News

Aug 29, 2011

Dealing with stress in the wake of the storm

Families who weather particularly bad storms such as Hurricane Irene are likely to experience stress. Recognizing the signs and taking steps to cope with them are key to reducing the impact, say North Carolina Cooperative Extension agents and specialists. 

Aug 29, 2011

Farmers with weather losses can get answers to tax questions online

The recent heavy weather from hurricane Irene that has affected many parts of the Eastern United States has caused damage to agriculture, rural and coastal businesses. In many cases the damage to farms, rural businesses and private homes qualifies as a casualty loss due to the unexpected damage. A resource to help individuals and clients of professional tax preparers relative to casualty losses and other tax issues is available from the website RuralTax.org. 

Aug 29, 2011

Take steps now to minimize problems with storm-damaged shade trees, timber stands

If you have a storm-damaged shade tree or timber stand, there are steps you can take now to minimize problems. Hanging branches are particularly hazardous. 

Aug 29, 2011

Making flood-damaged homes habitable

When it comes to cleaning a flood-damaged home, safety comes first. North Carolina Cooperative Extension offers cleanup recommendations. 

Aug 29, 2011

Bertie raises $7,000+ for tornado relief fund

Bertie County's Cooperative Extension staff raised $7,320 for that county's tornado relief fund through a drawing for a donated John Deere riding lawnmower. 

Aug 29, 2011

Lagging consumer spending

There’s been a string of bad economic news recently, but it’s hard to make sense of all the data. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden interprets some of what’s going on. “The recent economic news has not been good, and I think that’s been manifested as we’ve seen Wall Street take some big dips. Where… 

Aug 26, 2011

Credit rating cut

Recently one of the national credit rating agencies lowered the rating for the U.S. government. N.C. State economist Mike Walden explains why this happened and what it means for both the government and the public. 

Aug 25, 2011

Project fuels interest in canola

When leaders of a project designed to provide homegrown, renewable fuels for the military and to strengthen Eastern North Carolina agriculture needed help finding the right source crop and testing it locally, they turned to N.C. State University and its N.C. Cooperative Extension Service for help. 

Aug 25, 2011

Take steps to avoid mosquito bites

Given recent diagnoses of mosquito-borne diseases in a child and a horse in North Carolina – coupled with possible heavy rains from Hurricane Irene –an N.C. Cooperative Extension specialist advises people to take precautions when outdoors. 

Aug 25, 2011

Tracking home prices

Changes in home prices have become a very important part of today’s economic situation. On the surface, a person might think that following home prices is really quite simple -- you just take an average of the prices of homes sold and compare those numbers over time. But, as N.C. State University economist Mike Walden explains, it's not that easy.