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.
- “Small farmers can deliver safer food than agribusiness,” Asheville Citizen-Times: “The chickens are coming home to roost” could be the tale told of the massive egg recall because of a salmonella outbreak. …
- “Lee County sitting on natural gas bounty,” WRAL-TV: Lee County may be sitting on a mother lode of natural gas. State geologists are excited over the possibilities of commercially significant deposits of shale gas in Lee and parts of Chatham and Moore counties. …
- “Local eggs still sunnyside up,” Southern Pines Pilot: So far, eggs in North Carolina are A-OK. “The good news is that no eggs from the Iowa farms – responsible for the recent salmonella outbreak – have come to chain stores in North Carolina,” says David Sweat, epidemiologist with the state Department of Public Health. …
- “N.C. agriculture weathered the recession well,” N.C. News Network: While many sectors of the economy have suffered during the economic downturn, North Carolina agriculture has actually increased to a $74 billion dollar business. …
- “Local schools to participate in fruit and vegetable program,” WGHP-TV: Four schools in Guilford County will take part in a fruit and vegetable program this school year. The federal program introduces elementary kids to common and not-so-common vegetable sand fruits. …
- “Garden Briefs: Organic unit started at research station,” Hendersonville Times-News: North Carolina State University, in cooperation with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, has launched the Mountain Organic Research and Extension Unit at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville to provide a university-led research and extension program to support organic farmers in Western North Carolina. …
- “N.C. Cooperative Extension partners with 10% Campaign to promote local foods,” Chatham Journal Weekly: Debbie Roos, Agriculture Agent with the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, will be Extension’s local foods coordinator supporting the 10% Campaign. The campaign is an effort to encourage North Carolina consumers to spend at least 10 percent of their food dollars on foods from local sources. …