Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. Click on the links to go straight to the full story.

• “NC businesses, bases hope to withstand military budget cuts,” The News & Observer: Growing fruits and vegetables on 200 acres of Lenoir County land is sometimes a hard way to make a living. Curtis Smith knows it’s the military in North Carolina that gives his family farm a fighting chance. Smith sells his strawberries, cantaloupes, watermelons, sweet potatoes and collard greens through local grocery stores, farmers markets and roadside stands. But for some of those crops, up to half the annual sales of T.C. Smith Produce Farm Inc., are to a company that provides produce for commissaries at military installations, including Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. …

• “WNC Agricultural Options celebrates 10-year anniversary,” Mountain Xpress: A program that has fostered farm diversification, innovation and profitability in a midst of a transitioning agriculture economy is celebrating its 10th year of awarding grants to assist farmers. WNC Agriculture Options presented 29 farm businesses in western North Carolina a total of $153,000 Thursday at an event at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River. …

• “NC Farmer Giving Grain Sorghum a Second Chance,” Southern Farm Network: (Audio) Last year, Grover, NC soybean farmer Jason Rhodes decided to give grain sorghum a try for the first time.  Rhodes explains why: “I needed a herbicide change to potentially kill the pig weed and also needed to put a true rotation crop in.” While summer weed control will be determined later this summer, Rhodes says his usual crop of winter annuals is less on the 100 acres where sorghum grew last year: “I can tell even now that the weed control is positive. I usually have a lot that comes in as a winter annual and right now we are not even seeing that. It also improves my organic matter. How it does with pigweed I wont know until I replant this year.” …

• “Loss of Lorillard would be painful blow to Greensboro,” Greensboro News & Record: It’s possible that another of Greensboro’s corporate headquarters is on the line. Just a week ago, Greensboro-based RF Micro Devices announced it plans to merge with Hillsboro, Ore.-based TriQuint Semiconductor without saying where the new corporate headquarters would land. Now, one of the hottest topics in the investment world is reports that suggest Winston-Salem’s Reynolds American will buy Greensboro’s Lorillard to create a tobacco company that would own about 40 percent of the cigarette market. …

• “Wilmington is abuzz with beekeepers,” Wilmington Star-News: From local blueberries and strawberries to almonds, lemons and countless other produce items grown nationwide, understating the impact of bees isn’t possible as far as Julian Wooten is concerned. “Most of the food we consume can be traced back to the honeybee,” Wooten said. “You can’t put a value on them.” …

• “NC study group recommends using drones for ag research, rescue missions,” The News & Observer: State and local government agencies in North Carolina should be allowed to fly drones for various purposes, from search and rescue missions to agricultural research, a study group examining the issue recommends in a new report. Chris Estes, the state chief information officer, presented the 26-page report to state lawmakers Thursday. It was compiled by a group led by the CIO’s office and the N.C. Department of Transportation that included representatives from local governments, state agencies and universities. …

• “Grain for gain,” Waynesville Mountaineer: Livestock producers could get as much of a kick out of the craft breweries as the many beer-lovers in the area. One of the main by-products of making beer is the leftover grain, a product that appears to be as nutritional as the original product. While the spent barley and other cereal grains used in brewing beer have long been used on dairy farms, there has been scant research on how well beef cattle perform on the feed, said Philipe Moriel, an associate professor at N.C. State University and the livestock specialist who works out of the Waynesville facility. …

March 7th, 2014 By: Heather Overton | Tags: agricultural drones, Curtis Smith, grain sorghum, Inc., Jason Rhodes, Lorillard, Mountain Research Station, N.C. beekeepers, N.C. Military Business Center, N.C. State University, NC produce at commissaries, Philipe Moriel, Reynolds American, spent grains, spent grains field trials, T.C. Smith Produce Farms, WNC Agricultural Options | Category: Field Notes, News Roundup | Leave a comment

Twice a month we highlight local restaurants, farms and farmers markets featured on episodes of UNC-TV’s “Flavor, NC.” This week, we review the second episode of Season 3, in which host Lisa Prince highlights farm-raised catfish from Carolina Classics Catfish in Ayden.

