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.
- “China buys 52 million pounds of tobacco,” Winston-Salem Journal: North Carolina tobacco growers have reached agreement with China on the sale of 52 million pounds of tobacco leaf — a sign of the increasing importance of the Chinese market for tobacco produced in the United States. While the domestic demand for tobacco continues to wane, the demand in China remains stable and strong. There are more smokers in China than there are citizens in the U.S. “They are a big, big player,” said Mike Parker, the manager of member relations for the U.S. Tobacco Cooperative Inc., based in Raleigh. The cooperative is one of the major sellers involved in the agreement with China Tobacco International, China’s government-run tobacco company. The sale of 52 million pounds represents a 25 percent increase over the amount of tobacco that North Carolina growers sold to China last year, said Steve Troxler, the state’s commissioner of agriculture. …
- “Letters to the Editor: Entrepreneurial spirit,” Winston-Salem Journal: Entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and diversification are critical characteristics that need to be pursued if Forsyth County is to overcome our current economic downturn. I applaud Zane Sells’ innovative idea for making a corn maze that brings tourism and business into this depressed part of the county. During these difficult economic times, it is imperative that we as individuals and as a community support our farmers regardless of where in the county they are located. Forsyth County needs to be more farmer-friendly. …
- “CSA farm approach gaining support,” Hendersonville Times-News: Community-supported agriculture (CSA) has increased in popularity in Western North Carolina over the past few years. The increase may be attributed to the strong locally grown movement, which encompasses environmental awareness and the desire to be connected to how food is grown and the farmer that grows it. Though they are picking up in momentum in WNC, the origin of CSAs was in the 1960s by a group of Japanese women who were concerned with the loss of farmland, imported food and increased pesticide use. The idea of a CSA is a simple one, based on “shared risk.” The community supports the farm and shares the bounty, as well as the inherent risk. …
- “Troxler announces availability of farmland preservation grants,” Lexington Dispatch: County governments and nonprofit groups pursuing farmland preservation projects can apply for funding assistance from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler has announced. Applications and guidelines for the 2010 funding cycle are available online at www.ncadfp.org or by calling (919) 733-7125. …
- “Importance of farmers,” Sanford Herald: It’s been a few years back, but I fondly remember my childhood days when we would visit my maternal grandparents. There’s something special about visiting a farm. My grandparents had chickens and pigs, a cow and a mule. It was neat to go to the corn crib and shell corn to feed to the chickens. Or to go with my grandfather to the pig pen to “slop the pigs.” Or to help with the milking duties with the cow. …