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.
- “Steve Troxler outlines recovery plan in State of Agriculture address,” News 14: State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler outlined his plans to rebound from a disappointing year at his State of Agriculture address Thursday. It was part of the seventh annual Agricultural Development Forum at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. …
- “First lady promotes healthy food in California,” Charlotte Observer: First lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday said the campaign to bring healthy food to all Americans is happening neighborhood by neighborhood. …
- “Chapel Hill Creamery wins grant,” Durham Herald-Sun: The owners of the Chapel Hill Creamery, a dairy farm where the milk of about 30 Jersey cows is used to make up to seven different cheeses sold locally, want to see their farm mature. The farm’s owners said Monday that they got a grant to help them do just that. …
- “Hydroponic lettuce is the crop that doesn’t stop,” News & Observer: Bearing in mind that leafy greens and I become somewhat estranged during the protein-, fat- and carb-laden stretch between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, I cleverly scheduled a visit to Endless Summer Harvest for the end of December. The Purcellville, Va., farm produces picture-perfect hydroponic lettuces and salad greens year-round and sells them to chefs, specialty grocery stores and farmers market customers, even through winter. …
- “Local farmers use grant money to diversify, expand,” Hendersonville Times-News: In the world of agriculture, sometimes a little can go a long way. That’s what owners of three area farms are hoping for after receiving $6,000 grants through the annual WNC AgOptions program. About two dozen farms and three farms groups in the mountains were awarded a total of $150,000 in grants to expand and diversify their operations and increase profitability. …
- “New Got to Be NC Chef Competition Start[ed] Tuesday,” Locally Grown News: If you’ve ever wanted to be a judge on reality cooking shows such as “Iron Chef,” then you won’t want to miss the first-ever Got to Be NC Competition Dining Series. …
- “Catch summit focuses on online tools,” Jacksonville Daily News: North Carolina Sea Grant and Saltwater Connections are hosting the Local Catch Summit next month in Morehead City. The Feb. 22 meeting is designed to help community-based catch groups develop ways to use online tools to educate the public about the importance of local seafood to the local economy and in their diets. …