“Whether you call them mudcats, pollywogs or chuckleheads, one thing is for sure, you are going to want to call them dinner,” Lisa said. Carolina Classics Catfish owner Rob Mayo shows viewers the catfish harvesting process from eggs and fingerlings to packaging. The company harvests five million pounds of catfish a year, or about 25,000 pounds a day. Customers include Jason Smith, chef and owner of 18 Seaboard in Raleigh. This restaurant specializes in using locally-sourced food. Nearly half of their total local food purchases last year was seafood.

Chef Jason and Lisa prepare three popular catfish dishes that are available at the restaurant: Blackened Catfish Salad, Cornmeal Crusted Catfish and Coriander Fennel Crusted Catfish. Click on recipe name for a link to the recipe.

If you would like more information on aquaculture in North Carolina, visit http://ncagr.gov/markets/aquaculture/index.htm.

March 6th, 2014 By: Heather Overton | Tags: 18 Seaboard, Carolina Classics Catfish, Jason Smith, Lisa Prince, nc aquaculture, Rob Mayo | Category: Flavor, NC | Leave a comment

The loading dock of Agronomic Services lab on Nov. 27 was filled with soil samples trying to avoid the new $4 peak-season fee.

In December a new fee went into effect for processing peak-season soil samples with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agronomic Services Division. This $4 fee was meant to encourage farmers to submit their soil samples early and lessen the backlog that occurs from December through March, when the lab receives tens of thousands of samples. About 60 percent of samples that come to the lab for the entire year come in during this time. Soil samples submitted before Thanksgiving were processed for free, and those submitted after the deadline would cost $4 for sample.

“Soil samples are an important management tool for farmers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “It helps them determine what nutrients need to be added to maximize crop growth and yields, and also protect the environment. If you are not making use of soil sampling, I would encourage you to do so.”

Thousands of samples pour into the lab in Raleigh; so many that carts filled with samples line the halls outside the lab, waiting to be processed. With the volume of samples being so high during peak season, turnaround time could be up to nine weeks. This could leave farmers with only a short window of time to order fertilizer and apply lime.

A lab technician checks the pH of soil samples submitted to the Agronomic Services lab.

The new fee meant that an unprecedented number of samples came into the lab in November, pushing turnaround time to eight weeks at a time of year that usually has a much quicker processing time. “That is a plus though, because earlier sampling means that farmers will get their results back in plenty of time to supplement their fields before planting,” said Dr. David Hardy, section chief of soil testing for the Agronomic Services Division. The agronomic lab has analyzed more than 250,000 samples since July 1. “We are thankful that so many farmers got their samples turned in this November,” Hardy said. “Right now excess moisture is a factor because of the wintry weather the state has seen. If the soil is too wet to till, it is also too wet to sample.”

The division has been looking at others ways to meet the demands of growers and homeowners. A new pH robot has also been helpful in increasing daily processing capacity at the lab. The robot can process 720 to 900 samples a day. During the high end of the busy season, it was analyzing about 25 percent of daily samples.

The Agronomic Services lab’s pH robot can analyze 720 to 900 samples per day.

For growers that want to submit a sample during peak season and avoid a longer wait, the lab sold 525 expedited shippers for $200 each. Each shipper held 36 samples and offered a guaranteed turnaround of 10 business days.

“The new fee was not meant to discourage people from taking soil samples,” Troxler said. “It was an attempt to get these critical samples in earlier so they can be useful and effective for farmers.”

Due to the earlier peak season, the soil lab is now back to its typical turnaround time of two weeks or less. The peak season fee will end March 31.

Homeowners don’t face the same production timetables as farmers. The best time for homeowners to submit samples is April through October, when lab turnaround time is typically two weeks or less. Samples boxes are available at Cooperative Extension offices and the Agronomic Services Division lab in Raleigh. Homeowners should identify areas of their property that they may want to fertilize differently, such as lawn, flower garden, vegetable garden, trees and shrubs. A different sample needs to be taken for each area. Visit the Agronomic Services website, www.ncagr.gov/agronomi, for information on how to collect a sample and submit it to the lab for testing.

March 5th, 2014 By: Heather Overton | Tags: Agronomic Division, Dr. David Hardy, how to take soil samples, nc peak season soil fee, nc soil samples, peak fee soil testing, soil testing | Category: Field Notes | Leave a comment

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”

Spring officially starts later this month, which means it’s a good time of year to test wheat for nitrogen. Applying nitrogen at the right time in spring is essential to the growth and development of wheat. Using tissue sampling to find out your wheat crop’s nitrogen needs now will help you to optimize your yield later.

