The fight for a fallen giant: Bringing back the American chestnut
More than a century ago, the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was a common overstory tree across portions of eastern North American forests. These giants thrived on moist, well drained slopes and ridges across the Appalachians, towering more than 100 feet tall with an average diameter at breast height of five to eight feet. Their historical range extended into the southeastern deciduous forests of Canada and as far south as Florida. According to legend, American chestnut trees were once so abundant in eastern North America that a squirrel could travel the chestnut canopy from Georgia to Maine without ever touching the ground. However, fossil pollen records and early forest inventory records suggest the American chestnut may not have been as dominant a tree species across its entire range as depicted. Early forest inventories conducted by Emma Lucy Braun, a prominent forest ecologist and botanist, suggest the species was of surprisingly limited dominance in many parts across the Appalachians, except for the central and southern ranges.
Pesticides Section manager takes lead in educating and regulating drones in pesticide applications
As drones continue to become more commonplace, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has prepared to be sure anyone who uses drones for pesticide applications is properly licensed. The Structural Pest Control and Pesticides Division now has a document with step-by-step information on how applicators can become properly licensed to use drones. The document comes in large part thanks to Dwight Seal in the Pesticides Section of the division. “I knew this was coming,” Seal said about the increase in interest in the topic in recent year. “You know, when you work in this business long enough you know where the questions are going to come from, and I said, well we need it in writing. So people will have it so that we can all sing off the same sheet, so to speak, and everyone knows these are the rules.” Seal is the division’s Western District Pesticide Manager, but his interest and involvement in how drones and pesticides intersect has spread across the state and beyond. He’s served as the chair of the Emerging Technology Working Group within the national American Association of Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO). Recently he spoke at a national spray drone user’s conference in Alabama. His talk was titled “A Regulator’s Perspective: UAVs used for Pesticide Applications.” …
(Catawba) Mtn. View ventures into the rewarding world of Wagyu
Mtn. View is a sixth-generation farm located in the foothills of Hickory. Throughout its years as a Century Farm, the farm has produced strawberries and sweet potatoes and raised Hereford and Black Angus cows. Mtn. View became a full-time Japanese Wagyu farm just two years ago. Current owners and married couple, Laura and Chase Blalock, made the shift to become more sustainable for upcoming generations. Laura’s great-great grandparents Quince and Ida Deal and their grandchildren picking strawberries in the 1940s. After starting with just four full-blood Wagyu, the farm has grown exponentially and is currently home to 45 cows. Mtn. View will soon say hello to 11 new additions with calving season in full swing. Twelve more will join the herd in the fall. Numbers are only the surface level of Laura and Chase’s success with the farm. The Blalocks are widely respected throughout the Wagyu industry and their Hickory community because of their dedication to the business and love of their roots.
(Haywood) Investing in the future of N.C. agriculture
Passionate individuals often make the best teachers due to their whole-hearted belief in the subject. Although Trace Guyer didn’t grow up directly in the agriculture industry, he did tend a garden with his father for many years in Haywood County. That not only sparked his interest in agriculture, but influenced him to join the FFA, where the interest blossomed. Today, Trace is working hard to educate the next generation of leaders and drive their passion for our industry. Growing up in the Western part of the state, Trace learned how to grow a variety of crops at the hand of his father. “My dad always enjoyed having a garden because it gave him something to do outside and generated rewards for his hard work,” Trace said. “For many years I helped him tend the garden and learned how to grow tomatoes, potatoes and more. I still tend and harvest a garden at my personal home today because I grew to love it so much.” Due to the interest in agriculture developed in the garden, Trace joined the FFA in his freshman year of high school. Not only was he involved with FFA all four years of high school, but he has also served in the collegiate FFA throughout his college years. “Agriculture is the most important industry in the world because a county that cannot feed itself cannot thrive,” he said. “I want to learn all that I can about this $111.1 billion industry so that I can make the largest impact possible during my agricultural career.” ...
(Henderson) Young Farmer of the Day: Cole Revis with Revis Farms & Flat Rock Fresh
(Editor’s Note: Revis was recognized during the Got to Be NC Festival held May 17-19. Additional photos of Revis at the festival are available.) Farming is a family affair for many operations across North Carolina. Cole Revis, fifth-generation farmer with Revis Farms and Flat Rock Fresh in Flat Rock, grew up following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather on the farm. “Some of my earliest memories here were being on a tractor with my dad as we followed my pawpaw around the fields,” he said. “I always knew that I wanted to have a place in agriculture alongside them one day.” Twenty-six years later, Cole and his family are still working together on the farm growing a variety of produce, like apples, and raising beef cattle. Growing up on their farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cole was raised with a knowledge and appreciation for agriculture at a young age. From helping raise cattle for high-quality beef products to learning how to grow a variety of produce, Cole spent many evenings and summers getting his hands dirty and allowing agriculture to seep deeper into his veins. By the time Cole graduated high school, agriculture was such a passion of his that he had no difficulty deciding what his college major would be. Today, with a degree in Agriculture Mechanization from Clemson University, Cole is not only making a difference on the farm for Revis Farms, but also throughout the community through Flat Rock Fresh. ...
(Watagua) Education and Livestock working hand in hand
One experience has the power to change a lifetime, at least it did for Susie Douglas of Watagua County. Although she didn’t grow up in agriculture, Susie recently started her first job in the industry and couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. Growing up, Susie had a knowledge and appreciation for the agriculture industry but didn’t gain hands-on experience until elementary school. “My family always knew about agriculture and had a strong appreciation for farmers, but we weren’t a farming or agriculture family,” she said. “In my elementary school class, we attended a farm tour where I gained a physical experience with agriculture and fell in love with livestock.” Susie kept that love of agriculture all the way through high school. After graduating high school, she started college at NC State University where she dove even further into pursuing a career in agriculture. …
(Wilkes) Making the industry better with Soil and Water Conservation
Many family farms in our state have been under operation for several generations, including Makayla Norman’s family farm in Wilkes County. In fact, they are a member of our Bicentennial Farm Family Program, meaning their farm has been under family operation for over 200 years. Falling in love with livestock and agriculture at a young age on the farm led Makayla to pursue a career in the industry where she could continue to make a difference on those around her. As a little girl, Makayla spent many evenings and summers helping on the family beef cattle farm. “We are a cow/calf operation with about 40 head of cattle,” she said. “My earliest memories on the farm were watching my father and grandfather work in the hayfields. My sisters and I would take them lunch almost every day and I was always fascinated by their hard work.” Makayla has been a cattle lover from a very young age, and that sentiment continues to run through her veins today. “We used to all work cows together as a family, so I have some very special memories and bonding moments surrounding those times,” she said. “However, cows have always been one of my favorite animals. That is one of the very first ways that I knew agriculture was where I wanted to spend my career.” In addition to helping on the farm during the week, when necessary, Makayla also spent every summer working on the farm with and for her family. “When school was out for the summer, I would check cows, bush hogging fields, and bale hay,” she said. “Those early experiences really shaped me into the farm-loving girl that I am today.” …
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