World Bee Day is celebrated on May 20th this year. In honor of our buzzing pollinators, we sit down with Elsa Youngsteadt, of NC State's Urban Ecology lab, to learn more about the impact that bees have on urban environments, and what can be done in those spaces to help them.

To find the handbook referenced in the episode, check here:

https://uncpress.org/book/9781469659022/the-bees-of-north-carolina/

What do sports stadiums, golf courses, roadways and houses across the country have in common? They all benefit from turfgrass expertise. NC State's Turfgrass Management program has been churning out research and workers in the field for years shaping the way many of see and interact with the turf around us. On this episode we talk with NC State Extension Turf Specialist Grady Miller and Durham Bulls Ballpark Head Groundskeeper Grady Miller about all the work that goes into maintaining these fields.

If you're looking for more info about turfgrass in North Carolina check out TurfFiles:

https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/

Carolina Gold Rice has been making a comeback in recent years. This local, flavorful has roots in North Carolina, but almost disappeared for close to 100 years from the agricultural scene in the State. What's fueling its new rise? Join us as we talk to Angela Post of NC State Extension and Tommy Wheeler of the Tidewater Grain Company to find out!

On this week, we chat with Matthew Vann of NC State University's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences about the emerging crop in North Carolina, cigar wrapper tobacco. There's a lot to learn about this specialty crop, and Vann and his team are putting in the work to make sure North Carolina farmers have the best and most relevant info to succeed.

Beer making has boomed in recent years in North Carolina with the craft-beer expansion. And with that expansion comes the need for ingredients like the vital hops. Currently, most hops used for brewing in North Carolina are sourced from the West coast. However, agricultural researchers in North Carolina are hard at work to find a way to grow some local hops right here in state. Come learn more about the work they're doing!

If you're enjoying the show, please share with your friends or on social media to help spread the word. If you would like to learn more about this topic, check out this video:

https://youtu.be/pg1Z4QzDPo4

If you would like to learn more about work being done at NC State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, be sure to visit:

cals.ncsu.edu

In this episode, we take a look at the emerging hemp industry within North Carolina. The 2018 Farm Bill cleared the way legally for the production, and farmers took to the fields. How has the industry been doing, and what have farmers and researchers learned so far? We talk with NC State Extension specialist David Suchoff for more info on this budding North Carolina industry.

Agriculture is, of course, affected greatly by storms, droughts, floods, heat and cold, and that makes it vulnerable to climate change. Experts discuss how climate changes affects North Carolina ag, how ag affects climate change, and how the industry can help address it.

Our Guests

 Carl Crozier served for 24 years on the crop and soil sciences faculty at NC State. He is now a professor emeritus. He grew up in south Texas, where he worked on family ranch land. He studied biology at Baylor University, then plant ecology at Ohio State University. Before coming to NC State to earn a doctorate in soil science, he served in the Peace Corps, working on soil conservation projects in Honduras. His research interests include understanding how the interaction of plants and agricultural soils could lead to more efficient fertilizer use.

Rod Rejesus, a professor and extension specialist with NC State’s Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, grew up in the Philippines. He earned an undergraduate degree at the University of the Philippines, a master’s at Clemson University, and a Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His interest in the economics of climate change evolved from his work on agricultural risk management and related policies. Rejesus is also an expert in economic assessments of agricultural technologies.

Rebecca Ward is assistant state climatologist with the North Carolina State Climate Office. She’s from Carteret County, along the coast, where hurricanes spurred her interest in meteorology. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Carolina State University, and she’s working on a third – a doctorate in science education. She informs a variety of audiences on climate and weather, and she provides expertise that supports decision making in agriculture and other areas.

 Alex Woodley grew up in southern Ontario. He holds three degrees from the University of Guelph, where he studied environmental science and earned his doctorate in land resource science. He moved to North Carolina three years ago to join the faculty at NC State University as an assistant professor of soil science. His research, carried out at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems in Goldsboro, focuses on the mitigation and adaptation to climate change through soil productivity and profitability in sustainable cropping systems.

Resources

• Climate Change, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Climate Hubs, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Mitigation, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• The Role of Agricultural Science and Technology in Climate 21 Project Implementation: Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
• Science Policy Issues: Climate Change, Soil Science Society of America

N.C. Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding discusses his farming experience, the Farm Bureau’s priorities and today’s agricultural challenges.

About Our Guest
Shawn Harding was elected president of the North Carolina Farm Bureau in December 2019. Harding grew up and farmed in Beaufort County. He previously served the Farm Bureau in various roles, including president in Beaufort County, member of the state board of directors and state public policy director. He is a graduate of the Agricultural Institute, part of NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

What challenges do North Carolina farmers face in making the best use of new technology when they lack affordable high-speed internet? And what’s being done about it?

In this episode of Farms, Food, and You, two farmers and two broadband professionals talk the need for high-speed internet and what's being done to expand access.

Guests

Beverly Mooney operates Millstone Creek Orchards in Ramseur with her husband, Nick. The 80-acre farm was started by her father as a retirement occupation. He planted fruit trees and opened the farm to the public for you-pick operations, hayrides and picnics. Today, the farm produces blueberries, blackberries, peaches, grapes, pumpkins and pecans – “a little bit of a lot of things,” as Mooney puts it. It’s also a popular agritourism destination. 

Robert Knight grew up in Rockingham County, the son of a teacher and a lineman for a power company and the grandson of two tobacco farmers. He spent most summers working on his maternal grandfather’s farm in Stokes County. After graduating from high school in 2004, he started farming tobacco. The next year, after the tobacco buyout that ended federal quota and price support programs, he turned his attention to grains and timber. Now he’s begun to explore agritourism opportunities for his seventh-generation farm.

Kenny Sherin serves as both state coordinator of broadband access and education and Randolph County director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension. He grew up on a family farm in fast-growing Union County. Recognizing the development pressures, his father encouraged him to find an off-farm job. Sherin went on to earn a doctorate in rural sociology and community development from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has worked for Extension in both Missouri and South Dakota, and he returned to North Carolina in 2019.

Jeff Sural is broadband infrastructure director for the North Carolina Department of Information Technology. He grew up in Greensboro and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a law degree from Western Michigan University’s Cooley Law School. He spent 15 years in Washington, D.C., in policy and legislative liaison roles. The broadband infrastructure office he leads works to expand and enhance broadband access to all North Carolinians.

North Carolina ranks third among states when it comes to agricultural diversity, but roughly 80% of crops grown here is shipped out of the state to be processed. What’s being done to tap the potential for food entrepreneurs to bring these commodities home?

In this episode, two proponents of food entrepreneurship and innovation talk about the momentum that’s been building for the food manufacturing and processing industry in our state.

Our Guests

 Bill Aimutis is executive director of the North Carolina Food Innovation Lab in Kannapolis. He has held several research and operations leadership and management positions for companies such as Cargill Inc., Land O’Lakes and Kerry Ingredients. Aimutis holds degrees in food science from Purdue University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a fellow of the American Dairy Science Association and the Institute of Food Technologists.

Ron Fish is assistant director of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ marketing division, charged with driving the growth of agribusiness in North Carolina. He’s worked with the agriculture department for 30 years. Fish grew up on a tobacco farm Willow Springs and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from NC State University.