Top Agriculture News

SPRUCE PINE, N.C. (NCN News) – One year after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, recovery continues across the mountains. The storm killed 108 people, caused more than 2,000 landslides and left businesses, roads and communities in ruins. While many restaurants, farms and attractions are reopening, most small businesses still have not returned to pre-Helene revenues. State officials say bipartisan support has brought new funding and infrastructure repairs, but rebuilding remains a long-term effort.

WOODFIN, N.C. (AP) — It’s been only a year since Hurricane Helene hammered the southeast U.S. from Florida to the Carolinas. Some of the heaviest damage came from flooding in the North Carolina mountains, where some 30 inches of rain turned gentle streams into walls of water that swept away anything in their path. The worst wreckage has been cleared away, but cleanup crews are still at work plucking smaller debris from waterways throughout the region. In the understandable haste to rescue people and restore their lives to some semblance of normalcy, some fear the recovery efforts compounded Helene’s impact on the ecosystem. Contractors hired to remove vehicles, shipping containers, shattered houses and other large debris from waterways sometimes damaged sensitive habitat.

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers has released a report showing the significant benefits of precision agriculture in the U.S. Austin Gellings, senior director of agricultural services with AEM, talks about the findings and goals behind the report. “The goal was really to bring the ag community together to help quantify and tell the story about […]

The U.S. grain and feed industry is a major driver of jobs and economic activity across rural America. That’s the message from a new study just released by the National Grain and Feed Association. NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert says the study quantifies the industry’s reach. “The Harvest Economy report quantifies what many of […]

2025 marks the 40th anniversary of what many consider the Agriculture Department’s flagship conservation program. The person perhaps most connected to the creation of the Conservation Reserve Program in 1985 is former Agriculture Secretary John Block. He shared some of his thoughts on CRP a decade ago during the program’s 30th anniversary. The Reagan administration […]

The one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene ravaging western North Carolina is fast approaching, and farmers are still continuing the recovery process. One farm that continues to work toward recovery is Springhouse Farm in Vilas, North Carolina. The farm, owned by Amy Fiedler, has been a local source of fresh produce for their local food bank. […]

I planted some Russian Sage (Salvia yangii) decades ago. Alas, I can’t remember when it faded into oblivion. It is really not native to Russia and hails from Central Asia, ie, Afghanistan, Tibet. The name derives from the genus of the plant which is “perovskia” and it was named for the Russian General V.A. Perovski in the 1800’s. I don’t know why, I suppose he was some sort of wise person or “sage”.

USDA Conservation Reserve Program reaches its 40th anniversary this year. “Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary land conservation programs in the U.S. Originally, it was intended to primarily control soil erosion and provide stability to commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. And the program has evolved […]

Continued contraction in the cattle feedlots and U.S. cattle inventory. Livestock analyst Michael McConnell says, from USDA’s latest Cattle on Feed report covering the period ending Sept. 1: “There was 11.08 million head of cattle on feed with feedlots that have a capacity of larger than 1,000 head. That is 1% lower than a year […]

Outdoor recreationists and tourists to our nation’s forests may have noticed some improvements to infrastructure if they have visited over the past five years. That, according to Betty Jewett of the U.S. Forest Service, reflects the Great American Outdoors Act of 2020. “Forest Service and four Departments of the Interior agencies, and so that is […]