Extension
Horticulture’s Yencho and Pecota Win NC State’s Innovator of the Year Award
Craig Yencho and Ken Pecota were both recognized with the Innovator of the Year award for their work to develop a cultivar that now accounts for nearly 90% of sweet potato production in North Carolina. Released in 2005, Yencho and Pecota’s “Covington” sweet potato makes up 20% of the total acreage of sweet potatoes grown in the U.S. and has become a lucrative European export.
North Carolina Farms Grapple with Labor Shortages
Even with a growing dependence on migrant labor, there still is not enough workers to fill farm jobs across North Carolina.
Could NC Export Poop For Profit?
NC State is partnering to evaluate a low-cost swine sludge dryer to reduce hog lagoon sludge and create farm revenue from exported fertilizer.
Growing a Future for Myanmar Refugees at the Karen Community Garden
For Htoo Saw Ywa, what’s growing at a new small farm in eastern Wake County is more than produce and more than added income for his family. It’s solace from the memories of persecution in his native Myanmar. It’s a way to connect with his farming roots and with fellow refugees. And it’s a chance for generations to bond through food traditions.
$8.1M+ in Private Gifts Invigorate Greenhouse Gas Research in Agriculture
NC State is well-suited to lead these greenhouse gas mitigation studies. North Carolina’s variety of soils, climates and agricultural systems are representative of those in the tropical and subtropical world. Pioneering work at NC State was key in developing early soil management in Brazil, Peru and elsewhere.
What a Changing Climate May Mean for Crop Pests
Agricultural systems in most parts of the world are the result of generations of trial and error (and, over the last 100 or so years, agricultural research) that, ultimately, reduce that risk as much as possible. In other words, agriculture depends on the local predictability of environmental conditions. Climate change reduces that predictability.
The Economic Impact of Microwave Processing: From Greene County to Kenya
Josip Simunovic has a passion for improving the world. One food product at a time. His microwave processing technology to turn ugly produce into long-lasting puree has had a major economic impact on communities from eastern North Carolina to Kenya.
Delivery of Personal Protection Equipment for Agricultural Workers
With support from North Carolina Cooperative Extension, a statewide partnership will deliver 900,000+ masks and infection control supplies to protect health and safety of farmers and agriculture workers.
‘Map’ of Sweetpotato Genome to Improve Breeding Efforts
NC State scientists recently published a scientific paper that mapped the genetic locations of economically important traits in sweetpotatoes such as higher yield and disease resistance. Through collaborative work between NC State and the International Potato Center (CIP), they have improved sweetpotato breeding efforts.
Pork, Pandemics and Politics: U.S. Agricultural Trade with China
This issue of the NC Economist explores the impact of recent events on the nuanced agricultural trade partnership between the United States and China. Buffeted by the coronavirus pandemic and political disagreements, what can farmers expect of exports to China in the challenging year ahead?