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.
- “Vilsack: USDA to lead China trade mission in March,” Charlotte Observer: U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says his department will lead an agricultural trade mission to China at the end of March. Representatives from 40 U.S. agribusinesses and six state agriculture department leaders are planning to attend. …
- “End of Round One,” Mountain Times: And then there were eight. The final two preliminary rounds of the seventh annual Fire on the Rock Chefs Challenge played out at Crippen’s in Blowing Rock this week, narrowing the field to eight competitors. …
- “House OKs California water bill that favors farmers,” Charlotte Observer: The House on Wednesday approved an ambitious California water bill that favors farmers, splits the state and pressures the U.S. Senate. In a highly partisan vote, the Republican-controlled House approved the legislation that would lengthen irrigation contracts, override state law and boost deliveries to farms south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. …
- “Durham firm works to catch bacteria in dairy cows,” WRAL: A Durham-based company is looking to launch a diagnostic test later this year that company officials say will help milk producers save money by allowing them to catch a bacterial infection in dairy cows quickly. …
- “Forest Service fights large fire in Nantahala; smaller one in Cullowhee,” Smoky Mountain News: Nearly 40 U.S. Forest Service and North Carolina Forest Service firefighters battled a 750-acre wildfire in the Tusquitee Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest this week. …
- “A bug native to Southeast Asia is infecting local redbay trees,” Wilmington Star-News: A deadly tree disease spreading throughout the Southeastern United States has been found in Brunswick County and could potentially decimate the state’s population of redbay trees, according to the N.C. Forest Service. …
- “North Carolina boll weevil assessment set at 70 cents per acre,” Southeast Farm Press: The board of the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation of North Carolina has set the boll weevil assessment for 2012 at 70 cents per acre of cotton. That amount is 30 cents less than the 2011 assessment. …
- “Farmers: Keep tobacco in trade deal,” News & Observer: North Carolina tobacco farmers fear they could lose a significant portion of their export business if health advocates win a battle to carve tobacco out of a major trade agreement being negotiated with eight countries on the Pacific Rim. …
- “Increasing numbers of artisan cheesemakers in Asheville area,” Asheville Citizen-Times: Standing in the center of her Looking Glass Creamery aging room, Jennifer Perkins jumps from one cheese fact to another. …