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 the full story.
- “June recorded as hottest ever at 2 NC stations,” WRAL-TV: Two weather stations in North Carolina have set in stone what people felt on their brow – last month was the hottest June ever. …
- “Farmers defend way of life with Facebook, Twitter,” News & Observer: DENAIR, Calif. — When a video of dairy cows being punched and prodded with pitchforks was recently released by an animal rights group, it made the rounds on YouTube and generated the expected angry responses. But it also raised a flurry of outrage from another corner of the Internet: Farmers fought back, blogging, tweeting, uploading their own videos and chatting on Facebook to defend their industry and explain the abuse did not represent their practices. …
- “Threshers’ Reunion offers old-fashioned fun,” Lexington Dispatch: A nice break from the recent sweltering temperatures was welcomed by all who attended the 40th annual Southeast Old Threshers’ Reunion opening day Wednesday. …
- “State’s budget offers ammo for all,” News & Observer: Democrats celebrated the state’s new $18.9 billion budget with a public signing ceremony Wednesday, but the anti-incumbent sentiment among voters means Republicans see potential political gains as well. …
- “Farmer’s facility to keep apples fresh longer,” Hendersonville Times-News: Apple farmer Richard Staton is betting on the apple business. He’s building a $1 million state-of-the-art facility that can store apples for up to a year, instead of the five months a normal cooler can hold the fruit. …
- “N.C. weighs in as 10th-fattest state,” Charlotte Observer: Here’s are two rankings no one aspires to: South Carolina is 9th and North Carolina 10th in the nation for their large populations of people who are obese or overweight, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the advocacy group Trust for America’s Health. …
- “Antibiotics in Animals Need Limits, F.D.A. Says, Hendersonville Times-News: WASHINGTON — Federal food regulators took a tentative step Monday toward banning a common use of penicillin and tetracycline in the water and feed given cattle, chickens and pigs in hopes of slowing the growing scourge of killer bacteria. …
- “New rules address poultry growers’ concerns,” Fayetteville Observer: Craig Watts built a brand new chicken farm in 1992, to a big poultry processor’s specifications. Within two years, he was required to spend thousands of dollars on an upgrade or risk losing his supply of chicks. …
- “New manager promises ‘quick’ changes at pound,” The Robesonian: April Lowry knows she has some fences to mend and challenges to meet as she takes over management of the Robeson County Animal Shelter. But she also believes that she has what it takes to run the facility efficiently. …