For North Carolina blueberry growers, pest management is a regular part of their work, and for the most part they know what to expect from year to year. However, in recent years, an unfamiliar visitor has been turning up beneath the soil. Now researchers are working to understand it and figure out how to deal … Read more
Developing better blueberry varieties is only part of the work needed to keep North Carolina’s blueberry industry thriving. Protecting those plants from diseases, and helping growers respond when new threats emerge, is just as important. That work falls to researchers like Bill Cline and Caleb Bollenbacher, Extension plant pathologists with North Carolina State University based … Read more
North Carolina blueberry farmers have some solid options when it comes to what cultivated varieties – or cultivars – of blueberries they grow, but various demands on those farmers mean they’re always in need of improved blueberries that meet their evolving needs. That’s where blueberry breeding research comes into play, along with the research stations … Read more
After years of planning and construction, the new Vytelle barn at the Umstead Beef Unit in Butner has reached an important milestone. The first research project to utilize the barn is officially underway, meaning the barn now has cattle in it for the first time. The cows were moved into the barn in late April. … Read more
In Washington County east of Plymouth, the Tidewater Research Station is part of a unique place in North Carolina’s agricultural research landscape. As the easternmost of the state’s 18 research stations operated by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), Tidewater provides a research platform unlike anywhere else in the state. It is … Read more
Tucked just north of Wilmington, the Horticultural Crops Research Station at Castle Hayne sits in the warm, sandy soils of New Hanover County – a landscape uniquely suited to small fruit research. With 111 acres split between two sites, the station supports one of the largest public blueberry-breeding programs in the world while also hosting … Read more
Founded in the earliest years of the 20th century, the Upper Coastal Plain Research Station (UCPRS) outside of Rocky Mount is the oldest of North Carolina’s 18 research stations and remains a cornerstone for agronomic research in the state’s eastern region. What began as a trial site of about 201 acres in 1902 became an … Read more
As the Christmas season shifts into high gear, it’s a busy time for growers of all types of Christmas trees, and chief among them in North Carolina is the Fraser fir, which has become the state’s – and much of the country’s – favorite type of Christmas tree. To kick of the season early, the … Read more
North Carolina’s agricultural landscape is one of the most diverse in the country, and now researchers are exploring a possible new crop with the addition of tea. They’re working to evaluate tea plants or develop new plants – looking for ones that thrive in colder climates, deliver unique health benefits and serve double duty as … Read more
When you bite into a juicy, perfectly ripe peach from a North Carolina farm this summer, you’re tasting decades of careful research, trial and error and dedicated work. Much of that work has been centered at the Sandhills Research Station in the Windblow community, tucked into the southeast corner of Montgomery County, near the Moore … Read more
