News

Jul 21, 2010

CEFS launches campaign to build North Carolina’s local food economy

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) has launched a new statewide effort to build North Carolina's local food economy. The 10% Campaign encourages consumers to spend 10 percent of their existing food dollars to support local food producers and related businesses. Doing so will create jobs, boost the viability of North Carolina farms and fisheries and promote healthy communities statewide. 

Jul 20, 2010

Media Advisory: Interior design and hunger prevention projects highlight State 4-H Congress

State 4-H Congress, held this week at North Carolina State University and around Raleigh, will include a youth version of "Trading Spaces," where teams create a room design, and the kickoff of 4-H's Hungry to Help project. 

Jul 20, 2010

300 hands join together to renovate school barn

In 1946 the people of a Climax pulled together to put up a cattle barn on J.D. Cheek’s farm. And pull together they did again 64 years later when, on a bright April weekend, scores of them gathered to spiff up the barn and make it part of Providence Grove High School’s agricultural education program. 

Jul 16, 2010

A berry good experience

Eight teens and tweens wandered beneath and between the branches of blueberry bushes under a sweltering July sun in Moore County's Cameron community. Some mentioned the careers they'd like to pursue when they grow up: One said a hockey player. Another, an auto mechanic. And yet another, a veterinarian. Whatever careers they ultimately choose, all of the 4-H'ers were gaining skills that will help prepare them. They were learning what it means to work hard, develop a business plan, put it into action and move on to new strategies when things don't work out as planned. 

Jul 15, 2010

Extension works to lower farmworkers’ pesticide exposure

North Carolina Cooperative Extension's latest tool to help farmers, farmworkers and their families lower their risks of injury, illness and death is a kit of easy-to-use materials to teach pesticide safety to Spanish-speaking agricultural workers with limited formal educations. 

Jul 15, 2010

Educator provides food-safety facts for those who need to know

N.C. State University's Dr. Ben Chapman focuses on finding the best ways to communicate food safety risk to the people who need to know. He is interested in how social media like Facebook and rapid communication technologies like Twitter might improve public safety around the issue of food risk. 

Jul 15, 2010

Microbiologist traces contaminants in soil, water and food

What’s causing health-harming pollution isn’t always readily apparent. Finding a fecal contaminant in a river, for example, doesn’t tell you if you have a problem with your city wastewater treatment… 

Jul 15, 2010

Geneticist’s mice studies yield human health solutions

Three different websites carry three different headlines: Eurekalert announces, “New paradigm identifies gene responsible for acetaminophen-induced liver injury.” Futurity.org covers the discovery of a “potent target for stopping colon cancer.” And Scientific American says, “To better study disease, mice that reflect human DNA diversity.” Aside from their focus on human health, what do these headlines have in common? 

Jul 14, 2010

Fears of deflation

When most of us worry about prices, we are concerned about them going up — that is, we are worried about inflation. But should we also fear the opposite: prices… 

Jul 14, 2010

Dr. Nancy Creamer named distinguished professor

Dr. Nancy Creamer, N. C. State University horticulture professor and director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, will occupy one of two endowed chairs made possible with a $3.15 million endowment established last year by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.