I spend a great deal of time on the road with my job. Seeing the state, particularly the areas outside of our urban centers, is something I enjoy most about my work. Seeing both the rural and urban areas serves as an excellent reminder that North Carolina is more...
I found an interesting 2017 FFA article that listed its predictions for the Top 5 Agriculture Careers in 2020. In order, they were 1. Drone Technologists 2. Hydrologists 3. Ag Communicators 4. Food Scientists 5. Precision Agriculture Technologists. The common thread with nearly each of these is science and technology – things that people may […]
The federal Food Safety Modernization Act was signed into law in January 2011. This act represents significant and historic change in food regulation and addresses every aspect of food production from farm to fork. Below Commissioner Steve Troxler discusses FSMA and the On Farm Readiness Reviews. Recently the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services […]
For too many of our farmers in Eastern North Carolina, fall has changed from a time of optimism to one of loss. First, Tropical Storm Hermine brushed the northeastern corner of the state, causing significant flooding and problems for farmers. Then, remnants of Tropical Storm Julia blanketed much of Eastern North Carolina. The final, devastating […]
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and like many of you, I will be enjoying the day with family and friends around a home-cooked meal. This holiday season I am thankful for farmers and what they provide to our state. As you sit down to your meal, there’s a good chance what you are eating was grown by […]
This past week has been a big one for ag awareness in our state. We have celebrated National Ag Day, Ag Awareness Week and N.C. A&T State University’s Small Farms Week. On Wednesday I had the honor of attending a luncheon honoring small farmers and recognizing Ryan Wiebe of Burnsville in Yancey County, who was […]
Yesterday I had the honor of speaking at a ceremony commemorating the opening of the L.L. Polk House in Raleigh. Many North Carolinians probably don’t know much about Leonidas LaFayette Polk, but he was instrumental in standing up for agriculture in North Carolina during the latter half of the 19th century. Polk grew up in Anson […]
For a while now, our staff has been working with the U.S. Marine Corps on a unique partnership. The Marine Corps is interested in creating buffers around its bases and training zones so that Marines can continue to train without bothering homes, businesses and schools. For example, Marine pilots have to practice a variety of […]
Ambassador Ron Kirk, President Obama’s U.S. trade representative, paid a visit to North Carolina last week to tout the pending free trade agreement with South Korea. If enacted, the agreement could be a boon to North Carolina farmers by expanding a potentially lucrative export market. The president has instructed Kirk to complete the agreement by […]
North Carolina has long been known as the Tobacco State. After all, we lead the nation in the production of flue-cured tobacco, producing nearly 77 percent of all flue-cured tobacco grown in the U.S. But the days when a farmer could make a comfortable living growing just a few acres of tobacco are gone. Changes […]
Last week, I had the privilege of meeting Joe Thompson, who went from growing tobacco to growing freshwater prawns on his farm in northern Orange County. Thompson was honored March 24 with the 2010 Gilmer L. and Clara Y. Dudley Small Farmer of the Year Award from N.C. A&T State University. Joe is among a […]
For decades the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and N.C. State University have partnered on agricultural research and various other programs and services. On Thursday, we’re launching our latest collaboration, a speaker series for students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Like many of our partnerships, the goal of this series […]