Tobacco was once an important cash crop in the South, but much longer ago, the Cherokee valued it too and meticulously saved their seeds, including some a spelunker found in a cave 2,000 years later.
agriculture
Chowan community embraces Timbermill Wind at kickoff
The governor, local officials, landowners and folks from around Chowan County turned out at the blade-signing event for the 45-turbine wind energy project that is being credited as a needed economic boost that sustains farming.
Hog waste spill prompts advisory for part of Swift Creek
The Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources staff were alerted Tuesday to animal waste in ditches from an unknown source later identified as St. John Farm in Grifton.
State drought-free, but stubborn dry conditions may return
North Carolina is drought-free for the first time in nearly six months, but forecasters warn dry conditions could resume in eastern North Carolina.
Feral hogs a largely unseen but costly problem in state
North Carolina was recently ranked as having the seventh-worst feral swine problem in the country, but state officials say there is no solid estimate of how many of the intelligent, free-roaming, disease-carrying hogs are here.
Follow the sun
Sunflowers are in full bloom at the Trask Family Farms Sunflower Maze at 3650 Blue Clay Road in Castle Hayne. Tickets are required to walk the 9-acre maze. Photo: Mark Courtney
Beekeeping in North Carolina largely an amateur endeavor
North Carolina has the largest state beekeeping association in the country, but its number of large-scale commercial beekeeping operations lags far behind other states.
FarmsSHARE connects growers, underserved communities
FarmsSHARE, a statewide food assistance program that was meant to be temporary during the pandemic, has grown into a network that continues to feed those in need and supports small farms.
House falls short in move to override WOTUS-rollback veto
The 227-196 vote included all seven North Carolina House Republicans and 1st District Democratic Rep. Don Davis in favor of the veto override.
Groups challenge NC’s biogas general permit for hog farms
The Environmental Justice Community Action Network contend the Department of Environmental Quality’s biogas general permit for large-scale hog farms put communities at risk.
Book explores complexity of eating ‘local’ in North Carolina
“I want people to understand their power as eaters in the state of North Carolina, as people who buy and consume foods and impact the health of their community,” says author Marcie Cohen Ferris.
Institute’s meeting to focus on soil vitality, productivity
Climate change mitigation through soil health will be one of the topics addressed during the Soil Health Institute’s seventh annual meeting in August.
EPA to probe alleged discrimination in hog farm permitting
The Environmental Protection Agency says it will investigate the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality over alleged harm to minorities from hog farm operations following a civil rights complaint.
Climate solutions may rely on farms, but technology lags
Farmers know the climate is changing but it could take years before research can confirm the effectiveness of agricultural efforts to conserve nitrogen and sequester carbon.
Agriculture and a warming planet: complex dynamics
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on climate change and land released in 2019 reveals dynamics between land, plants and water in a rapidly warming planet.
Climate in peril: A coastal NC farmer’s perspective
More frequent storms with record amounts of rainfall have pummeled farms in the region and rising saltwater has reached low-lying fields, but while some still question the science, farmers are working to adapt.
