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.
- “Catawba County foods and farmers to be celebrated in June,” Hickory Daily Record: “Catawba Valley: Eat, Drink and Grow Local” is the theme for the month-long celebration of local foods and farmers in Catawba County that will take place throughout June. …
- “A powerful use for spoiled food,” News & Observer: What happens to the 40 percent of food produced but never eaten in the U.S. each year, the mounds of perfect fruit passed over by grocery store shoppers, the tons of meat and milk left to expire? At Ralphs supermarket chain, it helps keep the power on. …
- “It’s strawberry picking time in Iredell County,” Charlotte Observer: On a recent early morning, the males outnumbered the females at the strawberry field at Carrigan Farms in Mooresville. Three of the males were little guys picking berries with their moms; two were out for their first strawberry picking adventure. …
- “Early-planted corn is showing problems,” Bladen Journal: Corn planted early in the year often yields better than late-planted corn, but it can also be hindered by unfavorable weather. This year, cool and wet conditions early in the season have stressed plants and slowed root growth. …
- “Scales need to be certified,” Salisbury Post: Those who sell produce and other items by weight must have their scales certified each year. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture will be certifying weigh scales on Wednesday, June 5, at the Salisbury Farmers Market from 8:30 until 11 a.m. …
- “This Week in Agribusiness,” RFDTV: Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong open this segment with a look at the Got to be NC Festival in North Carolina that focuses on the value of agriculture in the state. And Bob Ellison, USDA, offers a look at programs that can help farmers hit by spring flooding. (VIDEO)
- “Chinese company to acquire Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion,” News & Observer: Smithfield Foods, one of North Carolina’s largest employers, has agreed to sell itself to a Chinese company in a $4.72 billion deal that could have far-reaching implications for the state’s multibillion-dollar pork industry. …
- “Fast-growing Cary business plugs in N.C. farms,” Cary News: A local start-up has cobbled together a novel way to put meals on plates: On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, two dozen drivers stock thousands of cardboard boxes with local produce, regional seafood and unique food from across the country for delivery to customers across the Triangle. …
- “Seaboard fire department gets truck boost,” Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald: A former military vehicle is the newest truck in the Seaboard Volunteer Fire Department fleet. The five-ton truck obtained by the North Carolina Forest Service from the military was donated to Seaboard to use as a brush truck/tanker. …