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.
- “Record watermelon tips the scale at 232 pounds,” News & Observer: A whopping 232 pounds. That’s the weight of the newly crowned biggest watermelon ever at the State Farmers Market. It bested the previous record, set in 2002, by 1 pound. …
- “Cheese judges taste 1,711 entries in downtown Raleigh,” News & Observer: Thirty-four judges clad in white lab coats were ensconced inside a chilly room at the Raleigh Convention Center Wednesday doing this routine: sniff, taste, spit, score. …
- “EPA can’t regulate livestock farms it can’t find,” Charlotte Observer: The report to Congress was blunt: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had failed to regulate pollution from the nation’s livestock farms – many capable of generating more waste than some cities – because it lacked information as basic as how many farms even existed. …
- “Impact of corn prices on food? Not what you think,” Charlotte Observer: Cornflakes won’t necessarily be more expensive as a result of rising corn prices, but the milk you pour over them might be. …
- “Weathervane chef wins Fire in the Triangle,” WRAL: It was another epic battle at 1705 Prime Tuesday night during the final round of the Fire in the Triangle competition. …
- “Blackland Farm Managers Field Tour a Success,” Southern Farm Network: The 42nd Annual Blackland Farm Managers Field Tour was held in Hyde County on Wednesday at Mann Farms in Fairfield. …
- “Foods to keep, or toss, when power goes out,” News & Observer: Recent power outages, coupled with the extreme heat, raise questions about whether food in refrigerators and freezers was safe to keep. If your power was out just a few hours and you didn’t open the refrigerator or freezer, chances are the food is OK. …
- “WNC farmers expect bumper corn crop,” Asheville Citizens-Times: North Carolina corn growers are looking to cash in on what they call one of their best yields in years as their counterparts around the U.S. watch their crops wither because of heat and drought. …
- “Upscale restaurants bloom in Eastern North Carolina,” News & Observer: Dining options in Eastern North Carolina used to mean barbecue or Southern steam-table fare. Celebrating an anniversary meant venturing to a steakhouse. Not anymore. …
- “Bacteria forces Food Lion cantaloupe recall,” Winston-Salem Journal: A North Carolina produce supplier has expanded its recent recall of Athena cantaloupes sold in the Piedmont Triad. …