Earth Day is a good time to remember a program within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that focuses on safety and environmental protection. That program is the Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program (PDAP), which protects our lands,...
Farmers and pesticide applicators planning to use auxin products in 2023 have more options for training this year, compared to years past. (This applies specifically to applicators using over-the-top dicamba products such as XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium on...
With the warm weather of summer, you may have seen a few extra critters around your yard, and that may have brought back up some bad advice on how to deal with them - especially snakes. Even for wildlife lovers, snakes are not always welcomed with open arms, but...
The COVID-19 pandemic changed many things for people in all walks of life, and one of those things has been the licensing testing related to pesticides in North Carolina. During the pandemic, a significant effort was made to move the testing online, and it seems the change is here to stay – at least for […]
On a recent spring day, the buzz of drones filled the air over one of N.C. State University’s field labs about five miles south of campus. Beside the big open fields, stood staff from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, heads tilted up. An overcast sky helped them stare up to follow each […]
Now that summer is fully upon us, you may be encountering some typical summertime pests around North Carolina. It may not help that you’re probably home more, giving you more opportunity to notice the critters around the house. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides oversight of pest control professionals to be […]
From grapes to cotton, tobacco to Christmas trees, any crop can be harmed if the wrong herbicide or pesticide comes in contact with it. Certain specialty crops are especially vulnerable because they can be damaged by lots of normal herbicides and pesticides that are commonly used on farms and yards across North Carolina. Beehives could […]
It seems many people, including business owners and managers, are thinking about deep cleaning these days. That’s especially true as more businesses in North Carolina reopen and people transition from the governor’s “stay home” order to a “safer at home” advisory. While still not advised by the state’s health leaders, that means more people will […]
In less than six months, work is expected to be completed on the NCDA&CS Agricultural Sciences Center. For a project that has been more than four years in the making, the approaching deadline brings excitement and a greater focus on the next challenge – moving five separate lab facilities into one building. The laboratory complex […]
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 […]
Four million pounds. Two thousand tons. Sixty-four million ounces. No matter how you say it, it’s a big number, and for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer services, it’s a major milestone. Four million pounds is the amount of pesticides the department has helped collect and properly dispose of since 1980. That’s the year […]
With over 2,000 employees in 20 divisions and a presence in all 100 counties, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services touches the lives of North Carolinians every day. We have regulatory and service responsibilities that are wide-ranging, but all seek to support and promote the health and welfare of the residents of this state. […]