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.
- “Community gardens a growing force for local food in Fayetteville,” Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville is home to numerous grocery stores and dozens of busy restaurants.But in Marsha Howe’s eyes, the city is a “food desert.” The term refers to an area where people don’t have ready access to food that’s fresh, healthy and affordable and may suffer diet-related health problems as a result. Several groups hope to help change that by encouraging people to buy more locally grown food – and to consider trying to grow some of their own. …
- “Livestock producers should be on the lookout for cattle disease,” Carolina Public Press: Two cattle herds in North Carolina have been confirmed positive recently for anaplasmosis at the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease that causes red blood cells to be removed from circulation, resulting in fever, severe anemia and even death. Cows from both herds have died. An additional herd is awaiting confirmation, which would make this the 12th herd to be confirmed in North Carolina this year. …
- “North Carolina Pork Council’s Pork Chop Shop Closes After 25 Years,” Southern Farm Network: With the wrap up of the NC State Fair a week or so ago, the North Carolina Pork Council’s Pork Chop Shop closed its doors for a final time after 25 years. Ann Edmonson, Director of Marketing and Communications for NCPC: “The Pork Chop Shop started 25 years ago and we had some great founders that saw a need the Pork Chop Shop and a real strong presence at the NC State Fair. In addition to just the pigs, but to promote the product as well. We have seen it grow and estimate that we had about 320,000 people who have come through the Shop over the years.” …
- “Farm Bill by Christmas?” Southern Farm Network: The farm bill has been a three-year odyssey – according to American Farm Bureau Public Policy Director Dale Moore – but he thinks the long road to legislation may finally be getting close to the finish line. “We were excited last week when we saw the House and Senate Farm bill conference have its official kick off. There will be some tough issues they sort out, but the great news is the two committees are now sitting down to sort out the differences between their two bills. We have the President who made the comment that it’s time to get the farm bill done. We have House and Senate leadership saying that and we have two dedicated chairs and ranking members to make sure it gets done. …
- “Timber harvest idea growing in its appeal,” Mount Airy News: The Mount Airy Board of Commissioners will again take on the idea of harvesting timber at Westwood Industrial Park. Earlier this year the idea surfaced, and the board opted to proceed, with N.C. Forest Service representatives putting together a proposal on how harvesting might be done, how a consultant might be found to oversee the project, and other details. …
- “Opinion: Big farms aren’t ‘bad’,” CNN.com Eatocracy blog: Bo Stone, his wife Missy, and his parents jointly own P & S Farms in Rowland, North Carolina. He represents the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance as one of its Faces of Farming and Ranching. Follow our Farmers with Issues series for more perspective from people out in the field. It’s just before 7:00 a.m. I’m pulling on my boots to step onto the fields of our family farm. The sun is rising, casting a pale glow across the land, making the warming frost sparkle. I love this part of my day. I walk out to the middle of the field and look over my crops. I am proud of the corn, wheat and soybeans we grow on my 2,300-acre family farm. …