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.
- “Documentary: Land of Opportunity,” WRAL: (N.C. Board of Agriculture member Jose Calerdon is featured) Immigration is a polarizing issue and the subject of an ongoing national debate. The issue isn’t just political or ideological, especially in our state. Hispanic immigrants play a pivotal and undeniable role North Carolina’s economy. The new WRAL documentary “Land of Opportunity” examines the impact of Hispanic immigrants in North Carolina. Hispanic immigrants make up nearly 30 percent of North Carolina’s workforce in farming, fishing and forestry, and about 20 percent of the construction workforce. Many are college-educated and work in professional fields. The overall buying power of all Hispanic immigrants contributes more than $10 billion each year to the state’s economy, and nearly half a billion dollars in state and local tax revenue.
“Land of Opportunity” profiles several successful Hispanic immigrants in North Carolina and examines their contributions to our economy and our communities. - “Perdue official bullish on soybean prices,” Greenville Daily Reflector: A representative from Perdue AgriBusiness told area soybean growers on Tuesday there are reasons for optimism about soybean prices this year despite an ample global supply. Bradford “Brady” Hansen of Perdue told participants in the Farmers’ Forum held just before the annual Soybean Festival at the K.E. White Graduate Education Center on the campus of Elizabeth City State University that reasons to be bullish on the soybean market include pockets of dry weather that have affected production in soybean-exporting Argentina, a two-week delay in Brazil’s soybean harvest, and a relatively weak dollar in recent months that should make American soybean exports more attractive. On the other hand, Hansen said, optimism about soybean prices is tempered by a recent history of record harvests in Argentia and Brazil. …
- “2018 SETTING A FRIENDLIER TONE FOR COMMODITIES,” Southern Farm Network: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released reports that included World Ag Supply and Demand and 2017 Crop Production figures. The agency said American farmers posted an average of 176.6 bushel per acre after the 2017 corn harvest, bringing in a total of 14.604 billion bushels. The soybean harvest brought in 4.329 billion bushels, with an average yield of 49.1 bushels per acre across the Country. Mike Zuzolo from Global Commodity Analytics tells SFN that 2018 is setting itself up as a friendlier commodity environment.
- “From the vine to wine,” Greenville Daily Reflector: A Father’s Day gift in 2002 led to the creation of a Pitt County winery. Philip and Corinee Guy, the owners and operators of Seven Pines Vineyard, both grew up around grapes. “I remember as a kid coming home from school, getting changed and going down to the vines and eating fresh grapes,” Philip said. Those childhood memories led to Corinee giving Philip a grape vine as a present in 2002. He planted the vine in his front yard and watched it grow. Inspired by that success, he continued to buy vines in different grape varieties. …
- “Hemp Farmacy Focuses on Unique Medical Niche,” Southern Pines Pilot: Once considered legal tender that 17th century colonists could use to pay taxes, industrial hemp is making a comeback. In Southern Pines, the Hemp Farmacy recently began offering a variety of cannabinol (CBD) infused products and nutritional supplements. “I feel the time is now for a hemp revolution,” said Dr. James Taylor, a board-certified anesthesiologist and president of Integrated Pain Solutions. “I think marijuana got started wrong in our country, and that led to recreational use under the guise of medical marijuana. What they skipped over is the CBD.” There are different varieties of the cannabis plant. Hemp and marijuana come from the same species but are genetically different. They are differentiated by cultivation methods, use and their chemical makeup. …
- “Interagency Task Force report address opioid abuse,” Southeast Farm Press: The effects of the opioid epidemic are more intense in rural communities where employment opportunities are often limited and isolation is pervasive. Between 1999 and 2015, opioid death rates in rural areas have quadrupled among those 18-to-25-year-olds and tripled for females. Perhaps most troubling is a fast-growing class of opioid victim had no say in the matter. In 2012, an estimated 21,732 babies – one every 25 minutes – were born with opioid withdrawal symptoms, a condition known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome(NAS). According to a study by University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University, NAS has risen twice as fast in rural areas compared with metropolitan areas. Health care plays a pivotal role in the treatment and prevention of addiction, but its outreach education resources are limited, particularly in rural areas. Fortunately, the Cooperative Extension Services managed by land-grant universities in each state are well positioned at the local level to provide free or low-cost prevention education activities designed to help improve mental and physical health and reduce pain. Such measures may serve to decrease opioid prescriptions and the potential for subsequent abuse. …