Agricultural review [2021 : February, v.96 : no.2]

got to be Volume: 96 - No. 2 February 202 1 REVIEW Raleigh, N.C. Upcoming Zoom auxin training dates Nine upcoming Zoom sessions for auxin training have been scheduled. Cooperative Extension offices across the state will be able to host small groups of 1 0 or fewer people to watch the training presentation live over an internet feed. Local agents will handle the logistics of logging into Zoom and setting up video stream to be viewed. Following are upcoming dates: Feb. 4, 8, 18 and 24; and March 2, 11, 15, 24 and 29. More information about the training can be found in the pesticides section of the NCDA&CS website at https://www.neagr.gov/ spcap/pesticides/auxin.htm NCDA&CS Meat and Poultry Inspection staff recognized for front-line work during pandemic Sometimes extraordinary actions are obvious - a passerby saving someone from a burning building or a stranger volunteering to donate a kidney to someone in need. The list of good deeds could be endless. Flowever, sometimes you have to look a little deeper or have some inside knowledge to understand that what appears to be “ordinary people doing ordinary jobs” may really be much more. That's the case with the employees of the NCDA&CS Division of Meat and Poultry Inspection. Their work has been extraordinary in the months since the coronavirus pandemic jostled the food supply chain. Their combined effort to keep meat and poultry products available to consumers has also earned the entire division the NCDA&CS Excellence in Team Accomplishment award. “I think they’ve done a phenomenal job to keep things moving forward and allowing the [meat and poultry] establishments to continue to operate - doing what needed to be done,” said Lisa Benton, a division employee who nominated the division for the award. Benton’s job as an agriculture programs specialist involves many roles, and in her nearfy 20 years at NCDA&CS she’s done even more jobs, including being an inspector. That’s given her a full understanding of what employees do to ensure food safety, and what’s (See Meat and Poultry, pg. 3) Л few of the NCDA&CS inspectors who were recently recognized with an Excellence in Team Accomplishment award for their work in food processing facilities across the state. Their work helped ensure the food supply remained secured throughout the pandemic. IMPEC grants boosts protein production In September 2020, Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Traxler announced the creation of the Increasing Meat Production Efficiency and Capacity (IMPEC) grant program, administered by the NCDA&CS. The $20.25 million grant program aimed to strengthen the meat supply chain and ensure consumers have adequate sources of protein. A year ago, the average shopper may not have thought twice about the food supply chain, but like so many things in 2020 that soon changed as grocery stores began to run out of meat. “Empty shelves made us aware that we had a problem,” said Joe Hampton, an agriculture program specialist with the department. Hampton co-leads the department’s Increasing Meat Production Efficiency and Capacity (IMPEC) grant program. COVID-19 shed light on the complexity of our nation’s food supply, and how interconnected and fragile of a system it could be. The pandemic restricted traditional supply chains. As a result, more pressure was put on N.C. processors to fulfill the demand usually From the tractor handled by larger operations in the Midwest. Waitlists grew to a year or more. A backlog ensued, and it became nearly impossible to get more meat processed in the state. One of the biggest challenges facing local meat processors was outdated technology. Many smaller operations had technology that was 40 to 50 years old, and did not have the financial resources to upgrade to more modem equipment. Through the IMPEC grants, meat and seafood processors will now be able to improve Iheir production capacity and increase efficiencies to better serve North Carolina fanners and fishennen across the state. For some, the improvements could double their production capacity. The grant funds provide a cash infusion, but are not a handout All applicants paid for at least one-third of their project’s cost. In many cases, the companies contributed even more. Hampton said it is important for the businesses to be a part of the solution, “We want (See IMPEC grants, pg. 3) by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler Commissioner Troxler If you glance through this issue of the Agricultural Review, you will see several stories on employees of die N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services making a difference for agriculture. That makes this an issue I am particularly proud of. Like many fanners and agri¬ business owners, agriculture employees tend to j rest keep busy doing their jobs. Steady and dependable, showing up regardless of the circumstances or obstacles. Getting up early, working late, whatever it takes to get the job done - you know you can depend on them to see the task through. It’s one of the reasons I am so proud of the department and it’s also a big, big part of what I attribute to my success as Agriculture Commissioner. In die midst of figuring out operationally how we could do our work during the pandemic, we also tackled some massive projects with tight time limitations. The story on page 1 about the IMPEC grants is a great example of that. While the federal government appropriated CARES Act funds to assist our agricultural community, we were limited in what it could be spent on and we had to have the money spent by die end of die year. I was detennined to use this funding to help our small meat processors increase their capacity so the fanners who use them could also benefit from this investment. With more consumers interested in locally sourced proteias, many fanns who are registered meat handlers quickly maxxed out their supply. As they looked to process more meat for customers, the available time slots with local processors dried up. Around April of 2020, we were already hearing that processing facilities were booked through early 2021. The IMPEC grants will allow 57 meat and seafood businesses to increase capacity for die longtena In addition to these grants, we also created programs and administered grants for dairies, fanners markets and food hubs. For each one of these programs, staff with air Budggt and Finarce Division stepped up their efforts to ensure the paperwork was in order so these funds could be sent out as quickly and as efficiently as possible. We met die deadlines, we put the money delegated to the state to good use and we have increased out local processing capacity significantly. For every employee story we highlight in this paper, both in this issue and throughout the year, there are many more that go untold. I wish we could tell them all, but I want them all to know I am grateful for their hard work and extra efforts.