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 opens ag trade office in China,” Southeast Farm Press: North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler officially opened the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ first trade office in Beijing March 9, marking an increased focus on the growing Chinese market. …
- “Animal welfare inspectors could face the budget ax,” NBC-17: North Carolina Animal Welfare Inspectors could lose their jobs as state lawmakers crunch the budget numbers. Nearly the entire department is on a targeted reduction list the NC Agriculture Department handed over to appropriations members. …
- “High hopes for WNC Ag Center addition,” Hendersonville Times-News: The Western North Carolina Agriculture Center is amid major changes that could usher in an economic boom for Henderson County, the facility’s manager said Wednesday. Matt Buchanan said that after the center’s $6 million expansion of the Davis Arena, the finished product will rival the Asheville Civic Center in size regarding exhibit space and increase the facility’s ability to draw big conventions and events to the area. …
- “Study shows each dollar spent on N.C. land conservation returns four,” Wilmington Star-News: How do you put a price on clean air, clear water and fertile farm land? It was a task that Land For Tomorrow, a coalition of conservation groups, took up last summer to show lawmakers and citizens why preserving North Carolina’s virgin lands are worth the effort – and the money. …
- “Agri-Business efforts advance,” Hendersonville Times-News: The new Henderson County Agri-Business Development Partnership is taking significant steps this week toward hiring a director and developing a strategic plan that will carry it forward. …
- “Time to plant: Could be too early for some vegetables, but time to prepare now,” Gaston Gazette: Unofficially, spring sprung last week. But gardeners shouldn’t count their crops before they hatch. It’s still winter, so stick to planting winter vegetables for now and leave warm-weather produce for the proper season, according to Julie Flowers, horticulture program assistant with the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service in Gaston County. …
- “Carrying on a family tradition: Beekeeping,” Greensboro News & Record: Mark Martin and James Wilkes are passionate and deeply involved in the adventure of beekeeping. Martin even calls his worker bees and the Queen bee in his hive “the girls.” The two men’s work in apiculture, or beekeeping, is as important as saving the rites of spring. …