Solving problems for growers and others<\/h3>\n![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2020\/05\/Harvest_1-460x461.jpg\")
Technician Emma Volk examines strawberry plants at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHoffmann passes the nonprofit\u2019s farm on his way home from work, where he conducts research and extension education programs aimed at helping growers improve the economic and environmental sustainability of their farms. It occurred to him that donating the berries to the food shuttle would mean that they would benefit not just those growers but also families and individuals hard hit by the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
A warm winter set the stage for a strawberry season that\u2019s the best the state has seen in years, Hoffmann says. Production has hit its stride, and the crop has been both beautiful and bountiful.<\/p>\n
In fact, the harvest has been so good that Hoffmann wasn\u2019t sure what he could do with hundreds of pounds of strawberries he\u2019s been harvesting from his research plot at the Central Crops Research Station.<\/p>\n
[pullquote align=”right” color=”red”]We have a bumper crop …, and I didn\u2019t want to throw them away.[\/pullquote]<\/p>\n
Normally, Hoffmann and his associates would be distributing the berries to others on campus to acknowledge their support of the university\u2019s small fruits team and their research and Extension work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strawberries were really <\/em>good this year, and the season has gone well so we have a bumper crop. It’s a lot of strawberries, and I didn’t want to throw them away and didn\u2019t see any other option,\u201d Hoffmann says.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m actually eating strawberries every day right now, but they’re way too many strawberries for me to eat by myself,\u201d he adds. \u201cEven if I could distribute them among my students, there\u2019d still be too many left over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Small but important<\/h3>\n
Hoffmann expects the crop will amount to 450 to 550 pounds \u2013 a small fraction of the 6 million pounds of food that the food shuttle distributes each year to people with low incomes.<\/p>\n
Still, Clark says the donation makes a significant difference \u2013 and so does the advice he\u2019s provided the farm on managing and expanding its muscadine grape operation.<\/p>\n
Clark says she\u2019s happy \u201cthat our neighbors in need will be able to enjoy the freshest and sweetest strawberries that they possibly could.\u201d<\/p>\n
About Mark Hoffmann<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\nIn 2017, Mark Hoffmann joined NC State as an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. His work focuses on strawberries, muscadine grapes and bunch grapes.<\/em><\/p>\n In his spare time, he learns new languages and enjoys running, hiking and backpacking. He\u2019s also an amateur photographer and part of the martial arts community.<\/em><\/p>\nHoffmann holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. in biology and entomology, from universities in Germany, where he was born. For more than 20 years, he was a racing cyclist and musician in Europe.<\/em><\/p>\nFind Out How the CALS Community Is Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic<\/h3>\n
[button]Read Related Stories<\/a>[\/button]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"With unemployment rates hitting record levels in the United States and North Carolina, hunger-relief agencies and nonprofit organizations are encouraging donations. At NC State, Extension Small Fruit Specialist Mark Hoffmann is heeding the call.\r\n\r\nFor each of the past three weeks, Hoffmann has harvested between 75 and 100 pounds of strawberries from his experimental plots in Clayton and delivered them to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm along Tryon Road.\r\n\r\n[pullquote align=\"right\" color=\"red\"]The need is greater than we have ever seen as an organization.[\/pullquote]\r\n\r\nFarm Manager Kayla Clark says the donation meets an important and timely need in central North Carolina, contributing to the food shuttle\u2019s efforts to end hunger in Wake, Durham, Johnston, Orange, Chatham, Nash and Edgecombe counties.\r\n\r\nThe food shuttle provides not only shelf-stable food but also healthy, fresh produce, and the organization has been \u201clow on produce these days,\u201d Clark says.\r\n\r\n\u201cWith the unemployment rate rising so quickly, the need is greater than we have ever seen as an organization,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nThe organization is delivering the strawberries through its Mobile Markets<\/a> and Grocery Bags for Seniors programs.<\/a>\r\nSolving problems for growers and others<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_177955\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"460\"] Technician Emma Volk examines strawberry plants at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nHoffmann passes the nonprofit\u2019s farm on his way home from work, where he conducts research and extension education programs aimed at helping growers improve the economic and environmental sustainability of their farms. It occurred to him that donating the berries to the food shuttle would mean that they would benefit not just those growers but also families and individuals hard hit by the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.\r\n\r\nA warm winter set the stage for a strawberry season that\u2019s the best the state has seen in years, Hoffmann says. Production has hit its stride, and the crop has been both beautiful and bountiful.\r\n\r\nIn fact, the harvest has been so good that Hoffmann wasn\u2019t sure what he could do with hundreds of pounds of strawberries he\u2019s been harvesting from his research plot at the Central Crops Research Station.\r\n\r\n[pullquote align=\"right\" color=\"red\"]We have a bumper crop ..., and I didn\u2019t want to throw them away.[\/pullquote]\r\n\r\nNormally, Hoffmann and his associates would be distributing the berries to others on campus to acknowledge their support of the university\u2019s small fruits team and their research and Extension work.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe strawberries were really <\/em>good this year, and the season has gone well so we have a bumper crop. It's a lot of strawberries, and I didn't want to throw them away and didn\u2019t see any other option,\u201d Hoffmann says.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m actually eating strawberries every day right now, but they're way too many strawberries for me to eat by myself,\u201d he adds. \u201cEven if I could distribute them among my students, there\u2019d still be too many left over.\u201d\r\nSmall but important<\/h3>\r\nHoffmann expects the crop will amount to 450 to 550 pounds \u2013 a small fraction of the 6 million pounds of food that the food shuttle distributes each year to people with low incomes.\r\n\r\nStill, Clark says the donation makes a significant difference \u2013 and so does the advice he\u2019s provided the farm on managing and expanding its muscadine grape operation.\r\n\r\nClark says she\u2019s happy \u201cthat our neighbors in need will be able to enjoy the freshest and sweetest strawberries that they possibly could.\u201d\r\nAbout Mark Hoffmann<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\r\nIn 2017, Mark Hoffmann joined NC State as an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. His work focuses on strawberries, muscadine grapes and bunch grapes.<\/em>\r\n\r\n In his spare time, he learns new languages and enjoys running, hiking and backpacking. He\u2019s also an amateur photographer and part of the martial arts community.<\/em>\r\n\r\nHoffmann holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. in biology and entomology, from universities in Germany, where he was born. For more than 20 years, he was a racing cyclist and musician in Europe.<\/em>\r\nFind Out How the CALS Community Is Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic<\/h3>\r\n[button]Read Related Stories<\/a>[\/button]"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This year\u2019s strawberry harvest at the Central Crops Research Station is not only generating knowledge that growers can use to enhance their farms and the environment, it\u2019s also benefitting those in need of nutritious produce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":177951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1792,1170,1171,1181,1163],"tags":[1788,216],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"coauthors":[1651],"class_list":["post-177946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cals-weekly","category-extension","category-faculty-and-staff","category-newswire","category-research","tag-covid-19","tag-department-of-horticultural-science"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177946"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177993,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177946\/revisions\/177993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177946"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=177946"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=177946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Hoffmann passes the nonprofit\u2019s farm on his way home from work, where he conducts research and extension education programs aimed at helping growers improve the economic and environmental sustainability of their farms. It occurred to him that donating the berries to the food shuttle would mean that they would benefit not just those growers but also families and individuals hard hit by the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
A warm winter set the stage for a strawberry season that\u2019s the best the state has seen in years, Hoffmann says. Production has hit its stride, and the crop has been both beautiful and bountiful.<\/p>\n
In fact, the harvest has been so good that Hoffmann wasn\u2019t sure what he could do with hundreds of pounds of strawberries he\u2019s been harvesting from his research plot at the Central Crops Research Station.<\/p>\n
[pullquote align=”right” color=”red”]We have a bumper crop …, and I didn\u2019t want to throw them away.[\/pullquote]<\/p>\n
Normally, Hoffmann and his associates would be distributing the berries to others on campus to acknowledge their support of the university\u2019s small fruits team and their research and Extension work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strawberries were really <\/em>good this year, and the season has gone well so we have a bumper crop. It’s a lot of strawberries, and I didn’t want to throw them away and didn\u2019t see any other option,\u201d Hoffmann says.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m actually eating strawberries every day right now, but they’re way too many strawberries for me to eat by myself,\u201d he adds. \u201cEven if I could distribute them among my students, there\u2019d still be too many left over.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoffmann expects the crop will amount to 450 to 550 pounds \u2013 a small fraction of the 6 million pounds of food that the food shuttle distributes each year to people with low incomes.<\/p>\n Still, Clark says the donation makes a significant difference \u2013 and so does the advice he\u2019s provided the farm on managing and expanding its muscadine grape operation.<\/p>\n Clark says she\u2019s happy \u201cthat our neighbors in need will be able to enjoy the freshest and sweetest strawberries that they possibly could.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2017, Mark Hoffmann joined NC State as an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. His work focuses on strawberries, muscadine grapes and bunch grapes.<\/em><\/p>\n In his spare time, he learns new languages and enjoys running, hiking and backpacking. He\u2019s also an amateur photographer and part of the martial arts community.<\/em><\/p>\n Hoffmann holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. in biology and entomology, from universities in Germany, where he was born. For more than 20 years, he was a racing cyclist and musician in Europe.