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. Following is a selection of stories related to Hurricane Matthew and the start of the N.C. State Fair.
- “State Fair comes at stressful time for farm families dealing with floods,” WRAL: As eastern North Carolina continues to deal with the damage left behind by Hurricane Matthew, officials with the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are hoping the 2016 N.C. State Fair can be an event that brings people together. State Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler said, “Agriculture’s a family in North Carolina, and this state fair is stress relief in getting away from what I know is devastation.” …
- “State Fair honors century farms,” WRAL: (Video) Every four years, the North Carolina State Fair holds a luncheon to honor farmers whose farms have been in their families for at least 100 years.
- “North Carolina sweet potatoes escape serious Hurricane Matthew damage,” The Packer: North Carolina and South Carolina growers continue to assess damage from Hurricane Matthew, which flooded fields and caused power outages when it struck the Carolinas on Oct. 7-9. As North Carolina sweet potato growers had harvested more than half of their crop by mid-October, growers remain optimistic as they continue to assess damage. …
- “Hyde farmers experience crop damage,” Washington Daily News: As Hurricane Matthew pummeled eastern North Carolina Oct. 8-9, and then caused rampant flooding in the weeks following, Hyde County farmers experienced devastating effects on their crops. “While the damage is still being assessed, it is important to realize what these damaged or lost crops mean to the economies of our counties. Some of these images are taken on farms that also suffered crop losses last year, and the year before, all due to the incredible amounts of rainfall we have experienced over that time,” said Rod Gurganus, Beaufort County agriculture agent, who also monitored the flooding in Hyde. Crews and residents worked to pump out some of the standing water, as well as repair the damage left by the floodwaters. …
- “Pictures show hurricane’s unprecedented damage to North Carolina crops,” Southeast Farm Press: (photo gallery) While it is still too early to put a dollar value on the damage to crops in North Carolina from Hurricane Matthew, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says the destruction to agriculture is unprecedented. The commissioner surveyed the crops in eastern North Carolina twice by helicopter and notes that the destruction is worse than the damage brought on by Hurricane Floyd in September 1999. He said cotton, peanuts, sweet potatoes and soybeans are hardest hit. Hogs and poultry were also hard hit, but Troxler said it is amazing that mortality rates weren’t higher. “The hard numbers are we have less than 2 million chickens that have died; we have about 250 million chickens in North Carolina. We lost 1,300 hogs and we raise more than 9 million hogs per year in North Carolina,” Troxler said. …
- “Homeowners should review termite treatment agreements if flooding caused substantial damage,” Bladen Journal: Hurricane Matthew brought significant flooding to many areas of our state. As cleanup begins, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages homeowners to check whether flooding washed away household termite protection. “If soil eroded from around the foundation of a house, or if more soil was deposited on top of treated soil, a home’s termite protection has been jeopardized,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Homeowners need to work with a licensed structural pest control company to determine if liquid termiticide barriers or bait stations have been compromised and to review treatment options.” …
“Cotton crops see biggest hit after Hurricane Matthew,” Washington Daily News: Cotton crops across Beaufort County are taking a hit due to wet conditions exacerbated by Hurricane Matthew. Rod Gurganus, Beaufort County agriculture agent, said farmers are looking at a 50- to 70-percent loss on cotton yield. He said a good yield is about 1,000-1,200 pounds of cotton per acre, but this year the crop was already down to about 700-800 pounds. Matthew dealt another blow, reducing yield even further to about 200-400 pounds. … - “NC State’s Sheppard brews up research,” Technician: Tucked away in the bottom floor of Schaub Hall is an NC State facility many students may be surprised to learn exists: It’s a fully functioning brewery, and it’s in production. The brewery is run by Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences professor John Sheppard, and acts as a research facility where he and some of his graduate students work on improving brewing and fermenting techniques. Sheppard moved to NC State in 2006 from his previous job at McGill University in Montreal, where he had also run a brewery. …
- “Goat Lady Dairy wins big at State Fair,” The Courier Tribune: Goat Lady Dairy of Climax took top honors in the 2016 N.C. State Fair Cheese Competition. The dairy’s Lindale Raw Milk Gouda won Best of North Carolina and Best of Show, in addition to winning the Open Class Hard Cheese category.
Goat Lady Dairy also won first place with its Sandy Creek, Smokey Mountain Round and Roasted Red Pepper Fresh Chevre. The Best of Show and Best of North Carolina winner receives a platter, a rosette and a $100 check from Whole Foods Market. Kilby Family Farm in Asheboro took home two first-place awards. … - “State Fair Brings Fun to NC After Hurricane Matthew,” Time Warner Cable News: (video) This weekend marks the first weekend of the 2016 North Carolina State Fair. Attendance numbers were down for the first two days but thousands of people showed up on Saturday. Those who were able to make it say they are looking for fun and food.Some people say the fair is just what they needed after Hurricane Matthew caused major problems for parts of the state. …
- “Koi Pond beer earns State Fair honor,” Rocky Mount Telegram: A Rocky Mount craft brewer walked away with a first-place award in the recent beer competition held as part of the N.C. State Fair. Strawberry Lotus Saison by Koi Pond Brewing took the top trophy in the commercial fruit beer class, a release says. The brewing competition, in its fifth year this year, is growing, climbing from 553 entries in 2015 to 651 this year. Of this year’s entries, 447 came from professional brewers and 174 from home brewers. The competition is organized by the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild. Professional judges evaluated the beers Oct. 1-2 at Mystery Brewing Co. in Hillsborough. …
- “NCSU students help children milk cows at State Fair,” The News & Observer: By the time 3-year-old Avery Miller made her way to a stool next to Daisy the milk cow, she decided she wasn’t too keen on milking that cow after all. But that didn’t faze the N.C. State University student sitting next to her. Together they rubbed the cow’s belly and talked about where milk comes from. That’s all part of the gig for dozens of N.C. State students who make their way to the State Fair every year for a chance to work with animals and educate hundreds of North Carolinians about the dairy industry and the work that goes into producing a safe product for human consumption. …