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
Perched more than 3,200 feet above sea level in Ashe County, the Upper Mountain Research Station occupies a place unlike any other in North Carolina’s statewide research network. As the highest-elevation station operated by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), Upper Mountain provides a climate, growing conditions, and research environment that simply … 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
After more than a decade of service, Sam Brake retired from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at the beginning of September. He helped lead a few of the many programs spread across the department, with his programs being based in the Research Stations Division. His retirement is a bittesweet moment for 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
Could North Carolina farmers soon add a sunny new fruit to their fields and their bottom lines? That’s a question Dr. Jonathan Schultheis is trying to answer with an agricultural research project currently underway. As a professor of horticultural science at N.C. State University, Schultheis is exploring the potential that canary melons might be the … Read more