<\/em><\/p>\n [button]Read Related Stories<\/a>[\/button]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"With unemployment rates hitting record levels in the United States and North Carolina, hunger-relief agencies and nonprofit organizations are encouraging donations. At NC State, Extension Small Fruit Specialist Mark Hoffmann is heeding the call.\r\n\r\nFor each of the past three weeks, Hoffmann has harvested between 75 and 100 pounds of strawberries from his experimental plots in Clayton and delivered them to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm along Tryon Road.\r\n\r\n[pullquote align=\"right\" color=\"red\"]The need is greater than we have ever seen as an organization.[\/pullquote]\r\n\r\nFarm Manager Kayla Clark says the donation meets an important and timely need in central North Carolina, contributing to the food shuttle\u2019s efforts to end hunger in Wake, Durham, Johnston, Orange, Chatham, Nash and Edgecombe counties.\r\n\r\nThe food shuttle provides not only shelf-stable food but also healthy, fresh produce, and the organization has been \u201clow on produce these days,\u201d Clark says.\r\n\r\n\u201cWith the unemployment rate rising so quickly, the need is greater than we have ever seen as an organization,\u201d she says.\r\n\r\nThe organization is delivering the strawberries through its Mobile Markets<\/a> and Grocery Bags for Seniors programs.<\/a>\r\n This year\u2019s strawberry harvest at the Central Crops Research Station is not only generating knowledge that growers can use to enhance their farms and the environment, it\u2019s also benefitting those in need of nutritious produce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":177951,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1792,1170,1171,1181,1163],"tags":[1788,216],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"coauthors":[1651],"class_list":["post-177946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cals-weekly","category-extension","category-faculty-and-staff","category-newswire","category-research","tag-covid-19","tag-department-of-horticultural-science"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177946"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177993,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177946\/revisions\/177993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177946"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=177946"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=177946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Small but important<\/h3>\n
About Mark Hoffmann<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
Find Out How the CALS Community Is Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic<\/h3>\n
Solving problems for growers and others<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_177955\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"460\"]
Technician Emma Volk examines strawberry plants at the Central Crops Research Station in Clayton.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nHoffmann passes the nonprofit\u2019s farm on his way home from work, where he conducts research and extension education programs aimed at helping growers improve the economic and environmental sustainability of their farms. It occurred to him that donating the berries to the food shuttle would mean that they would benefit not just those growers but also families and individuals hard hit by the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.\r\n\r\nA warm winter set the stage for a strawberry season that\u2019s the best the state has seen in years, Hoffmann says. Production has hit its stride, and the crop has been both beautiful and bountiful.\r\n\r\nIn fact, the harvest has been so good that Hoffmann wasn\u2019t sure what he could do with hundreds of pounds of strawberries he\u2019s been harvesting from his research plot at the Central Crops Research Station.\r\n\r\n[pullquote align=\"right\" color=\"red\"]We have a bumper crop ..., and I didn\u2019t want to throw them away.[\/pullquote]\r\n\r\nNormally, Hoffmann and his associates would be distributing the berries to others on campus to acknowledge their support of the university\u2019s small fruits team and their research and Extension work.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe strawberries were really <\/em>good this year, and the season has gone well so we have a bumper crop. It's a lot of strawberries, and I didn't want to throw them away and didn\u2019t see any other option,\u201d Hoffmann says.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019m actually eating strawberries every day right now, but they're way too many strawberries for me to eat by myself,\u201d he adds. \u201cEven if I could distribute them among my students, there\u2019d still be too many left over.\u201d\r\nSmall but important<\/h3>\r\nHoffmann expects the crop will amount to 450 to 550 pounds \u2013 a small fraction of the 6 million pounds of food that the food shuttle distributes each year to people with low incomes.\r\n\r\nStill, Clark says the donation makes a significant difference \u2013 and so does the advice he\u2019s provided the farm on managing and expanding its muscadine grape operation.\r\n\r\nClark says she\u2019s happy \u201cthat our neighbors in need will be able to enjoy the freshest and sweetest strawberries that they possibly could.\u201d\r\n
About Mark Hoffmann<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\r\nIn 2017, Mark Hoffmann joined NC State as an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticultural Sciences. His work focuses on strawberries, muscadine grapes and bunch grapes.<\/em>\r\n\r\n In his spare time, he learns new languages and enjoys running, hiking and backpacking. He\u2019s also an amateur photographer and part of the martial arts community.<\/em>\r\n\r\nHoffmann holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. in biology and entomology, from universities in Germany, where he was born. For more than 20 years, he was a racing cyclist and musician in Europe.<\/em>\r\n
Find Out How the CALS Community Is Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic<\/h3>\r\n[button]Read Related Stories<\/a>[\/button]"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"