April 2014

Apr 23, 2014

A switch in poverty

I can remember when I was a child several decades ago (we won’t say how many) that my family worried a lot about my grandparents, says host Mary Walden. That wasn’t unusual because living in old age wasn’t easy for many economically. Once they stopped working, older folks had no labor income and pensions were meager. "Has that changed today?" she asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden. 

Apr 22, 2014

BAE head Robert Evans named to the International Drainage Hall of Fame

Dr. Robert Evans, head of the college's Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, recently was named to the International Drainage Hall of Fame. 

Apr 22, 2014

Raulston Arboretum’s “Gala in the Garden” to celebrate North Carolina

Delectable food, musical entertainment and a silent auction featuring unusual plants and an eclectic array of gift items will be showcased at the annual Gala in the Garden at the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University. The public event will take place May 4 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

Apr 22, 2014

Second annual Wolfpack Roundup auction exceeds success of inaugural year

The livestock merchandising class gives students the opportunity to learn about and handle livestock and gain hands-on experience planning for, promoting and conducting a livestock auction. 

Apr 22, 2014

4-H scholarship endowment created by Wilson couple

The endowment will be used to provide scholarships for Wilson County 4-H’ers enrolled in an agriculture, business or health sciences undergraduate or two-year curriculum in any school in the UNC system or N.C. Community College system -- including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and its Agricultural Institute. 

Apr 22, 2014

Confusion from the Fed

New Fed Chair Janet Yellen recently held her first press conference. She was asked about rules or statistics the Fed would use to make decisions about changing interest rates. Some say Chairperson Yellen’s answer created more confusion than clarity, says host Mary Walden, who asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, "What happened?" 

Apr 21, 2014

Study: Dan River water safe for irrigation, livestock

Using projections of water-quality trends based on hundreds of water analyses made during a 40-day period following the release of approximately 39,000 tons of coal ash into the Dan River on Feb. 2, 2014, North Carolina State University soil scientists conclude that the river water is suitable for use as irrigation water on crops and as drinking water for livestock. 

Apr 21, 2014

Slack labor market?

We still have an unemployment rate that is much higher than we’d like, says host Mary Walden. It is nowhere near the 4.5 percent jobless rate we had prior to the recession. Still, the rate has come down substantially from the highs of four years ago. She asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, “Do economists think we could see further drops?” 

Apr 18, 2014

Millennials vs. boomers

Demographers say the millennial generation, those born after 1980, is now larger in numbers than the boomer generation, which includes individuals born from 1946 to 1964, says host Mary Walden. She asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, “What kinds of implications does this have for the economy?” 

Apr 17, 2014

Bye-Bye to Bitcoin?

Those using the cyber currency called bitcoin suffered a big shock recently: Apparently hackers were able to steal between 2 million and 3 million dollars’ worth of bitcoins. As a result, the value of a bitcoin in terms of dollars was cut in half, says host Mary Walden. She asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, “Is this the end of the cyber currency experiment?”