To decide how much spring nitrogen to apply, submit two samples of wheat leaves to the Agronomic Services Division for testing. One sample will be used to measure plant nutrient content, and the other will be used to measure biomass. Both tests are necessary to obtain the most precise recommendation. The fee is $5 per sample for North Carolina residents and $25 per sample for residents of other states.

Tissue sampling should be done when wheat reaches Zadoks growth stage 30. Agronomists expect most wheat in the eastern and piedmont regions of the state to reach this stage in early to mid-March. Applying nitrogen too early could cause tender new growth that would be susceptible to injury during cold snaps. On the other hand, if you wait until after jointing occurs, that increases the chances of damage by application equipment.

In addition to tissue sampling, the department recommends testing biomass samples, too, which is a relatively new part of the nitrogen determination process. The method was developed by Dr. Randy Weisz at N.C. State University.

North Carolina growers wanting more information about determining growth stage 30, or collecting tissue and biomass samples, should contact their regional agronomist, county Cooperative Extension agent or other agricultural adviser.

Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss the importance of tissue sampling wheat in spring.

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Southern Farm Network is a division of Curtis Media Group.

March 4th, 2014 By: Brian Long | Tags: Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, NCDA&CS Agronomic Services Division, Rhonda Garrison, Southern Farm Network, Today's Topic, wheat | Category: Today's Topic on Southern Farm Network | Leave a comment

 Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. Click on the links to go straight to the full story.

• “Ag Exports to China Continue to Grow,” Southern Farm Network: The Chinese are an important part of the North Carolina ag Economy, and that importance continues to grow. Peter Thornton, Assistant Director of International Marketing with North Carolina Department of Agriculture explains that the focus of agricultural marketing in China has broadened: “It’s a tremendous potential market for us. We are finding out that the big cities are very developed and very competitive markets.  …

• “From stores or farms, food safety a priority,” WNCN: (Video) Agriculture is North Carolina’s No. 1 industry, and a growing part of that comes in the farm-to-fork movement.   Hundreds of farmers markets dot the state and it’s a billion-dollar industry nationwide. “The freshness, you can’t beat,” Russell Shinn said as he rubbed his hands against the cold morning air at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. Shinn is a chef at the Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen in Cary.  He has a lot to consider when he goes to the farmers market each week.  …

• “Virus hitting hard on NC hog farms,” Charlotte Observer: Nearly a third of the state’s 3,000 large commercial hog farms have been hit by a fast-spreading virus that usually kills every piglet it infects, and many farmers and veterinarians think it’s just a matter of time before the rest of the farms are hit.Like human flu, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus thrives in cold, wet winter months. Recently it has been popping up on North Carolina farms at a rate of nearly 100 a week, according to data kept by state veterinarian David Marshall’s office. The numbers may be low, though, since farmers aren’t required to report it.”The scientific community is still trying to figure out what this virus is all about, and the industry is working very hard trying to stop the spread,” Marshall said. …

• “NC crop sales rise, despite farmland dwindling,”Asheville Citizen Times News: When it comes to agriculture, business is booming in North Carolina — and the mountains. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released preliminary results of its 2012 Census of Agriculture, and it shows that crop sales in North Carolina have risen dramatically. But it also shows the state lost 2,703 farms from 2007-12, and 62,560 acres of farmland. Sales of crops, including nursery and greenhouse products, jumped 65 percent from 2007-12, growing from $10.3 billion to $12.6 billion. …

• “Farmers from across the country tour “house that cotton built,” Southeast Farm Press: (Photo Gallery) They say it’s the “house that cotton built.” It’s the high-tech headquarters of Cotton Incorporated in Cary, N.C., where research and development are conducted to keep cotton on consumers’ minds and bodies. Annually, Cotton Incorporated lays out the red carpet and invites cotton producers from across the country to tour the facility, which was established, built with, and funded by check-off dollars assessed on each bale of cotton marketed in, or the equivalent imported into, the United States. The assessment is $1 plus .5 percent of a bale’s value. This year’s multi-region producer tour was Feb. 16-18. More than 120 cotton producers and their spouses and guests from the Southeast, Mid-South, Southwest and Western U.S. cotton-producing regions traveled to take part in the tour.

