Annual NC Tobacco Day this Thursday

This Thursday is the annual Tobacco Day at the Johnston County Extension Center outside of Smithfield. This half-day event gets underway with registration at 8:00. Several speakers are lined up, including George Scott with Universal Leaf discussing Good Agricultural Practices, or GAP, as well as NC State Extension specialist, Dr. Mina Mila, Dr. Blake Brown, Dr. Loren Fisher to name a few. While the event is free, registration is requested for lunch preparations. For an online link to the registration page, click here.
 

Hay Rustling Becoming Problem in Drought- Stricken Midwest
 

Midwestern farmers are already reeling from one of the worst droughts in decades. Now they're facing a new threat — "Hay Rustlers." With hay prices approaching 300-dollars-per-ton, some are sneaking in and taking them from rural fields. Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says thieves count on the stolen bales being untraceable, some farmers are putting GPS tracking devices in bales in case they’re stolen.

City Roots Farm a Finalist in Two Competitions

City Roots, an urban farm located in downtown Columbia, was selected as one of 10 national finalists in Green America's People & Planet Award for Green Businesses, rewarding green businesses for their contributions to a just and sustainable economy. The top three nominees receiving the most online votes will receive a $5,000 award.

Opened in 2009 by father and son, Robbie and Eric McClam, the 3.5 acre farm is located in Columbia’s Rosewood Neighborhood, features 75 varieties of fruits and vegetables, bees, and other ecologically mindful crop rotations and cover crops for soil fertility and pest management as well as a large composting operation. McClam and City Roots are also one of ten finalist for USFRA’s “Faces of Agriculture” campaign. The voting for that is still open. To vote, click here.

HSUS Takes another Stab at Pork Checkoff with Complaint to OIG

In a complaint filed with USDA’s Office of Inspector General – the Humane Society of the United States is asking for an investigation into the National Pork Board’s potential use of checkoff dollars to support the National Pork Producers Council’s lobbying efforts. This follows a lawsuit filed by the group in September claiming NPPC has been financing its lobbying efforts in part through the sale of the campaign slogan “the other white meat.”