Many Producers Taking Advantage of Weather and Planting Corn Early

Many producers across the Carolinas took a gamble and planted corn early. NC State Extension Corn Specialist Dr. Ron Heiniger says that early planted corn is looking good:
 

“Corn plants actually all over the state popping up with some producers who have been planting early. Corn looks pretty good, it’s actually been a good year to get planted early, and so the weather’s been very cooperative with us here.”

Heiniger feels that most Carolina corn will be in the ground by month’s end.
 

Farm Bill Progressing
 

The next two weeks are critical weeks in the Senate Ag Committee’s 2012 Farm Bill process. Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow plans to release her draft – or mark – at the end of this week. Before she releases her mark – the Senators on the committee will meet privately to view the draft and voice their priorities and concerns.

Fred Hoefner of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is keeping tabs on the process as it unfolds:

“We assume that there’ll be at least a couple of closed-door meetings with the Senators themselves, and probably depend a little bit on how those go, and, you know, whether mark up proceeds next week as planned or not. But, like you say, if there’s no hiccups, that’s the plan.”
 

Grant Funding For Farm to School now Available
 

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has announced grant funding through USDA to promote farm to school lunch programs. There are two types of grants, a planning and implementation grants, up to $100,000:
 

“It’s really, really important because it’s drawing people back to American agriculture at a time when we need to transition our working lands, where the average age of farmers is increasing, and we need to bring young people back to the farms and ranches, and why not start early interesting children about American agriculture from K through high school, though, it’s really about connecting learning with agriculture all along the trajectory.”
 

Applications Now Being Accepted for George Washington Carver Award

The National Peanut Board has begun taking applications for the eleventh annual Dr. George Washington Carver Award. The award is open to undergraduate and graduate students and the winner will receive a $1,000 prize, with a matching amount awarded to the winner’s college or university for peanut research.

Past award recipients have been from University of Georgia, Auburn University, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State University, as well as North Carolina State University.
 

NPB rewards a future peanut researcher’s hard work and community spirit with this award commemorating America’s foremost peanut researcher. The standards for judging exemplify the spirit of Dr. George Washington Carver.

For more information on submitting an application click HERE