Category Archives: State/Regional
State's ban on open burning lifted for 81 North Carolina counties
RALEIGH - The N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning for 81 counties effective 8 a.m. Sunday, May 3. The statewide ban on open burning went into effect March 28 due to hazardous fore...
May 03, 2026 Photo Credit: N.C. Forest Service
Ongoing drought forces North Carolina farmers to get creative
Local farmer Anthony Penny discusses the ongoing drought forcing North Carolina farmers to get creative As central North Carolina faces record-breaking dry conditions and temperatures in the 90s, abou...
Apr 16, 2026
$26M FEMA Grant Targets Flood-Damaged Properties in NC Counties
WASHINGTON -- Today, FEMA awarded more than $26 million to eliminate flood risks for severely damaged properties in North Carolina. The state will use this funding, administered through FEMA's Hazard ...
Apr 06, 2026
Ratcliff to Give N.C. A&T Cooperative Extension's Small Farms Week 2026 Keynote
EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 18, 2026) - When Kimberly Ratcliff traded her successful career in corporate America for jeans, a cowboy hat and life on her family farm in Texas, she saw a large gap betw...
Mar 19, 2026 Kimberly Ratliff, CEO of Ratcliff Premium Meats in East Texas, will be the keynote speaker for Small Farmer Appreciation Night, one of the highlights of Cooperative Extension at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Small Farms Week 2026. (Photo Credit: NC A&T)
New Grants Aim to Boost Agricultural Processing in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (SFN) - North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says a new round of funding is now available through a state initiative designed to help farmers and businesses expand agric...
Mar 15, 2026 Employee checking of food can flowing along a conveyor belt in an automated production line. (Getty Images)
Pork Producers Looking for a Profitable 2026
Pork producers are continuing to bounce back from one of their toughest years ever in 2023, and are hopeful this year will continue to see profitable returns. Roy Lee Lindsey, CEO of the North Carolin...
Feb 11, 2026
Bipartisan ROPS Act Aims to Reduce Deadly Tractor Rollovers on U.S. Farms
A bipartisan group of lawmakers led by U.S. Rep. Don Davis of North Carolina has introduced new legislation aimed at tackling one of the deadliest hazards in American agriculture: tractor rollovers. T...
Jan 08, 2026
Backyard flock in Franklin County tests positive for HPAI
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) announced Tuesday that a backyard flock in Franklin County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI). Th...
Jan 06, 2026
Land Purchases Grow University Farm To Largest Size Ever
N.C. A&T State University's farm will expand by nearly 90 acres to its largest size in its 124-year history thanks to several recent purchases of adjacent land, according to Jerome Harper, directo...
Dec 22, 2025 Recent land purchases have grown the size of N.C. A&T’s University Farm to more than 580 acres, nearly 90 acres more than its current size of 492 acres. “We have lots of options for the land,” said Daniel Cooper, farm superintendent. (Photo Credit: North Carolina A&T State University)
Congressman Davis Introduces Bills to Strengthen Rural Communities and Support the Next Generation of Family Farmers
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) announced the introduction of two bills focused on strengthening rural communities, expanding access to federal resources, and supporting family farm s...
Dec 04, 2025