, few knew that the sweet parade almost didn’t happen. Because of budget and space constraints, officials last week had decided to cancel Watermelon Day, which traditionally features a big-melon contest and as many sticky samples as organizers can hand out. …