https://youtu.be/_MR6MmRJaSw A research project that’s received funding from the NCDA&CS New and Emerging Crops Program is developing new varieties of hops for use in the state’s craft beer industry. Currently, the state’s breweries depend largely on hops grown in...
Research Stations Division
Research looks at whether surrogacy could lead to dairy cows producing beef offspring
Whether you’re familiar with modern day cow breeding practices or not, you’d be tempted to call a new effort at some of the state’s research stations “next level.” The idea isn’t exactly brand new, but it certainly hasn’t been around long enough to be called “old” yet either. In fact, this new experiment at the […]
New tractor lending program brings benefits to research stations
Research Stations Division Director Teresa Lambert expects a new tractor lending program to be a nice boost for two of the state’s agricultural research locations. It already has her dreaming about expanding the program too as a way to help even more stations with their important work. The program involves John Deere lending $1.28 million […]
Research station teams ups to help flooded farmers in WNC
Less that 24 hours after remnants of Tropical Storm Fred flooded areas of western North Carolina, staff at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville began mobilizing to help farmers who needed a hand to recover. The flooding rains came on a Monday. On Tuesday, the aid effort began. “The morning following the flooding, we started […]
Research station welcomes visitors for popcorn tour
On a hot, humid, August morning recently, Amy Manzulich of Roxboro stood on the edge of a corn plot on the Oxford Research Station, watching her four children pull ears of corn from the stalks. Braving the heat was worth it as they each brought over ears and shucked them to see the kernels on […]
Driving N.C. Agriculture in the Blacklands
With agriculture being our state’s number one industry, North Carolina is well-known for its beautiful acres of farm land and variety of crops. The blacklands, an area of the state often overlooked when discussing agriculture, is actually one of the largest crop producing regions of our state. The blacklands encompass the following eight counties in […]
Research Stations again welcoming public for show-and-tell
One of the things in N.C. agriculture that is helping 2021 feel a little more normal is the return of field days at the state’s agricultural research stations. During 2020, several of the field days were cancelled, and others switched to a virtual online format. This year, the calendar has a few field days that […]
Many agricultural field days are held throughout the summer at Research Stations across the state. Several are on the horizon, so you can make your plans now to attend.
Summary: Six agricultural field days are scheduled for North Carolina research stations through August. Topics covered include Christmas trees, produce, peanuts, dairy and tomatoes. In 2020, most meetings became virtual events out of necessity, including field days put on by the research stations across the state. If you are unfamiliar with field days, these events […]
Automated machines bring numerous benefits to dairy research (Part Two)
Automation in agriculture has revolutionized some of the work on farms, including North Carolina’s 18 research stations. Automated features on equipment can improve accuracy and consistency, from tractors in fields to operations in barns. There’s also a benefit in the aspect of labor because automation can save lots of man hours and essentially do more […]
Automation keeps research stations moving into future (Part One)
North Carolina’s 18 research stations are often thought of as a big piece of agriculture’s future. The research done on the stations helps farmers find better, more productive ways to produce more food and fiber for a growing population. To keep moving agriculture into the future, the research stations are implementing several technologies that involve […]
Research could help N.C. farmers grow cigar wrapper tobacco for premium prices
Growing tobacco in North Carolina is nothing new, but tobacco that can sell for nearly $6 per pound certainly is. The recent norm for the state’s traditional flue cured or burley varieties is close to $2 per pound. However, some work at the state’s agricultural research stations means the jaw-dropping $6 figure may become more […]
Drawing from past and present, new Research Stations director leads into the future
It’s not uncommon for a woman who grew up helping on the farm to embrace the term “farm girl,” but what do you call a woman who grew up on one of North Carolina’s agriculture research stations where farming meets academic research? In one case, you could call that woman the division director. Teresa Lambert […]