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.
- “Trinity Frozen Foods to create 149 jobs in Robeson County with sweet potato factory,” Fayetteville Observer: Trinity Frozen Foods, a new company that makes sweet potato products, announced Thursday that it will bring its operations to Robeson County and create 149 jobs. …
- “Widespread gas odor caused by propane tank tampering,” WRAL: A widespread gas odor reported throughout much of western Wake County on Wednesday night was caused by people dismantling propane tanks for scrap metal in Apex, according to town spokeswoman Stacie Galloway. Firefighters responded to an area of Evans Road, where they found “folks cutting into some old high-pressure propane tanks,” Galloway said. …
- “Carolina livestock industry needs a ‘corn dynasty’,” Southeast Farm Press: Using the popular television series Duck Dynasty as a model, North Carolina State University Corn Specialist Ronnie Heiniger laid out his plan for a ‘Corn Dynasty’ in the state at the recent All Commodities meeting in Durham, N.C. Heiniger says the Carolinas are in desperate need for grain to feed the region’s growing livestock industry. …
- “EPA acknowledges releasing personal details on farmers, senator slams agency,” Fox News: The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged Tuesday that it released personal information on potentially thousands of farmers and ranchers to environmental groups, following concerns from congressional Republicans and agriculture groups that the release could endanger their safety. …
- “Jordan’s farmers learn to focus on ‘what’s really important’,” Durham Herald-Sun: Once, Jordan High School might have been considered a rural school. Today, long after development has spread far along the Interstate 40 corridor, agriculture awareness still has a place at the school.
- “Supporting local food businesses,” Winston-Salem Journal: Blue Ridge Food Ventures has been helping small food businesses around Asheville for years, providing a catering kitchen and other practical assistance. …
- “Audio: Blacklands Farmers Harvest Five Crops in Two Years on Same Land,” Southern Farm Network: When the English made landfall in North Carolina, they were amazed that the Native American farmers could double crop their land, and it’s never stopped. …
- “NC strawberry farms stunted by virus from Nova Scotia,” News & Observer: Farmer David Pope walks the rows of his Knightdale pick-your-own strawberry patch, stopping every six plants or so to point out one that’s stunted. …
- “Berry farming expanding in Henderson County,” Hendersonville Times-News: Raspberry and blackberry production is ripening at a sharp pace in Henderson County, agricultural experts say, with the potential to add $30 million in crop receipts over the next three years. …
- “For the love of locavores, ” Wilmington Star-News: Ten years ago there wasn’t a name for eating local, and lots of consumers went about their daily grocery shopping at large supermarkets paying little attention to where their food originated or how it was grown.