Extension
$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?
Farmworker Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Farmworkers are essential to our lives. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their work hasn’t stopped. In the latest episode of CALS’ Farms, Food and You podcast, guests share insights on the risks these workers face as they produce the food that’ll end up on our plates in coming weeks and months and on what NC State Extension, its partners and other state agencies are doing to help lower those risks.
NC State Researchers Continue Improving Sweetpotatoes for Africa
Craig Yencho and his team recently received part of a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue their work improving sweetpotatoes in Sub-Saharan Africa. The genomic tools developed through the three-year, $15-million-dollar grant will also improve sweetpotato breeding for North Carolina farmers.
Cross Pollination
A deepening partnership between NC State blueberry geneticist Hamid Ashrafi and North African small fruit scientist Ahlam Hamim is aimed at boosting blueberry industries in two very different parts of the globe. Hamim, a government scientist from Morocco, recently spent three months in Ashrafi’s blueberry genetics and genomics laboratory as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. Hamim’s research at NC State grew out of an earlier trip that she made to the United States in spring 2018 as a USDA-FAS Borlaug Fellow.
From Raleigh to Djilor: Dannica Wall and Poultry Farming in Senegal
Poultry Science PhD student Dannica Wall gave an eye-opening presentation on her time spent in Djilor, Senegal as part of the CALS SAIGE International Seminar Series. Wall was sent abroad through Farmer to Farmer, a USAID-funded program that seeks to increase agricultural productivity, sustainable farming practices, and strengthen existing institutions.