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October 2015

Oct 29, 2015

New program to help families use local foods in affordable meals

A North Carolina State University program has won a major grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help low-income families buy healthy, affordable, locally produced foods at farmers markets. 

Oct 27, 2015

New NC State consortium to study microbes at the root-soil interface

As North Carolina State University advances in its quest to make the Research Triangle a global hub for plant-related innovation, it recently launched a unique consortium to explore the soil microbiome -- the largely unknown world of microscopic organisms living in soil along plant roots. 

Oct 27, 2015

Craven County Faith Community receives Farmers’ Market Promotion grant

A New Bern faith community that worked with Cooperative Extension to establish a successful farmers’ market has had its efforts honored and rewarded. The Peletah Ministries received a $94,240 grant from the USDA Farmers’ Market Promotion program. 

Oct 26, 2015

Spiders: Just how spooky are they?

Spooky scenes of fake spiders in giant webs are everywhere this time of year. But despite the Halloween hype, spiders hardly deserve their reputation as dangerous creatures, says NC State University entomologist Dr. Matt Bertone. 

Oct 26, 2015

Hiring or contracting

There's a debate today about how people work. There seems to be an increase in contracting out, where a company doesn't hire a person as an employee but hires the person to do a specific task. The worry is that workers hired as contractors lose the benefits that come with being an employee. Is there a solution? NC State University economist Mike Walden answers. 

Oct 23, 2015

Homecoming is family reunion

As always, descendants of NC State's first football captain and valedictorian will have a family tailgate prior to Saturday’s Homecoming game against Clemson. Five generations of the family have gone to NC State, including the first: Charles B. Williams, who went on to become the university's first dean of agriculture and life sciences. 

Oct 23, 2015

You Decide: Will Medicaid Reform Work?

Mike Walden considers the efficacy of three alternative payment plans to tame Medicaid spending without compromising services to recipients. 

Oct 22, 2015

Study finds key molecular mechanism regulating plant translational activity

In a paper published in Cell, CALS researchers Jose Alonso and Anna Stepanova show how plants handle – at the molecular level – the release of ethylene, an important gaseous stress hormone that, among other functions, regulates plant growth and stimulates the fruit ripening process. The findings could pave the way to new techniques to engineer plants to produce better crops or to turn off certain genes. 

Oct 21, 2015

Connect NC Bond will invest in North Carolina agriculture

NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson welcomed Gov. Pat McCrory and Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler to Centennial Campus today (Oct. 21) for the governor’s signing of the Connect NC Bond Package, which includes a state-of-the-art facility for CALS' Plant Sciences Initiative. 

Oct 21, 2015

All-America Selections Breeders Cup Award presented to Dr. Randy Gardner

Gardner is a renowned tomato breeder, with more than 32 years’ experience at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River.