Bucolic Briefs
The 21st Annual N.C. Aquaculture Development Conference will be held Jan. 29-31 at the Sheraton Atlantic Beach. A self-guided tour of fish farms in the Vanceboro area and the N.C. State University Seafood Laboratory in Morehead City will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 29. The conference and trade show will be held from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Jan. 30 and from 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 31. Registration is $95 through Jan. 15, $125 from Jan. 15-Jan. 28, and $150 on site. To register, go to www.ncaquaculture.org or mail to N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, Craven County Center, 300 Industrial Drive, New Bern, NC 28562. For more information, call (252) 633-1477.
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A series of regional meetings designed to garner input on developing a comprehensive strategic plan for managing the state’s 18 research station will be held in December and January. Public comments are welcome at the meetings. Following are dates, times and locations: Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Tidewater Research Station in Plymouth, (252) 793-4118; Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Wake County Office Park in Raleigh, (919) 250-1000; and Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, (828) 456-3943. The meetings are hosted by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, N.C. A&T State University and N.C. State University. For more, go to www.ncagr.com/research/strategicplan.htm.
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The 3rd Annual Agritourism Networking Association Conference will be held Feb. 19 & 20 in Hickory at the Park Inn Conference Center. A reception will be held Thursday evening, Feb. 19, at Woodmill Winery and Vineyard in Vale. The conference will feature eight, one-hour workshops. For more, contact Martha Glass, manager, Agritourism Office, at (919) 733-7887 or martha.glass@ncagr.gov.
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The Northern Piedmont Specialty Crop School will be held Feb. 27 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Person County Exentsion Center in Roxboro. The cost is $25 per person and includes lunch. Additional family members or business associates of attendee can join the class for $15 each including lunch. Pre-registration by Feb. 20 is required. To register, or for more information, contact Carl Cantaluppi at (919) 603-1350 or e-mail at carl_cantaluppi@ncsu.edu.
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The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages livestock producers to register their farms with the NCFarmID program. NCFarmID is a voluntary program to register farms for a national identification number as a way to protect livestock in the event of a disease outbreak. For more, contact NCDA&CS at (919) 715-2951 or go to www.NCFarmID.com.
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