Press Releases

WHO/WHAT:    WHEN:   WHERE:   BACKGROUND INFORMATION: 
Twenty-six North Carolina students have been named recipients of 2021 N.C. State Fair Youth Livestock Scholarships, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced.The scholarships are designed for high school seniors and students currently enrolled in an institute of higher education who have participated in the junior livestock or market turkey shows at the N.C. State Fair.
Below is a summary of local interest stories that have recently been highlighted on the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ In the Field Blog and social media sites. Please feel free to use any of this content or contact us if you have any additional questions.    
The N.C. Pesticide Board recently approved the following settlement agreements for cases in Beaufort, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Nash, Pitt, Sampson, Union and Yadkin counties. Settlements involved cases of improper pesticide disposal, improper pesticide application, the improper purchasing and selling of pesticides and drift damage. Settlements are listed by county below:
Effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, the N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning for the following counties in North Carolina: Anson, Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland and Wayne. The burn ban went into effect May 24 due to hazardous forest fire conditions in the area.
WHO/WHAT:The N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission will hold a public meeting to review and approve research pilot program applications. WHEN/WHERE:Thursday, July 110 a.m.
N.C. Forest Service personnel responded to an increase in fire activity Friday across eastern North Carolina due to fire weather. Temperature, relative humidity and wind all presented conditions conducive to wildfire.
The 26-county burn ban enacted May 24 prohibits fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices. With nearly half the state in moderate drought status and little rain in the forecast, N.C. Forest Service officials urge North Carolinians statewide to be cautious and to avoid unnecessary risk with fire.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will soon start treating for gypsy moth infestations in areas of Buncombe and Yancey counties. Two areas are scheduled for treatment – a 1,760-acre block around Mount Mitchell in both Yancey and Buncombe counties; and a 2,845-acre block near the Celo community in Yancey County. Treatments are expected to start as early as June 14, weather permitting. Following are descriptions of the treatment areas: