Author: Dee Shore

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? 

Aug 10, 2015

Study helps farmers along Dan River make decisions following coal ash spill

When 39,000 tons of coal ash entered the Dan River in 2014 from a ruptured pipe at a Duke Energy steam plant near Eden, farmers who grow crops and graze cattle along the river banks turned to Cooperative Extension with questions about contamination. And NC State University soil scientists provided research-based answers. 

Aug 10, 2015

Barbecue camp brings university meat science to consumers

A first-of-its-kind workshop series may have been called North Carolina Barbecue Camp, but its topics went beyond the state’s traditional Eastern and Lexington styles, as presenters delved into the cuisine of other national barbecue hot spots such as Memphis, Kansas City and Texas. 

Aug 10, 2015

Partnership gives CALS students opportunity to teach Cooking Matters classes

NC State students teach Cooking Matters classes in the community as part of their involvement in A PACKed Kitchen, a service-learning program. 

Aug 10, 2015

The Economy Boosters

How do we grow our No. 1 economic engine – agriculture – in North Carolina and boost the state’s agricultural economy to $100 billion? And what is the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ ongoing role in making this happen? 

Aug 10, 2015

Ph.D. student sheds light on wellwater contamination here and abroad

NC State University soil science alumna and Ph.D. student Elizabeth Gillispie wants to help and positively impact as many people as she can through water and soil quality research. 

Aug 5, 2015

Harnessing plants for health

Claire Thetford analyzed what happens when you treat colon cancer cells with broccoli extract. Doriane Taylor hunted for plant genes related to amino acid biosynthesis. And Bethany Latham and Emily Riffe helped map the production of caffeine in four plant species used by indigenous people of the Americas. While their lab work was different, the four NC State University students shared a common goal this summer: to explore ways to harness plants’ benefits for human health. 

Aug 5, 2015

Prepared to perfection

For 12 Franklin County preteens and teens, a new Young Chefs program proved to be an experience prepared to perfection. The weeklong program provided aspiring chefs with the chance to learn not just about cooking, but about local food, agriculture, business and nutrition. 

Aug 4, 2015

Protect native bees: Student’s tips

As an undergraduate in environmental studies, April Hamblin developed an interest in native bees. And she looked for a graduate education program that would allow her to study native bees and take insect-focused courses within a respected entomology department. She found all that and more at NC State’s Entomology Department, working in Dr. Steve Frank’s lab.