A North Carolina Superior Court judge has derailed a lawsuit by 30 Nash and Wilson County residents trying to block Sanderson Farm’s proposed poultry processing operation.
Judge Russell Duke Jr. found no evidence that Nash County violated normal zoning practices in approving the site for Sanderson Farms. Residents said the 150-acre tract in southern Nash County should not have been rezoned for industrial use specifically to accommodate the plant. It is not yet known if the residents will appeal the judge's ruling.
SC Senate Postpones Debate on Illegal Immigration
The South Carolina Senate has postponed debating illegal immigration until later this month.
Senators voted Thursday to carry it over until they return June 14 for a special session.
New Strain of E.coli
The germ behind Europe's deadly food-poisoning outbreak is particularly sinister. CBS News Correspondent Barry Bagnato says the world has a big food safety threat on its hands...
I’m Barry Bagnato in Washington. This type of E.coli is especially virulent, possibly a mutation of two other strains. Dr. Bruce Hirsch, and infectious disease expert with New York’s North Shore University Hospital: “The human population has a generation time of 30 years, bacteria, 30 minutes. We have to expect new strains all the time.” The FDA is increasing inspections of European produce as a precaution.
Agriculture is Anything But Useless
A few college degrees that fall under the agricultural umbrella recently made the list of twenty most useless college degrees in The Daily Beast. Kay Johnson Smith, Animal Agriculture Alliance Executive Vice President, says the article is laughable to those who understand the importance of agriculture but she fears it could deter potential farmers, botanists or animal scientists from the field, going on to say the article is a reminder of why everyone must do their part to help bridge the urban-rural gap. (Full story...)
Food Pyramid Icon Replaced
 Bye-bye old food pyramid. Hello new icon designed to get Americans eating right...and losing weight. USDA Nutritionist Dr. Robert Post says the new icon is "My Plate":
“Because consumers are faced with so many food options and so many sources of nutrition information, it’s meant to be that attention grabber, that visual cue that will inspire consumers to act on the dietary guidelines messages.”
Read ag industry's response to "My Plate"...
It’s Official…Collard Greens are SC's state veggie
Collard greens are now South Carolina's official state vegetable. Gov. Nikki Haley signed the bill Thursday elevating the status of the green, leafy vegetable. The upgrade in status for the leafy, green vegetable actually was a project of a 3rd grade class in Lexington, who proposed the bill as an exercise in civics.
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