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.
- “Farmers’ Market accepts WIC and food stamps,” Salisbury Post: Salisbury Farmers’ Market is making fresh fruits and vegetables easier to buy and eat for lower income households. The N.C. Farmers’ Markets Nutrition Programs pilot project is linking three USDA-affiliated food assistance programs for senior citizens, WIC (Women, Infants and Children) clients and Food and Nutrition Services (FNS/food stamps) participants to encourage and enable them to use any of their benefits at the participating farmers’ market. …
- “Companies propose curbing junk food ads for kids,” Charlotte Observer: The nation’s largest food companies say they will cut back on marketing unhealthier foods to children, proposing their own set of advertising standards after rejecting similar guidelines proposed by the federal government. …
- “Efforts to stop Pender wildfire now top $2.6M,” Wilmington Star-News: The cost of fighting the nearly month-long wildfire in Pender County has reached more than $2.6 million, state forestry officials said Wednesday. The fire, which started June 19 from a lightning strike, has consumed about 31,300 acres in the Holly Shelter Game Land. …
- “USDA prepares to pay Native American farmers,”WUNC: There’s a section of eastern North Carolina where the Lumbee Indians call home. The Lumbee have a long history of farming and ranching. But just like African American and women farmers, they were discriminated against by the federal government. …
- “North Carolina grown items featured during 9-stop ‘Got to Be NC Walmart Tour’,” Perishable News: Shoppers looking for freshness from North Carolina farms will have plenty of opportunities to sample and buy fresh North Carolina food products at their local Walmart as part of the Got to Be NC Walmart Tour. …
- “Venus flytraps flourish in local corner of Earth,” Wilmington Star-News: Just as they catch insects for food, Venus flytraps have a way of capturing the human imagination. Wilmington, of course, is one of the few places in the world where Venus flytraps grow in the wild. …
- “USDA seeks ways to boost farm-to-school programs,” Charlotte Observer: The popularity of farm-to-school programs that put locally grown food on cafeteria trays has exploded in recent years – so much so that the federal agency in charge of school lunches is giving them a new stamp of approval. …
- “Farmers face drought, hot weather,” Durham Herald-Sun: Corn crops are dying and tomatoes are withering on the vine in portions of eastern North Carolina, where hot weather and dry conditions could add up to serious losses for the region’s farmers, according to agricultural agents. …