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.
- “Cold snap shouldn’t harm NC strawberry crop,” WRAL-TV: It’s been a chilly spring so far, but it’s not cold enough to dampen predictions of another bumper yield for North Carolina’s multimillion dollar strawberry crop. …
- “NC farmers to plant more cotton, wheat in 2011,” Charlotte Observer: North Carolina farmers will plant more cotton, wheat and sweet potatoes in 2011, while tobacco crops will stay about the same. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a forecast on Thursday predicting farmers in the state will plant 750,000 acres of cotton this year, 36 percent higher than in 2010. …
- “Over 1.6 million in state ‘food-insecure’,” Philanthropy Journal: The annual cost of making up the shortfall in the food budget of hungry families in North Carolina in 2009 totaled an estimated $687 million, a new study says. Over 1.6 million North Carolinians, or 18.2 percent of the state’s population, are “food-insecure,” meaning they at times lack access for enough food for all household members, says the study by Feeding America, the national network of over 200 food banks. …
- “Johnson & Wales student advances in N.C. strawberry cook-off,” Charlotte Observer: Johnson & Wales University student Shawn Guffey won the second of four strawberry cook-offs sponsored by the N.C. Strawberry Project for his grilled swordfish with strawberry and cucumber salsa. …
- “Markets gearing up for growing season,” Durham Herald-Sun: Eggs and greens were some of the hot items at the Solstice Market that the Durham Farmers’ Market observed in December. Days have become longer and temperatures have warmed since then, and soon shoppers will have access to locally grown lettuce, asparagus and strawberries, and see some demonstrations from chefs on how to use fresh vegetables. …
- “North Carolina offering specialty crop grants,” Southeast Farm Press: The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is offering grants to fund new projects to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in the marketplace. …
- “Asheville’s Humane Alliance spay-neuter clinic a national model,” Asheville Citizen-Times: One litter of pups is bad enough. But two, then three, then four litters of pups were dropped off at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue one day last week. It was almost enough to make Denise Bitz forget the significant dent Buncombe County has made in pet overpopulation. …
- “Voluntary Agriculture District panel begins work,” Southern Pines Pilot: A new committee went to work Wednesday on an initiative designed to protect and preserve rural agricultural land. …
- ““Dig Into Local” Coming To WNC Farmer’s Market April 9,” WHKP-AM: If you’re interested in the wide variety of products coming from western North Carolina farms, plan to attend the Dig Into Local food show Saturday, April 9, at the WNC Farmers Market on Brevard Road. …