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 markets getting money to take food stamps,” Hendersonville Times-News: The federal government is spending $4 million to help hook up farmers and low-income customers. …
- “Salmonella-tainted culture shipped from Maryland company,” Asheville Citizen-Times: Tests concluded that a food ingredient distributed by a Maryland company is the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 58 Buncombe County residents. …
- “Seasonal farm-worker visa program frustrates growers,” News & Observer: As the summer growing season approaches, farmers across the county are experiencing widespread frustration over the federal H-2A visa program for seasonal agriculture workers. …
- “Guidelines Aim to Keep Falsely Labeled Honey Out of NC Markets,” Locally Grown News: The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is implementing guidelines aimed at preventing the sale of falsely labeled honey at its five farmers markets across the state. Beginning June 1, vendors at department-operated farmers markets must apply for approval to sell honey labeled or advertised as “sourwood” or “North Carolina.” …
- “Cattle prices jump as ranchers begins rebuilding,” Charlotte Observer: A cow runs circles in a small pen, her baby close by her side. Ranchers, their brows wrinkled, scribble in a glossy catalog while high on a podium the auctioneer slams his gavel, taking bids as the price of the pair rises rapidly. …
- “Raspberry growers get go-ahead for ad program,” Charlotte Observer: After years of cultivation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday gave the formal go-ahead for a new advertising program to promote consumption of processed raspberries. …
- “Food Lion distribution center reopens a year after tornado,” WRAL: A newly expanded Food Lion distribution center in Dunn that was severely damaged last spring when tornadoes roared across the state officially reopened Tuesday, putting more than 700 employees back to work. …
- “Chefs on ‘Fire’ – Local chefs use N.C. products,” Wilmington Star-News: For the past few weeks on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, local chefs and their biggest fans have gathered at the Shell Island Resort in Wrightsville Beach for Fire on the Dock. The coastal leg of this statewide cooking competition is one example of the explosion of foodie culture, especially the celebrity chef phenomenon and the interest in local eating. …
- “Hastings: Local trend keeps on growing,” Winston-Salem Journal: Director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. That’s a mouthful of a job title. It’s easier to say that Nancy Creamer’s job is to promote local food. “We want everyone to have access to fresh, local food,” she said. …
- “The Evolution of a NC Farm,” Southern Farm Network: There are still many farms, especially in south and eastern North Carolina that are still owned by a family that received a land grant from the King of England. Rainbow Meadow Farms, near Snow Hill, is one such farm, having received their grant in 1746. …
- “BPI closing 3 plants, blaming ‘pink slime’ uproar,” Charlotte Observer: Beef Products Inc. will close processing plants in three states this month because of the controversy surrounding its meat product that critics have dubbed “pink slime,” a company official said Monday. …
- “‘Got to be NC’ in China,” WGHP: On a bright, sunny afternoon in early March, Jenny Fulton heads to her grandmother’s Kernersville cucumber field. She’s inching toward closing one of the most important deals of her career. …