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.
- “UAVs soar over North Carolina State Fair,” Southeast Farm Press: Unmanned aircraft, like sneaky late-night radio UFOs, are hovering over the 147th North Carolina State Fair. Except that these small radio-controlled devices actually exist and are part of a new wave of agricultural technology being developed by NC State engineers.Three times a day at the fair – which continues this week and ends on Sunday – members of the champion NC State Aerial Robotics Club demonstrate the vast money-saving potential and worthiness of the small unmanned aerial vehicles, which can provide farmers with invaluable information about how to improve their crops for just a few pennies. …
- “Culinary students, chefs serve up NC delights at the fair,” WRAL: Got to Be NC and the local branch of the American Culinary Federation have teamed up to offer a fresh take on N.C. State Fair cuisine. Chefs and their students are serving up catfish po-boys and bacon wrapped barbecue jalapenos from a yellow food truck outside the Kerr Scott building. It’s not your typical State Fair food, which is attracting many customers wanting an alternative. …
- “Final Fire tickets to go on sale,” Greensboro News & Record: Final Fire is the culmination of regional culinary competitions held across the state by Got To Be N.C. Competition Dining Series. The competitions were a way to spotlight the talents of regional chefs and to promote products produced in North Carolina.Competitions were held in Wilmington, Asheville, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Charlotte. Tim Thompson of Marisol in Greensboro was the winner of the Triad’s regional competition called Fire in the Triad. It was held last spring. …
- “After a slow year, bees rebound at NC State Fair,” News and Observer: For some events at the State Fair, a bad season can dampen competition for the blue ribbon. In the case of the bee and honey contest, entries fluctuate because of weather or the experience of amateur beekeepers. This year, the fair received 513 honey and bee product entries, a surprising increase from last year’s 326. …
- “Fair Destination: Smokey Bear at the N.C. Forest Service exhibit,” WRAL: The big guy has returned to the N.C. State Fair. Big Smokey Bear is back at the N.C. Forest Service exhibit, greeting fairgoers by name and sharing all kinds of information about fire prevention and safety. “Just beware,” he told the crowd Friday morning, “I’m the fire prevention bear.”Smokey, who turned 70 this year, made his first appearance at the fair in about 1982. Chris Carlson, who worked for years in the forest service’s information and education department before retiring, is credited with building the 25-foot tall fiberglass bear who is wearing the biggest pair of jeans you’ve ever seen. …
- “DuPont State Recreational Forest to post closing hours,” Asheville Citizen-Times: For the first time, DuPont State Recreational Forest staff will institute hours of operation, starting on Sunday, Nov. 2. The forest will be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The more than 10,000-acre state forest lies on the border of Henderson and Transylvania counties, south of Asheville. Hours will be posted at each of the DSRF access areas: High Falls, Hooker Falls, Corn Mill Shoals, Fawn Lake, Lake Imaging and Guion Farm. Only forest employees and authorized personnel will be allowed within the forest between closing and opening hours except under permit, said Brian Haines, spokesman with the National Forests in North Carolina. …
- “$1.9 million to fund clean water projects in NC, AG Cooper says,” Jacksonville Daily News: North Carolina’s waterways, wildlife habitat and water quality will get a boost thanks to $1.9 million in environmental grants, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today. “These grants will fund projects that protect and improve our state’s natural resources from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Pamlico Sound,” Cooper said. “Protecting these treasures is vital to our health and our economy.” The grants are the twelfth in a series awarded to environmental projects under an agreement reached in 2000 between the Attorney General’s Office and Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer. …
- “Bailey Farms recalls serrano peppers,” The Packer: Pepper grower Bailey Farms Inc. has recalled more than three tons of serrano peppers sent to retailers and wholesalers after a positive test for salmonella. The recall covers serrano chili peppers sent to Meijer Inc. stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio that may have been purchased by consumers from Oct. 14 to Oct. 19, according to a news release. Other serrano peppers in the recall were shipped to Publix Super Markets Inc., Merchants Distributors Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Food Lion, Flavor 1st Growers and Packers, US Foods, Military Produce Group, C&S Wholesale Grocers, John Vena Inc. and Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc. and available from Oct. 2 to Oct. 21. …
- “Farmer hopes to bring precision back to precision ag with Falcon,” TriState Neighbor: While adopting precision farming practices across his farm, Allan Baucom’s frustration with soil sampling continued to grow. In order to ease the time-consuming, labor-intensive job that soil sampling had become, Baucom worked to develop the Falcon Automated Soil-Sampling System. “It’s designed to take consistent soil samples, repeatable soil samples, and quality soil samples,” said Baucom who farms about 14,000 acres within a 70-mile radius of Monroe, N.C. “To do that, the Falcon takes samples at a consistent depth on a repeatable basis.” …
- “Now THAT’s a winning lamb,” Salisbury Post: N.C. State Fair Abigail Wilson with her winning lamb that sold for big money. Abigail Wilson, 11, of China Grove, demonstrated the grand champion junior market lamb at the state fair. Powers Great American Midways bought the lamb for $11,000. …