North Carolina dairy industry leads way in secure milk plan

The dairy industry is a fine-tuned machine. From the farm to milk processors to the grocery store, today’s dairy industry is regional in scope and streamlined to run in a most efficient manner. In North Carolina today, there are about 47,000 head of dairy cattle to provide fresh, wholesome milk to residents, compared with 81,000 … Read more

Faces in the Field: Dr. Tahseen Aziz, avian pathologist

When we say that our avian pathologist wrote the book about his field of veterinary pathology, we mean it.  When it comes to diagnosing problems in birds, ducks and other avian species, the book that pathologists reach for is Avian Histopathology. And it so happens that one of the authors of the latest edition is our very own … Read more

Avian flu back in the news

Late on March 3, our Veterinary Division got word that there was a probable case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial poultry flock in Lincoln County, Tenn. Veterinary officials closely monitored the situation over the weekend and staff participated in conference calls each day to stay abreast of news coming from local and federal sources. The … Read more

Faces in the Field: George Revels

Author’s note: Sometimes life just gets in the way. Like for us when Hurricane Matthew hit just a few days before the N.C. State Fair last October. This blog post was written and just waiting to be posted when I got a little sidetracked and this story got put on the back burner. However, the story still deserves … Read more

Today’s Topic: State of Agriculture Address

Today's Topic

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler gave his State of Agriculture address last week at the annual Ag Development Forum during the Southern Farm Show. Listen in as he and Rhonda Garrison discuss the highlights of the speech … Read more

Wake County farm is older than the Declaration of Independence

Not too many families can claim that their farm has been maintained in their family for more than 100 years. As a matter of fact, in North Carolina, less than 1,900 families are listed in the Century Farm Family Program, which has been around since the 1970s. Of those Century Farms, fewer than 300 of them … Read more

News Roundup: Dec. 17-22

News Roundup

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. Holiday note: State government offices are closed Dec. 23-27 for the Christmas holiday. We will be closed again on Jan. 2 for New Year’s observances. We wish you and your … Read more

Today’s Topic: Christmas time is family time

Today's Topic

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” For many families that are scattered throughout the state, Christmas is a time when the whole family comes home. This yearly family reunion is a great time to talk to younger generations about the importance of agriculture in North Carolina … Read more

North Carolina spirits for Halloween

October is North Carolina Spirits Month, so Halloween weekend is the perfect time to highlight some wickedly fun cocktails featuring North Carolina spirits. North Carolina is home to about 50 distilleries and the industry continues to grow. Fair Game Zombie  3/4 cup crushed ice 1 1/2 ounces Fair Game Amber Rum 1 1/2 ounces No’Lasses Sorghum … Read more

A look back at Sept. 5, 1996

Hermine is only the latest in a long line of tropical cyclones to affect North Carolina over the past century. One particularly notorious storm struck the state 20 years ago. If you lived in North Carolina in 1996, Sept. 5 is likely a day that you won’t forget. It’s the day most North Carolinians went to bed to heavy rain and strong … Read more