North Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture is responsible for leading an agency that plays a vital role in one of the state’s most important economic sectors. With a record-setting $111 billion impact in 2023, the Tarheel state leads the nation in the production of eggs, poultry, sweet potatoes and tobacco and ranks second in Christmas trees, trout and turkey.

Macon County commissioners are considering the adoption of a farmland protection ordinance that would not only orchestrate cooperation between county government and farmers in the region but also allow for more grant funding opportunities for the county. 

North Carolina is free from extreme drought in the latest advisory issued by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC) on Thursday.

Established more than 20 years ago, the Haywood County Farm Bureau scholarship program assists graduating seniors who have a financial need as well as a demonstrated history of community service with the cost of obtaining a college education.

The Haywood County Farm Bureau’s legislative breakfast is an annual tradition where the usual topics of conversation include crop prices, ever-escalating expenses, fuel and fertilizer costs, migrant labor policies, subsidies and what is — and isn’t — in the federal government’s current or proposed Farm Bill.

Applications are now being accepted for the N.C. Agriculture Manufacturing and Processing Initiative, which has been created to fund and promote the establishment of value-added agricultural manufacturing and food processing facilities in North Carolina. 

Celebrate CSA Month by lining up your source for fresh fruits and vegetables this growing season, with a CSA Fair planned for 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the YWCA of Asheville. 

Nearly 300 million acres of American farmland is expected to change hands over the next 20 years, and a new program from the American Farmland Trust called “Land Transfer Navigators” aims to help farmers and landowners retire with confidence as they help new farmers access land. 

An annual waters summit hosted by a pair of North Carolina congressmen brought together local, state and federal administrators, experts and elected officials who spent a lot of time looking back at the sad recent legacy of flood control, mitigation and recovery efforts in the state — hampered by funding anxiety, ensnarled in bureaucracy, stressed by the impact of growing populations on aging infrastructure and impeded by way too many government agencies on way too many levels that are all somehow siloed yet still tangled up like fallen trees in a raging river. 

The 21st annual Business of Farming Conference is coming up Saturday, Feb. 24, at the A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville.