Press Releases
RALEIGH – State Veterinarian Mike Martin has granted entry into North Carolina to Santa Claus and his reindeer. This ensures that Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and yes, even Rudolph will be allowed into the state on Christmas Eve. Reindeer are part of the cervid family that include deer, elk, moose and caribou. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides oversight of the movement of captive cervid into the state.
ELIZABETH CITY – Commercial Irish potato growers in the northeastern part of the state agreed to renew an assessment program that supports promotional and research work of the N.C. Potato Association. This assessment supports marketing and research efforts aimed at increasing sales and consumption of North Carolina potatoes.
The N.C. Forest Service (NCFS) is holding Piedmont Training Academy for N.C. Forest Service rangers and foresters Monday, Dec. 8 through Friday, Dec. 12, at Sandhills Community College in Moore County and Stan Adams Training Center in Chatham County. Training courses will cover a variety of wildland firefighting emergency response roles and operations such as initial attack, incident command, basic air operations and field leadership.
North Carolina’s newest educational state forest is now open to the public. Located in Stanley on an important conservation easement, Mountain Island Educational State Forest (ESF) is a working forest, emphasizing forestry best management practices (BMP) related to water quality. Nearby Mountain Island Lake, from which the forest takes its name, supplies water to one out of every 12 residents in North Carolina.
Large animal veterinarians in North Carolina are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funds to help support their large animal practice. The funding opportunity is available to veterinarians who practice in one of the 70 North Carolina counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer and that spend 30% or more of their patient care involved in large animal veterinary care.
WHO/WHAT: The North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Committee will hold a meeting to hear committee member reports and conduct other Sentinel Landscape business. WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 9, 1:30 p.m.WHERE: Hall of Fame Room, Agriculture Building2 W. Edenton St., Raleigh.The public may also join in on the meeting via conference number 984-204-1487. The conference ID is 351 157 962, followed by the # key.
WHO/WHAT: The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund will hold an advisory committee meeting to:
State veterinary officials are asking horse owners in North Carolina to watch for symptoms of a highly contagious equine disease following diagnoses of multiple horses with Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy, the neurologic disease associated with Equine Herpes Virus. Cases were confirmed Nov. 9 by the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Currently, there are no confirmed cases of EHV-1/EHM in North Carolina.
ELIZABETH CITY – The N.C. Potato Association is calling on commercial Irish potato growers to participate in an important vote on the renewal of a statewide assessment program that funds research and promotional efforts for the industry. The referendum will determine whether growers wish to continue a coordinated effort with the goal to strengthen production, marketing and long-term competitiveness for N.C. potatoes.
A turkey breeding operation in Wayne County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza. The positive sample was first identified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh. This is the first case of high path avian influenza in commercial poultry in North Carolina since January 2025. Prior to this case, North Carolina had 14 commercial flocks and 12 backyard flocks impacted by avian influenza. The latest case in Wayne County impacts 9,500 turkeys.