Stories From Jun 2021
Partner Profile: North Carolina Vegetable Growers’ Association
The North Carolina Vegetable Growers' Association started in 1977 to improve and promote the state’s vegetable industry. With more than 2,000 commercial vegetable grower members, they advocate for the industry and work to help make it more sustainable and profitable. With their longstanding relationship with NC State and Extension, they became early supporters of the N.C. PSI.
Partner Profile: North Carolina Herb Association
Medicinal and culinary herbs are beautiful, easy to grow and are a large commodity in North Carolina. The North Carolina Herb Association (NCHA) represents herb farmers, business owners, commercial producers, and enthusiasts and exists to help share knowledge of how to identify, grow, use, respect, study, and celebrate herbs of all kinds. It’s that work that led them to become early supporters of N.C. PSI.
Partner Profile: Carolina Feed Industry Association
Animals are an essential part of North Carolina’s agriculture and economy, and providing nutritious feeds that nourish them--and ensure the meat they produce is healthy and safe to consume, is a key focus for the Carolina Feed Industry Association. It’s also why they support the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative.
Partner Profile: North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association
As our cities continue to grow, members of the green industry are mindful of the stress the growth puts on our natural resources and are driven to grow in a sustainable way. The North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association is an avid advocate for the green industry, ensuring that floriculture, nursery and greenhouse crops are a part of sustainable landscaping. As part of these efforts, they became early supporters of the N.C. PSI.
Partner Profile: North Carolina Watermelon Association
Juicy, sweet watermelon is almost synonymous with North Carolina summers. The North Carolina Watermelon Association represents growers, shippers, buyers, seed companies and others associated with watermelon production, and has a vested interest in helping farmers and all associated with producing a healthy crop of the fruit. That’s why they were early supporters of the N.C. PSI.
B-i-g Hiring Edge
Dan Jenkins, head of regulatory and quality for biotech company Pairwise, discusses the vital need for the United States’ only Regulatory Science in Agriculture Certificate program, housed right here at NC State. The program draws on the experience of local regulatory experts to train undergraduate and graduate students in the complexities of regulation.
Cultivating Curiosity and the Next Generation of Plant Scientists
Colleagues Terri Long and Anna Stepanova are part of a national push to highlight plants’ contributions to our lives and the potential for rewarding careers in plant sciences.
Partner Profile: North Carolina Cotton Producers Association
Cotton is a major cash crop for North Carolina, accounting for close to $300 million of the state’s economy and 15,000 jobs. The North Carolina Cotton Producers Association strives to improve the welfare of cotton farmers by supporting best practices for production and encouraging research to better cotton and its products. That’s a key reason why they became an early supporter of N.C. PSI.
Irish Potato Famine Pathogen Stoked Outbreaks on Six Continents
NC State researchers track the evolution of pathogen that causes late-blight disease in potatoes and tomatoes.
How You Can Help Stop a Plant Pest
Farmers and gardeners can help root out a new nematode that spreads aggressively in North Carolina vegetable crops.