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.
- “‘Got to be NC’ says eat and buy local,” WRAL-TV: Rides and food took over the State Fairgrounds Saturday, but the Got to be N.C. Festival has a serious purpose: to urge people to support North Carolina agriculture. …
- “Farm subsidies in federal budget ‘crosshairs’,” Fayetteville Observer: Liberals and conservatives aiming to close trillion-dollar federal budget gaps may soon reach a rare consensus on a common target for spending cuts: The American farmer. …
- “Va-based food distributor using DNA to track beef,” Charlotte Observer: First came organic, then free-range, then local. Now discerning diners with a penchant for spending a premium to know where food comes from are pushing DNA-traceable meat onto restaurant menus. …
- “Raleigh’s pitmaster leaves for new venture,” WRAL-TV: Ed Mitchell, the man who was the face of eastern North Carolina barbecue at downtown Raleigh’s The Pit and in the national media, is leaving the restaurant to pursue new ventures, he said Wednesday. …
- “N.C. Senate puts forth its budget,” News & Observer: The Senate’s $19.4 billion budget officially introduced Tuesday failed to win over Democrats in the legislature or Gov. Bev Perdue, who continued to reject proposed education cuts. …
- “Celebrate your state with festivals for foods,” News & Observer: Here in the Carolinas, we treat our foods with respect. We love them so much, we throw parties for them. All summer and fall, you can find a food being celebrated, usually with entertainment, vendors and various contests. …
- “A sweet tweet may win you strawberries,” Charlotte Observer: Can you be short and very sweet? Would it help if we told you there was a chance to win free strawberries? The N.C. Strawberry Association is getting into the social media act to work with its first “Sweet Tweet” contest. …
- “NBC-17 puts Raleigh taxi meters to the test,” NBC-17: In Raleigh, all taxis should charge customers the same and state inspectors are testing taxi meters to make sure passengers aren’t being overcharged. A Raleigh ordinance requires all taxis have their meters inspected once a year. State Inspector Ronnie Abbott is part of an inspection team. …
- “CropScience begins building,” Durham Herald-Sun: Construction is underway on Bayer CropScience North America’s new, $20 million greenhouse in Durham’s Research Triangle Park. The greenhouse is slated to be a key in the expansion of corn and soybean research and development of the company’s BioScience business unit. …
- “‘Bee Informed’ to inform beekeepers,” Garner News: North Carolina State University will play a central role in a 5-year, $5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture effort to compile a nationwide honey bee database designed to make beekeepers more productive. …