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.
- “North Carolina reports cases of horse disease,” WRAL-TV: North Carolina is the latest state to report cases of an animal disease the U.S. was free of for 20 years. Tests of blood samples submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, confirmed the presence of equine piroplasmosis in 11 horses in four locations. …
- “Development pace quickens in Asheville and Western North Carolina,” Asheville Citizen-Times: The amount of developed land in Western North Carolina is increasing faster than the region’s population, and that trend is likely to continue, according to a new study. …
- “NC Department of Agriculture releases on-farm poultry processing clarifications,” Poultry Production News Blog: The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Meat and Poultry Inspection Division (MPID) announced a new clarification of on-farm poultry processing regulations. …
- “Heat Can Be Brutal To Farm Workers,” NBC-17: Long stretches of heat can be deadly to farm workers. Three agricultural workers in North Carolina died from heat stress in 2006. None have died since then, according to the North Carolina Department of Labor. The department attributes it to extensive educational efforts, said Regina Cullen, Chief of the Agricultural Safety and Health Bureau at the Department of Labor. …
- “Christmas-tree trade show comes to town,” Winston-Salem Journal: A forest of Christmas trees was set up at the Benton Convention Center yesterday as more than 400 Christmas-tree growers, retailers and wholesalers began arriving for the 2010 National Christmas Tree Association and Trade Show. …
- “Morsels: Mountain State Fair offering contests,” Hendersonville Times-News: Each year the N.C. Mountain State Fair, scheduled Sept. 10-19 this year, offers cooking competitions. The deadline to enter the competitions, which include more than $3,000 in prize money, is Aug. 30.
- “Officials spotlight new food safety rules at forum,” News 14: Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler hosted the sixth annual Food Safety Forum on Tuesday with a focus on the future. “I would say that the safest food that you can find anywhere would be right here in North Carolina,” said Troxler, who started the Food Safety Forum to make sure local producers are in step with a constantly changing landscape. …
- “Farmers to get nearly $2M in grants,” Durham Herald-Sun: The Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA will offer almost $2 million in grants to North Carolina farmers in 2011. The grants will be supported by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and the Family Farm Innovation Fund. …