Press Releases
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has expanded a state quarantine for the imported fire ant to include all of Davie, Forsyth and Iredell counties effective Jan. 1, 2026. With the expansion, the quarantine now includes portions or entire areas of 81 counties in North Carolina.
N.C. Forest Service (NCFS) Warren County staff have been named recipients of the 2025 Moreland Gueth Water Quality Award. This award is presented annually to the N.C. Forest Service employee or team of employees who demonstrate creativity and dedication toward the protection of North Carolina’s water resources.
A horse recently imported from Florida to Davidson County has tested positive for Equine Herpes Virus Type 1. Following additional testing and per USDA guidance, the horse meets the case definition for Equine Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The epidemiological investigation for this case indicates that it is not related to the ongoing national EHV1/EHM outbreak.
RALEIGH – A backyard flock in Franklin County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI). The positive sample was identified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh. This is the first confirmed positive in Franklin County and the ninth confirmed positive in North Carolina since Oct. 1. A list of domestic bird cases of HPAI in North Carolina is online at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/veterinary/AvianInfluenza.
RALEIGH – State Veterinarian Mike Martin has granted entry into North Carolina to Santa Claus and his reindeer. This ensures that Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and yes, even Rudolph will be allowed into the state on Christmas Eve. Reindeer are part of the cervid family that include deer, elk, moose and caribou. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides oversight of the movement of captive cervid into the state.
ELIZABETH CITY – Commercial Irish potato growers in the northeastern part of the state agreed to renew an assessment program that supports promotional and research work of the N.C. Potato Association. This assessment supports marketing and research efforts aimed at increasing sales and consumption of North Carolina potatoes.
The N.C. Forest Service (NCFS) is holding Piedmont Training Academy for N.C. Forest Service rangers and foresters Monday, Dec. 8 through Friday, Dec. 12, at Sandhills Community College in Moore County and Stan Adams Training Center in Chatham County. Training courses will cover a variety of wildland firefighting emergency response roles and operations such as initial attack, incident command, basic air operations and field leadership.
North Carolina’s newest educational state forest is now open to the public. Located in Stanley on an important conservation easement, Mountain Island Educational State Forest (ESF) is a working forest, emphasizing forestry best management practices (BMP) related to water quality. Nearby Mountain Island Lake, from which the forest takes its name, supplies water to one out of every 12 residents in North Carolina.
Large animal veterinarians in North Carolina are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funds to help support their large animal practice. The funding opportunity is available to veterinarians who practice in one of the 70 North Carolina counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer and that spend 30% or more of their patient care involved in large animal veterinary care.
WHO/WHAT: The North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Committee will hold a meeting to hear committee member reports and conduct other Sentinel Landscape business. WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1:30 p.m.WHERE: Hall of Fame Room, Agriculture Building2 W. Edenton St., Raleigh.The public may also join in on the meeting via conference number 984-204-1487. The conference ID is 351 157 962, followed by the # key.