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.
- “Study suggests honeybee collapse has many culprits,” News & Observer: It’s one of the most perplexing environmental mysteries of recent years: Why are honeybees dying, and what can be done to stop a catastrophic agricultural disaster with far-reaching economic and environmental consequences in the United States and beyond? Scientists don’t yet have a definitive answer. …
- “Changes afoot in Dupont forest,” Asheville Citizen Times: David Brown is a busy forest supervisor these days. Brown is in charge of the 10,500-acre DuPont State Recreational Forest on the Henderson-Transylvania line and is overseeing major improvements and construction in the next two months to accommodate the needs of the forest’s “Hunger Games”-sized crowds. …
- “That’s the spirit: Booze from local crops booming,” Charlotte Observer: With all the orchards and corn fields that dot the Hudson Valley landscape, Tuthilltown Spirits doesn’t have to look far for the grains and apples to make their whiskey, vodka and gin. The 10-year-old company crafts many of their liquors from ingredients grown no more than a few minutes away, the bounty of the rolling hills that surround it. …
- “North Carolina report will track fertilizer, diesel costs for growers,” Southeast Farm Press: A new report from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services State and Federal Market News Service will help farmers track fertilizer and diesel fuel costs — two significant production expenses. …
- “Authority OKs deal on wood pellets,” News & Observer: The N.C. State Ports Authority last week quietly agreed in principle on the frameworks of deals with two private companies to bring wood-pellet storage and exporting facilities to the state-operated ports in Wilmington and Morehead City. …
- “South Florida harvesting ready to ramp up for Jackson Farming,” The Produce News: The Jackson family stands tall on the North Carolina landscape as one of the state’s premiere grower-packer-shippers of quality fruits and vegetables. The Jackson Farming Co. is located in Fayetteville, NC, and was founded by Brent and Debbie Jackson. …
- “One farm grows many farmers,” News & Observer: Greg Dusenberry remembers attending a sustainable agriculture conference in the early 1990s with Graham farmers Alex and Betsy Hitt. At the time, Dusenberry, a recent college graduate with a philosophy degree, was trying to figure out his future. Without any prior farming experience, he lucked into a job at the Hitts’ Peregrine Farm. …
- “Columbus County town host state’s oldest agricultural festival,” WECT: Just about every spring weekend, you can find at least two or three festivals taking place in Southeastern North Carolina and this weekend is no exception. In Burgaw, the annual Pender County Spring Festival takes place Saturday around the historic Pender County Courthouse; and Lake Fest will be held Saturday in Wilmington at Greenfield Lake. In Chadbourn, it is time for strawberries to be honored. …
- “9 Investigates: Inspectors find violations at some area stores,” WSOC: Each year, dozens of state inspectors inspect thousands of meat processing plants, food manufacturers, and grocery stores across North Carolina to try to make food as safe as possible for consumers. But a Channel 9 investigation uncovered some unsanitary violations and an increasing demand for staff in one division to complete inspections. …