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.
- “N.C. poinsettias brighten up the holidays,” Perishable News: The poinsettia is a decorating staple for the winter holidays, but few may know that North Carolina is the second-largest producer of poinsettias in the United States. …
- “The land of Christmas trees and cheese curds,” Gaston Gazette: With the exception of the annual obligatory trip to Hickory Farms, cheese curds might not conjure up the same memories as the smell of a fraser fir, but in the town of West Jefferson they share equal prominence. Not only is West Jefferson a big part of North Carolina’s Christmas tree business, it is also home to the Ashe County Cheese Factory, a rare find outside the U. S. Midwest. …
- “Inspector: One in 10 NC stores ring up wrong prices,” WRAL: When buying an item at a store, how many people make sure the price at the register matches the price on the shelf? Those who don’t pay attention could be paying too much. …
- “North Carolina is the sweet potato state,” WFMY: Eat your sweet potatoes, they’re good for you and good for farmers in North Carolina. Despite the challenges of finding laborers to bring in the crops, production of domestic sweet potatoes continues to rise, with North Carolina leading the way. …
- “Concord man named farmer of the year,” Cabarrus News: Tucked away on 600 acres south of Mount Pleasant in Cabarrus County, some innovative large-scale farming is taking place.
Thomas Porter Jr., who grew up on a dairy farm in Mecklenburg County, always wanted to be a full-time farmer. …
- “School gardens teach appreciation of food – of plants, how to grow them,” Wilmington Star-News: With childhood obesity on the rise, one nonprofit organization has set out to do something about it. Feast Down East and Food Corps, a national AmeriCorps initiative, are partnering with New Hanover County Schools to begin providing school gardens as part of the daily classroom curriculum. …
- “North Carolina campaign promoting locally grown food,” Southeast Farm Press: In roughly 18 months, participants in North Carolina’s 10% Campaign have recorded over $10 million in purchases of locally-produced foods. …
- “Gaston/Lincoln School News,” Charlotte Observer: Costner Elementary student Alyssa Bloomer was recently selected as the winner of the N.C. Department of Agriculture cabbage growing experiment. The 95-day experiment challenged students to grow cabbages, care for them and document their growth over time. Approximately 73,000 cabbages were distributed. Alyssa received a $1,000 scholarship. She will receive the award from the N.C. Department of Agriculture in January. …