The N.C. Specialty Foods Association recently announced winners of its 2023 Best in Taste product competition during the final virtual Summer of Learning event. The Durham Toffee Company earned grand champion honors for its Espresso Crunch, beating out a total of 163 entries across 12 categories in this year’s competition.
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The N.C. Mountain State Fair wrapped up a successful run with a total attendance of 147,278.“We measure success in many different ways and by every measure it was a great fair,” said fair general manager Sean McKeon. “We saw a lot of smiles and happy faces, we saw strong numbers in our youth participating in general competitions and livestock shows, we helped give back to the community through our community days and special competitions and the fair helped families create lifelong memories.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler inducted two couples into the N.C. Mountain State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame during the fair’s opening weekend. Troxler recognized Buddy and Janice Cochran of Waynesville and Tim and Sonia Worley of Leicester for their longtime support to the fair and the livestock industry in Western North Carolina.
WHAT:Bring five cans or dried goods to the N.C. Mountain State Fair tomorrow and gain free entry to the fair. All donations are collected and distributed by Manna FoodBank.WHEN:Wednesday, Sept. 13, 3 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.WHERE:WNC Agricultural Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, FletcherMORE INFO:
Sharon Gates of Leicester took home two top prizes and a total of $300 in prize money in the N.C. Tomato Growers Association’s Fresh Tomatoes Contest and the N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council Classic Comfort Food Contest. Her winning recipes were Is That Really A Tomato Cake? and Buncombe’s Best Beefed Up Chili. Jennifer Currie of Clyde earned first-place honors and $200 for her Trout Chowder recipe in the N.C. Mountain Trout Cook-Off. Both contests were held during the opening weekend of the Mountain State Fair.
The N.C. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry program has announced that 73 communities, 14 campuses and four utilities have been awarded Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education and Tree Line USA designations for 2022.
The N.C. Structural Pest Control Committee recently approved settlement agreements for cases in Edgecombe, Gaston, Guilford, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Polk and Richmond counties at its meeting in Raleigh. Following are the agreements:
The N.C. State Fair loves a deep-fried treat, but there is something about homemade food that warms the soul. North Carolinians are truly talented, and the Home ChefChallenge allows chefs to show off their cooking abilities with 11 days of competitions.This year’s competitions include slam-dunk sliders, Bella’s Birthday Bash, appetizers with spirit,banana pudding, layer cakes, cast iron chicken pot pie, make-ahead lunches, carnitas street tacos, kickin’ chicken salad, mac-n-cheese and sausage balls.
Haywood County native Kyle Miller has moved into the top leadership position at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville – something he considers not just a blessing but a gift that he feels led to share."I've always loved agriculture. I've always just wanted to farm my whole life,” Miller said. “When it's in your blood, it's more than just a job or profession. You feel like you've got a moral responsibility, and you owe it to the rest of society."
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler has officially recommended to Gov. Roy Cooper that agricultural transportation waivers be implemented for the movement of livestock and agricultural products, paving the way for farmers to work ahead of the impending approach of Hurricane Idalia. The agricultural transportation waivers do not require Council of State concurrence.