Summary: It is well established that pollinators are essential to food production, with a third of every mouthful of food attributed to pollinated crops. Protecting pollinators, especially bees, has been an ongoing focus of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and...
Spring is upon us and the bees are buzzing – sometimes in places we don’t expect. Encountering an unexpected swarm of bees can be a scary experience, but it doesn’t have to be a dangerous one. Simply by giving the bees the space they need and knowing who to call, you can avoid needless harm […]
It’s the time of year when you may be seeing more carpenter bees around your house, especially if you’re around your house more these days. Carpenter bees are solitary though, so you won’t find them in hives – probably just one or two at a time in any given area. Right now, lots of male […]
Bee populations in North Carolina are on the upswing, and that means just one thing for beekeepers: you guessed it, more work. Warmer weather means more bees, and more bees means an increase in the predatory varroa mites that can threaten their broods, according to Don Hopkins, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services […]
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. “A de-vine time September is N.C. Wine and Grape Month,” McDowell News: Wineries, grape growers, restaurateurs and state officials gathered in Raleigh Tuesday to officially kick-off N.C. Wine and Grape Month, […]
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. “MO mayor blasts Farm Bill protest before legislature,” Mount Olive Tribune: The N.C. Farm Act of 2018 is strongly supported by Mount Olive Mayor Joe Scott, who spoke before members […]
If you want to save the bees, you may have to start by thinking like one. That’s the key to sustainable success for 25-year-old Leigh-Kathryn Bonner, founder and CEO of the 2014 Durham startup, Bee Downtown. Bonner claims her passion for beekeeping stems from a simple admiration for their importance in nature. “Everything a bee […]
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Mike Davis to discuss “Today’s Topic.” The online mapping programs DriftWatch and BeeCheck were launched two years ago, and the recent addition of two new apps (FieldCheck and BeeCheck) make them even easier to use. The FieldCheck app will allow users to access […]
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. “These long horns aren’t longhorns. How an NC farmer is sustaining a rare cattle breed,” The News & Observer: When an 800-pound cow stares you down, you take notice. When she’s a […]
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. “NC Farm Bureau director says NC is no longer Mayberry,” Salisbury Post: As of July 2007, the world has been more urban than rural, according to a study by the […]
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. “Sweet potatoes have been a very sweet deal indeed for North Carolina farmers,” Southeast Produce Weekly: When Congress passed the Fair and Equitable Tobacco Reform Act in October 2004, some […]
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. “State of the State: Commissioner Steve Troxler talks NC ag past, present and future,” Southeast Produce Weekly: SPW spent last weekend at the ‘Got to Be NC’ Festival here, an […]