N.C. Dairy Advantage and the N.C. Dairy Producers Association are partnering with Deal Rite Feeds in creating a N.C. Cheese Ministry program, with plans to make its first donation Wednesday, April 28, at 10:30 a.m. at the Store House for Jesus in Mocksville.
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Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler was recently honored by the N.C. General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper by the passage and signing of HB 137 that named the new Agricultural Sciences Center in Raleigh the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center.
WHO/WHAT: WHEN: WHERE: BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The N.C. Plant Conservation Board will meet to discuss items related to land conservation, stewardship efforts of the N.C. Plant Conservation Program, and regulatory matters.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has opened the application period for the third phase of its Increasing Meat Production, Efficiency and Capacity (IMPEC) grant program, which is geared to independent state meat and seafood processing facilities.
Employers that have farmworkers with valid H2A visas who must be quarantined during the 2021 growing season due to COVID-19 will be able to apply for assistance to offset quarantine expenses. A total of $2 million will be available through the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services COVID-19 Farmworker Quarantine Reimbursement program. The N.C. General Assembly approved the funding for this aid program, which comes from federal COVID-19 funds earmarked for North Carolina.
Commercial strawberry production requires intensive and precise fertilization. The best way to decide how much fertilizer to supply is to collect leaf and petiole samples and have them tested for nutrient levels. By monitoring nutrient levels and adjusting fertilization accordingly, growers can easily optimize crop growth, fruit quality and economic return.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will soon start treating a gypsy moth infestation in Buxton in Dare County. An annual field survey conducted by NCDA&CS indicated a reproducing population in the Buxton area. Treatments are expected to start on or around April 14, depending on weather conditions and insect development, and should be complete by late April.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division has collected fines from four stores in Scotland and Wake Counties because of excessive price-scanner errors. “The price on the shelf and the price at the register should match,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Stores have a responsibility to make sure their pricing is accurate, and most stores pass inspection. Ones with errors face fines until they come into compliance.”
April signals the start of strawberry season in North Carolina, and local growers are optimistic about the 2021 season and anticipate a crop that should last through Memorial Day.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging equine owners to have their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus.“Mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina lasts from spring until the first frost and horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated,” Troxler said. “EEE is fatal 90 percent of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30 percent. But, both diseases are preventable by vaccination.”Last year, North Carolina saw its first case of EEE in late July. There were nine recorded cases of EEE in 2020.