Pete Radford has been a meat and poultry inspector for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for more than 18 years. His job is to ensure the meat products produced by companies on his watch meet USDA requirements. He is one of about 85 inspectors located across North Carolina whose job is to […]
Meat and Poultry Inspection Division
News Roundup: Dec. 2 -8
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. “Jerome Vick honored with Tobacco Great award,” Wilson Times: Wilson County farmer Jerome Vick told about 250 tobacco farmers to “never give up.” Vick was presented with a prestigious Tobacco […]
News Roundup: Nov. 10-17
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. “Morganton community college rallies to help turkey farmers,” Asheville Citizen-Times: The only Animal Welfare Act-approved poultry processing facility in the southeast closed its doors last month, leaving farmers in six […]
Today’s Topic: NCDA&CS Meat and Poultry Division steps in to help small turkey producers before the holidays
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” The Meat and Poultry Inspection Division recently put temporary exemptions in place to allow farms that are permitted to process their own poultry to be able to process for other small farms. This work around was able […]
Poultry operators granted exemption from NCDA&CS
Small flock owners faced an uncertain business dilemma last month when Cool Hand Meats in Marion, the only small poultry processor in the state, closed its doors. This left many small poultry growers who relied on the processor with no processing options. “A lot of small poultry growers raise only what they have presold for […]
News Roundup: Nov. 4-9
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. “CRISIS TEXT ALERT SYSTEM AVAILABLE FOR PORK PRODUCERS,” Southern Farm Network: The Pork Checkoff has created a text-alert system for pork producers. Pork Checkoff assistant vice president of communications Cindy […]
Art, science and state inspection all part of curing country hams
Nestled in a barn on the Nahunta property in Pikeville are more than 8,000 hams in various stages of curing. And for many tables across our state, the holiday meal isn’t complete without a country ham. Before your Christmas country ham gets to your table, it passes meat inspections by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and […]
Tar Heel Kitchen: Cola Roast
Since 1926, the Agricultural Review has been a free newspaper published by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For many years, The Tar Heel Kitchen was a featured column written by the department’s marketing home economist. These recipes tended to be seasonal with just a handful of ingredients. We thought these recipes needed […]
News Roundup: June 13-19
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. Click on the links to go straight to the full story. “N.C. Wine Summit held in Greensboro,” Greensboro News & Record: On Tuesday, nearly 60 grape growers, winemakers, and industry […]
Today’s Topic: More than 800 NC farmers now registered as meat handlers
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” It’s a well-known fact that livestock and poultry farming accounts for more than 60 percent of farm income in North Carolina. But what might not be as well known is the number of farmers who are […]
Raised in NC: Harris-Robinette Beef
In celebration of Got to Be N.C. month we are featuring local farms and businesses and their products that are Grown. Raised. Caught. Made. here. This week we focus on Raised and highlight Harris-Robinette Beef in Edgecombe County. Raised represents our state’s thriving livestock industry. Livestock, dairy and poultry represented almost 63 percent of the […]
News Roundup: March 15-21
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. Click on the links to go straight to the full story. “Hog virus outbreak stirs disagreement,” Wilson Times: The true severity and scope of North Carolina’s hog virus outbreak has […]