• “Why NC Lawmakers Want To Bring Fresh Apples And Broccoli To 400,000 People,” WUNC: More than 410,000 people across North Carolina don’t have easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables, according to a Duke University study. North Carolina lawmakers are looking for ways they can help get fresh fruits and vegetables to corners of the state — urban and rural — where they’re difficult to access. Non-profit organizations and local governments across the country have for years identified areas known as “food deserts” across the country, but the House Committee on Food Desert Zones is the first effort by state lawmakers to address the issue. Members of the bi-partisan committee, which is meeting four times before the General Assembly reconvenes for its session in May, are hearing from grocery store managers, public health officials and non-profit workers and looking at potential courses of action, such as tax incentives for stores that open in food deserts. More than 410,000 people live in 171 food deserts across North Carolina, according to a Duke University study published in 2012. …

• “Pine State Flowers to open in 1930s-era flower shop,” Durham Herald Sun: Susie Zadeh, from Atlanta, Georgia poses with the building soon to be Pine State Flowers in Durham. Zadeh is opening the shop with Maggie Smith in late March…They want to re-open it as a flower shop called Pine State Flowers in March. Smith, who has been involved in the local food, small farming movement, said the idea is to, as much as possible, make the shop a place where local farmers can sell their locally grown flowers. …

• “Chew on This: Business helps Triangle farmers earn income in winter,” The News & Observer: Winters can be tough for some farmers. If they don’t have a market for their crops, they don’t grow them and, of course, they don’t make any money. The Produce Box, a Raleigh-based company that offers weekly delivery of fresh North Carolina produce, wants to change that for the 40 or so farmers who work with them. …

February 28th, 2014 By: Heather Overton | Tags: 2012 Census of Agriculture, China Tobacco, Cotton Incorporated, David Marshall, farm-to-fork movement, Food desert zones, Joe Reardon, local food home delivery, local food system, N.C. exports, NC 10% campaign, North Carolina food deserts, PED Virus, Peter Thorton, Pine State Flowers, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, The Produce Box | Category: Field Notes | Leave a comment

Brian and Lisa share a month’s worth of great pork recipes.

WRAL reporter Brian Shrader and our own Lisa Prince feature seasonal recipes in their Got to Be Good Cookin’ segment using ingredients grown and available right here in North Carolina. Featured this month were recipes made with N.C.-grown pork. North Carolina ranks second in the nation in the number of hogs and pigs, bringing $2.5 billion in cash receipts in 2012. Leading counties for hog farms include Duplin, Sampson and Bladen.

Recipes this month include ham and swiss poppy seed rolls, ham steak with pineapple, pork saltimbocca and cheesy chicken ham enchiladas. Click on the recipe name for a link to a printable recipe and video.

Lisa calls the Ham and Swiss Poppy Seed Rolls “old-fashioned, simple and delicious.” The rolls can be served as breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack.

Ingredients

• 1 pack small dinner rolls (we used King’s Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls)
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 4 slices thin ham
• 2 tablespoons minced onion
• 1 tablespoon spicy mustard
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1⁄2 c margarine

Instructions:
Slice rolls in half while they are all still connected. Remove the top layer. Cover the bottom layer with ham and Swiss. Cover with the top layer and place in a baking dish. Melt butter and add the onion, mustard and poppy seeds. Stir to combine. Pour or spoon the butter mixture over the top of the rolls. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Ham Steak and Pineapple is a recipe that Lisa’s mother-in-law taught her to make. She calls it a “sweet, savory, easy dinner option.”

Ingredients:

• 16-ounce Ham Steak (cut into fourths, remove any fat and the bone or buy boneless)
• 1 can pineapple rings in own juices (reserve juice)
• 4 tablespoons butter or margarine (can use less )
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar

Instructions:

In a large sauté pan on medium heat, melt butter and add pineapple slices. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the top of the pineapple slices. Heat pineapple slices for 2 minutes on each side. Move pineapple slices to one side of the pan. Add ham and cover with remaining brown sugar and then cover the ham with the pineapple slices, cooking for 3 minutes. Flip ham, cook another 3 minutes, keeping the pineapple on top. Add reserved pineapple juice, enough to cover the ham and simmer for 5 minutes.

Next is a great recipe for Pork Saltimbocca.

