6th Annual Got To Be NC Festival in the Books

The 6th annual Got To Be NC Festival is in the books, and while soggy, NCDA’s Director of Communications Brian Long says the weather wasn’t much of a deterrent:

“We had a good attendance. It wasn’t what we normally would expect.” 

Since attendance and parking are free, it’s tough to judge the attendance like at the NC State Fair, but Long explains, that’s part of the point of the Got to be NC Festival:
 

“We want to make this festival as affordable as possible, so free admission and free parking are very affordable.”

Time Running Out to Participate in SC Ag Council's Spring Tour

Time is quickly running out to get involved in the South Carolina Ag Council’s Spring Agricultural Tour. The day-long tour is scheduled for Thursday June 6th with several stops, including Manchester Quail Farm processing plant in Columbia, Garnay Industries, the world’s largest gingko farm, in Dalzell, and Southland Fisheries. Due to bus transportation, seating is limited, and pre-registration is required by May 31st. For more information visit our calendar

Immigration Markup to Likely to Cover Ag Workers, E-Verify This Week

As the Senate Judiciary Committee continues its review of the immigration reform bill – it’s expected the sections of the bill regarding agricultural worker programs and E-verify requirements will come up this week. The committee markup started on May 9th and there were some 300 amendments to deal with.
 

Reason for Fertilizer Plant Explosion Undetermined

Investigators have announced that the cause of the West Fertilizer Company explosion has been ruled undetermined. This ruling is made when the cause can’t be proven to an acceptable level of certainty – which may be due to insufficient information or the inability to eliminate multiple causes. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms did eliminate some possible causes for the fire – including rekindling from a previous fire, spontaneous ignition, a 480-watt electricity system, anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, smoking and weather concerns. A 120-volt electrical system, a golf cart and an intentionally set fire were not eliminated as possible causes. While the investigation into the fire’s cause is closed – a separate criminal investigation remains open.