August 2015

Aug 17, 2015

The argument for public research

Research on new products or applications can, and does, occur in both private companies as well as in government. The federal government, in fact, spends more than $100 billion annually on research in a variety of areas. But some contend that all research should be done in the private sector. NC State University economist Mike Walden outlines the counter argument. 

Aug 14, 2015

Watauga Extension honored for economic impact

More than 430 people were on hand earlier this week when the Cooperative Extension staff in Watauga County was honored for its contributions to economic growth in Western North Carolina. 

Aug 14, 2015

You Decide: What’s Behind the Productivity Slump?

Rather than being regarded as a secondary economics statistic, productivity numbers should be front and center and on everyone’s radar, says Mike Walden, as he explores the current economic mystery of lagging productivity and low growth in worker pay. 

Aug 11, 2015

NC Choices presents largest niche meat event in the US

Hundreds of farmers, chefs and industry leaders will convene in Winston-Salem on Oct. 12-13 for the fourth annual Carolina Meat Conference, the largest local and pasture-based meat event in the country. 

Aug 10, 2015

Seeding North Carolina’s future

CALS and its partners strive to make North Carolina the world’s leader in plant sciences innovation. 

Aug 10, 2015

Among friends

It’s time well-spent when CALS agricultural education students teach diverse groups and learn valuable lessons in a service-learning course. 

Aug 10, 2015

Jobs of college graduates

College enrollments have increased substantially in recent decades. Young people understand that getting a college degree is a factor leading to a higher salary -- although it's not a guarantee. When economists consider where graduates work, does their specific fields of study matter? NC State University's Mike Walden answers. 

Aug 10, 2015

Joint venture: Troxler and Linton partner to teach agribusiness course

The course is an example of the innovative approach that CALS uses to prepare the next generation workforce for agribusiness in North Carolina and beyond. 

Aug 10, 2015

March summit celebrates economic value of agriculture in North Carolina

NC State economist Blake Brown delivered a state-of-the-industry report on an agriculturally intensive seven-county region to a crowd of nearly 500 farmers, industry leaders and others. The event was hosted by Scott Farms Inc., one of the largest sweet potato producers in the state. 

Aug 10, 2015

Extension-trained volunteers assist local apple industry

When Jean Marie Saltz decided to take over her family’s sixth-generation apple orchard in Henderson County, she saw it as a way to provide local people with fresh local produce while allowing herself to get back to something she had loved since childhood. From Cooperative Extension's Master Pomology volunteer course, she gained the knowledge she needed to run the operation. The only problem was that her father and grandfather, who’d guided the farming operation for decades, had passed away. Who, she wondered, could she turn to for answers to all her questions about farming?