Ingredients:

• 4  boneless pork chops
• 2 slices country ham or prosciutto (thin sliced )
• 4  fresh sage leaves (minced)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon shallot (minced)
• 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
• 1 cup baby Bella mushrooms (sliced thin)
• 1⁄4 cup Marsala Wine
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable stock
• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Wrap pork chops in plastic wrap and gently pound until thin but not torn. Cut country ham or prosciutto in half so you have 4 pieces. Cover each piece of pork with a piece of ham. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Dredge each piece of pork in the flour and coat on both sides shaking off any excess. In a large pan on medium heat, add the EVOO. When hot, saute the pork with ham side down until ham is browned, then flip and cook 1-2 more minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm. Add butter, shallots, garlic and mushrooms, increasing the heat to medium-high. Cook until the shallots are translucent. Add Marsala wine and deglaze the pan, allowing the wine to reduce by half. Add vegetable stock and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Stir in heavy cream, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Return pork to the pan and simmer for one minute before serving.

Brian and Lisa wrap up their month of N.C.-pork recipes with an N.C. State Fair winner. Gail Fuller took home first place at the N.C. State Fair in the Ham it up Tar Heel Pork Challenge sponsored by the N.C. Pork Council with Cheesy Chicken Ham Enchiladas, a great twist on the traditional enchilada.

Ingredients
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (filling)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese – shredded (filling)
2 teaspoon oil (filling)
1⁄2 small onion chopped (filling)
1⁄2 10-ounce can Rotel tomatoes and chilies (filling)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin (filling)
4 ounces cream cheese (filling)
14-ounce can diced green chilies (filling)
1 pound deli ham sliced into 16 slices (enchiladas)
3 tablespoon butter (enchiladas)
3 tablespoon flour (enchiladas)
2 cups chicken broth (enchiladas)
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin (enchiladas)
1 teaspoon chili powder (enchiladas)
1 cup sour cream (enchiladas)
14-ounce can diced green chilies – divided (enchiladas)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese – shredded (enchiladas)

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.   Grease 7×11 baking pan.
3.   Sauté onions in oil until soft.
4.   Mix in shredded chicken, 1 cup cheese, Rotel, cumin, cream cheese and green chilies and heat over low until cheeses have melted.
5.   Overlap 2 slices of ham. Fill with 2 tablespoons of chicken/cheese mixture and rollup.
6.   Place closely together in pan.
7.   In saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
8.   Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
9.   Take off heat and cool slightly. Stir in other 1 can green chilies, cumin, chili powder and sour cream.
10.  Pour over rolled ham bundles and top with remaining cheese.
11.  Bake 40 minutes covered, remove foil and broil on high for 3 minutes to brown cheese.

Next month Brian and Lisa will highlight desserts featuring N.C.-grown peanuts.

February 27th, 2014 By: Heather Overton | Tags: brian shrader, cheesy chicken ham enchildas, ham and pineapple steak, ham and swiss poppy seed rolls, ham recipes, Lisa Prince, N.C. Pork Council, N.C. State Fair cooking competitions, nc pork, poppy seed and ham rolls, pork recipes, pork saltimbocca | Category: Local Dish | Leave a comment

Accumulation of ice and snow may cause trees to snap or lean under the weight. Image: Stephen F. Austin State University, Bugwood.org.

The mid-February return of the winter vortex caused significant snowfall in much of the state and chaos in urban areas like Durham and Raleigh. But the now infamous photo of a car on fire on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh was not the only destruction caused by the storm. According to the National Weather Service, ice accumulation reached a quarter-inch in some parts of the state. Not only is that bad news for the electric lines, but it can be bad news for trees as well.

After a severe winter storm, tree health may be on thin ice. Plants and trees burdened with the weight of snow and ice may become misshapen or lose branches due to breakage. When conditions are right (thick ice and strong winds), entire trees can snap. Typically, this most often occurs in urban areas or along forest edges, but in severe cases, large-scale destruction may occur.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane… it’s… OK, yes, it’s a plane. An N.C. Forest Service plane, used in aerial surveying. Image: K. Oten, NCFS.

This past Monday, the N.C. Forest Service took to the air to determine the extent of damage to the state’s forests.  Reports indicated that damage was most severe and widespread in the southeastern part of the state, so aerial surveyors targeted that area. From the road, forest edges can be observed, but to really get an idea of what’s going on, viewing the region from the air is necessary. The survey revealed minimal damage in mature forest stands in several southeastern counties. There were areas where young trees had been bent over by the weight of the ice.  Most of these trees should recover, but it will be long after the groundhog and his predicted extended winter before we know for sure.

Apparently, the winter vortex may be making another round this week and you may be facing snow and/or ice-laden plants again. To minimize damage to your plants and trees, you can gently brush off snow before it thaws and re-freezes (do not attempt to break ice off of plants).  It may not immediately spring back to its original position, but it’s nothing to get bent out of shape about. The tree or plant should eventually return to its former glory.

February 26th, 2014 By: Forest Health | Tags: aerial survey, ice damage, N.C. Forest Service, nc winter storm, winter storm | Category: Field Notes, Forestry Files | Leave a comment

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”

The USDA has released preliminary results of its 2012 Census of Agriculture, and Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about North Carolina’s numbers.

“Unfortunately, the census showed that North Carolina lost 2,700 farms between 2007 and 2012,” Troxler says. The state now has about 50,200 farms on 8.41 million acres of land. In 2007, there were about 52,900 farms on 8.47 million acres.

However, the 62,560-acre drop in farmland is significantly less than the amount the state lost over the previous five years. From 2002 to 2007, the decrease was 600,000 acres.

A few factors may have slowed the loss of farmland. For one, the recession reduced the demand for land for residential and commercial development. But also, starting in 2005, the department worked with the legislature to set up the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund to help counties and conservation groups protect working farms and forests, and this program has been beneficial.

Even so, the loss of 2,700 farms is troubling at a time when worldwide demand for food continues to grow. Also, North Carolina is gaining about 100,000 people a year, which will only increase the pressure on farmland.

One of the bright spots of the census was that, between 2007 and 2012 the market value of N.C. agricultural products sold increased 22 percent to $12.6 billion. And the per-farm average value of sales grew by 28 percent to $250,000.

Other census findings:

• The average size of a North Carolina farm is now 168 acres, eight more than in 2007.
• The average age of N.C. farmers jumped 3 percent to 58.9, which is in line with the national average.

USDA will release additional census data in the spring.

Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda discuss the 2012 Census of Agriculture and what the advancing age of N.C. farmers could mean in the future.

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Southern Farm Network is a division of Curtis Media Group.

February 25th, 2014 By: Brian Long | Category: Today's Topic on Southern Farm Network | Leave a comment

Greg Cox accepts Employee of the Year award from Commissioner Troxler.

Greg Cox, a mechanic with the N.C. Forest Service, was recently named 2013 NCDA&CS Employee of the Year. Cox is responsible for the maintenance and repair of more than 100 pieces of equipment across an eight-county district. This stock ranges from pickup trucks with slip-on firefighting units to heavy equipment such as bulldozers, forklifts and motor graders. He also supervises a mechanic, forest fire equipment operator and smoke chaser.

“Greg demonstrates a can-do attitude and a spirit of innovation that is admirable in employees,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “He is the go-to-guy for repair advice, not only in his district but across the state.” Cox’s innovation has resulted in a technique to repair hitches used on bulldozers to pull large plows. He has rebuilt about 20 hitches over the years, saving the Forest Service about $600 for each hitch. He has also developed and built two fire plows that allow more accurate control of plow depth. These plows work well in sandier soils and still have to capability to get through thick root mats in organic soils.

Fire plow used by the N.C. Forest Service.

Cox is one of two mechanics in his district who are on call 24 hours a day for repairs needed on firefighting equipment. These calls are often after hours and require the work to be done outside in all kinds of weather conditions. In 2011, Cox had seven different dispatches outside the district on fires and was away from his family a total of 93 days. Many of these dispatches requested Cox by name because of his reputation for quality work.

Cox lives in Rockingham and has been with the N.C. Forest Service since August 1983. His district includes Anson, Moore, Chatham, Richmond, Lee, Scotland, Montgomery and Stanly counties.

The NCDA&CS Employee of the Year is chosen from the pool of 12 employees honored during the year as Employee of the Month.

Greg Cox with wife, far right, and daughters and District 3 Forester Don Watson.

February 24th, 2014 By: Heather Overton | Tags: Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, Greg Cox, NC Forest Service, NCDA&CS employee of the month, NCDA&CS Employee of the Year | Category: Faces in the Field | Leave a comment