Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets 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.
- “Son leaves corporate world to join dad in a new farming venture,” Hendersonville Times-News: Larry Stepp Jr. is glad to be home. The 41-year-old father of two decided he had spent enough time in the corporate world and returned to the farm where he grew up. He now runs the operation, Stepp’s Plants, with his dad, Larry Stepp Sr. …
- “Editorial: School lunches,” Winston-Salem Journal: A family can make no more important financial move than to safeguard the health and well-being of its children. Nor can government. An unhealthy child will suffer expensive consequences for years, ringing up enormous health bills that might have been otherwise avoided. So it is disconcerting to see that school boards across this state, as they try to balance budgets in difficult times, are considering lowering the quality of food they serve to students. …
- “WWII vet in Matthews could lose farm to eminent domain,” Carolina Journal: Matthews resident Neubert Purser, 87, has suffered two major blows in his life. The first came while serving his country on combat duty in the U.S. Army, on the front line of the Battle of the Bulge in Germany during World War II, when fragments from an exploding shell ripped a 4-by-8 inch gash in his body. The second came March 5, 2005, only this time Purser didn’t see it coming. That’s the day he opened his morning newspaper to find a 30-day notice from the Town of Matthews, condemning his 71-acre farm, which he had purchased in 1954. Purser had already told the town he didn’t want to sell, but was unaware that they had the right to seize his property using eminent domain. “That blow was as bad as what I got overseas,” he said. “It knocked me plain off my feet.” …
- “Restaurants vying for Best Dish in N.C.,” Durham Herald-Sun: Four local restaurants are among the 20 North Carolina eateries competing in the statewide Best Dish contest sponsored by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Our State magazine. Carolina Crossroads restaurant at the Carolina Inn and Il Palio Ristorante at the Siena Hotel, both in Chapel Hill, are also both competing in the fine dining category. Il Palio was a finalist last year, too. In the casual dining category, two-time winner Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse in Durham is again in the running. New to the contest this year is Watts Grocery in Durham. …
- “Strawberries: Get ’em while they’re good,” Burlington Times-News: Strawberry season. It might as well be an annual rite around these parts. It’s something that’s come to be expected, like winter turning into spring or April turning into May. It’s strawberry season here now, and many farms around the area are open for business. “It really is a good, full crop this year, much better than the last couple of years,” Mark Danieley, a horticultural extension agent with the Alamance County branch of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, said in a recent interview. “The weather seems to have cooperated just right, and in the last couple of years, it really hasn’t done that.” …
- “Mislabeled fish sent to area grocery stores,” WBTV: Fresher Than Fresh, a Gastonia-based seafood distributor, has been substituting Atlantic Salmon with Steelhead Trout in shipments to area grocery stores. The result was mislabeled fish sold to consumers which is a violation of Food and Drug Administration guidelines. A person with knowledge of the operations at Fresher Than Fresh says the substitutions have been happening since the spring of 2009. …
- “USDA grant to allow more fruits, veggies in N.C. schools,” WTVD: The United States Department of Agriculture is awarding North Carolina with a $2.7 million grant that will be distributed to 106 elementary schools. The purpose of the grant is to promote healthier food choices by providing a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables as daily snacks. The money also will go towards incorporating nutrition education in lesson plans. This year is the seventh consecutive year that NC has had the opportunity to participate in the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. …