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.
- “Food, land program offered,” Durham Herald-Sun: Teachers and others in Chatham County interested in helping youth and adults understand the relationship between people, agriculture, food and our environment are invited to a “Food, Land & People” workshop hosted by Area 3 Soil and Water Conservation Districts. …
- “Summer’s bounty brings a taste of the season,” News & Observer: Southerners love their vegetables. Now before you scoff at the idea that green beans cooked for hours with pork demonstrates vegetable love, consider the vegetable plate. …
- “Farmer’s market: Safety tips for food,” Hendersonville Times-News: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 76 million cases of food-borne illness occur each year in the U.S. In light of recent food-borne illness outbreaks involving sprouts and lettuce, many consumers are turning to local farmer’s markets to purchase their groceries. …
- “Local projects get farmland preservation grants,” Greensboro News & Record: The N.C.Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund has awarded more than $2.3 million to help communities across the state protect farmland and promote agricultural enterprises, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced today. …
- “Pilot Mountain Pride helping smaller farmers process their produce as well as finding buyers,” Winston-Salem Journal: A new company in Pilot Mountain is helping small and mid-size farms by providing a market for their local produce. …
- “Fifth-generation NC farm protected by land trust,” Charlotte Observer: A fifth-generation North Carolina farm that provides vegetables and flowers for retailers has been protected from residential or industrial development. The Coastal Land Trust is providing the protection for the Jackson Family Farm near Fayetteville. …
- “DOT tests roadside crops to make biodiesel,” Fayetteville Observer: A pilot program could see sunflowers and canola planted along miles and miles of the state’s roadways. But the flowers will be more than just a pretty vista. State transportation officials and researchers hope to turn the crops into biodiesel to fuel state vehicles. …
- “NC Peaches Expected To Have Sweet Season,” WXII-TV: Due to a cold winter and no late frosts, the North Carolina peach crop is expected to be “exceptional,” North Carolina Department of Agriculture officials said. “This is shaping up to be a potentially perfect peach season, and growers are anticipating a great crop,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. …
- “Moisture down, heat up; drought looms,” News & Observer: Triple-digit temperatures and lower-than-average rainfall are sending an ominous warning to North Carolina: We may have to start worrying about a drought again. A map released Thursday by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 18 counties in the western and northeastern portions of the state in a condition of “moderate drought.” …