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.
Eastern:
(Bertie) NCDA&CS aid after Bertie County tornado aims to prevent flooding
As Hurricane Isaias brushed the Carolina coast in early August, a tornado spun off in the outer bands, touching down in Bertie County in the middle of the night. At about 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 4, the tornado started spinning on the ground, traveling northwest for 10 miles and widening as much as six football fields along the path. When the tornado dissipated about 11 minutes later, destruction was left behind. The destruction wasn’t limited to only homes though. The tornado damaged farmland and blew storm debris – mostly trees and woody vegetation – into nearby creeks, streams and drainage ditches. Vic Thompson, director of Bertie Soil and Water Conservation District, said at least one was so filled with storm debris it was hard to tell the small waterway even existed. For Thompson, the clogged ditches raised a red flag of concern because it put the area at bigger risk of flooding in the future. Given that hurricanes or other large rain events have a history of flooding the Carolinas, it wasn’t a farfetched concern for Bertie County, which sits just west of the Albemarle Sound, wedged between the Roanoke River and the Chowan River. The Cashie River also runs through the county, not far from the tornado’s path. “We knew if we didn’t get the storm debris cleaned out of those waterways, the homes in the area were in danger of flooding,” Thompson said. “After previous natural disasters, I thought other counties had gotten assistance for similar work through a USDA program and NCDA’s Soil and Water Conservation Division. So I started to look into whether we would qualify.” …
(Craven and Scotland) Post-Florence improvements still in the works thanks to disaster recovery funds
Throughout North Carolina, there are dozens and dozens of disaster recovery projects still in the works in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in 2018. Many of those are projects that have been made possible with support from the Soil and Water Conservation Division in NCDA&CS. The division has helped fund a number of projects aimed at stabilizing land after serious erosion. The projects are Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) projects administered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Amy Miller, director of the Scotland County Soil and Water Conservation District, said her office was able to do 14 EWP projects after Hurricane Florence. Many of them have just recently wrapped up, and she’s been finalizing paperwork. One major project involved Johns Mills Pond, which suffered major erosion on a family’s property. An old mill house was falling, and soil and debris was washing into the pond because the dam had broken, Miller said. The area was also a threat to the nearby U.S. Hwy. 501. The EWP project stabilized the banks to prevent further erosion into the pond. Grass, other vegetation and large rocks were added to a berm.
(Sampson) New research station building reflects state’s investment in sweet potatoes
At first glance, the new building at the Horticultural Crops Research Station may not seem that remarkable. It’s a light beige metal building. 60 feet wide. 100 feet long. It’s distinguished by its reddish-maroon trim. Otherwise, it’s a near twin to the older building just beside it. The new sweet potato storage building. What it lacks in pizazz, the new building makes up for in its function and its value to the sweet potato research done on the station outside Clinton. It has more than doubled the station’s sweet potato storage capacity, according to station superintendent Hunter Barrier. The space also allows for more elbow room for researchers, their teams and the station employees. …
Piedmont:
(Guilford) AgroTech Miscanthus Grass
Miscanthus Grass is a new and emerging crop in North Carolina and many companies are using it to drive sustainability and diversify their operation, including Agrotech in Greensboro. Miscanthus grass has a variety of purposes, including bedding for poultry houses and paper making. Learn more about the crop, including how it is grown, in the video below.
(Cabarrus) Wine more at Dover Vineyards
Although most of her family grew up farming, Elizabeth Dover never pictured herself as a farmer until she saw a special on PBS on winemaking that piqued her interest. “Most of my family, including my grandparents, grew up farming but I was the exception,” Elizabeth said, “but I enjoy being outside, and when I saw the PBS special, I figured a vineyard would be a good way to utilize my grandparents land.” Thus, in 2009, Dover Vineyards in Concord was born, featuring Chambourcin and Villard Blanc grapes. “I take pride in making wines that compete with other regions of the world,” Elizabeth said, “and both of these grapes produce a very high quality wine and are highly disease resistant.” …
Western:
(Henderson) The N.C. Apple Growers Association has launched its new website
Learn all about the different varieties grown in our state, fun facts, events, recipes and more.
(Ashe) Drawing from past and present, new Research Stations director leads into the future
It’s not uncommon for a woman who grew up helping on the farm to embrace the term “farm girl,” but what do you call a woman who grew up on one of North Carolina’s agriculture research stations where farming meets academic research? In one case, you could call that woman the division director. Teresa Lambert is now the director of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Research Stations Division. She may also embrace the “farm girl” term, but she’s done a lot since growing up at the Upper Mountain Research Station in Ashe County. “My dad was actually the burley tobacco supervisor, and at the time, supervisors were required to live on the stations,” Lambert explained. Her family eventually moved about a mile down the road from the station, and in the late 1990’s, she became the first woman to work at the Upper Mountain Research Station outside the office. She’s quick to point out there are several women working on research stations these days.
(McDowell) Ninety years of making cheese and making memories at English Farmstead Cheese
Growing up, dairy farming was all Terry English knew. In 1800, his grandfather started farming cows, chickens, pigs and even a few apple trees. “It was mostly survival farming at the time,” Terry said, “he started with about four or five cows and had no idea that ninety years later we would still be here farming.” English Farmstead Cheese originally raised Jersey cattle but eventually switched to mostly Holsteins, due to their high milking yields. Today the farm has a herd of about 160 cattle. Terry’s wife, Susan, however, spends her day in the cheese making and aging room. Four days a week you can find her here making their famous cheese products from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Milk is brought from the barn to the pasteurizing room within two to three hours of milking. “We have four cheese recipes, that I developed, that we use on a regular basis,” Susan said, “I taught myself how to make it as a hobby and it ended up being a mid-life crisis turned right.” Today, the farm sells about 10 varieties of cheese, with their best sellers being cheddar, cheese curds, and their personal variety, Buttercup. Products from their farm can be found at their farm stand on site in Marion as well as the Weaver Street Market and small retail stores in Asheville, Boone and Charlotte areas. Their on-site farm stand is open two days a week, Friday and Saturday, and sells a variety of products from local farmers from Western N.C., including pork, eggs and beef.
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