Agricultural review [2025 : March, v.100 : no.3]

Peak-season fees waived for WNC counties REMINDER: Peak-season soil testing fees will be waived for growers and homeowners in Hunicane Helene-impacted Western North Carolina counties. The peak-season fee of $4 per sample is implemented annually to encourage growers to submit samples early to help spread out the testing time frame and to invest in equipment and temporary staff to decrease turnaround times. This year, the peak laboratory season iurs through March 3 1 , 2025. Upcoming Ag Review ad deadlines The following are deadlines to submit ads for the Agricultural Review newspaper. March 3 for the April issue April 1 for the May issue May 1 for the June issue June 2 for the July issue Integra Foods named 2025 Exporter of the Year Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler recently recognized Integra Foods of Bladenboro as the 2025 Exporter of the Year at the annual Ag Development Forum hosted by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This award honors the company’s exceptional achievements in international trade, market expaasion and contributions to North Carolina’s agricultural exports. “The work Vladimir Stepanian and Eugene Komiychuk are doing at Integra Foods reflects the critical role that N.C. agribusinesses play in feeding the world," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “They exemplify the innovation, commitment, and global reach that make our state a powerhouse in food and agriculture exports, and I am proud to recognize Integra Foods as the 2025 Exporter of the Year.” Established in Bladen County in 2019, Integra Foods is a leader in the production of fully cooked and smoked poultry products for both domestic and international markets. Their state-of-the-art facility is certified in Good Manufacturing Practices and Organic Standards and serves industries such as amusement parks, foodservice and retail outlets in the USA, Japan, Korea, China, Singapore and beyond. “North Carolina is home to some of the country’s most dedicated and innovative farmers, and it’s truly a privilege to represent our state in the global stage,” said Komiychuk, vice president of Integra Foods. “We are excited about our future and grateful for the continued opportunities to serve as ambassadors of North Carolina agriculture.” Integra Foods is a member of the NCDA&CS’s Got to Be NC program and has been actively assisting the NCDA&CS International Marketing Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, left, named Integra Foods as the 2025 Exporter of the Year. Team, Southern United States Trade Association and USA Poultry and Egg Export Council on promotions in foreign markets. Stepanian and Komiychuk have been mstrumental in reenriting buyers for the upcoming 2025 NCDA&CS Trade Mission to Japan. With plans for continued global expansion, Integra Foods remains committed to providing high-quality, sustainable food solutions while promoting North Carolina’s agricultural excellence on the world stage. To learn more about Integra Foods, visit them online at www. integrafoods.net. Sampson turkey operation tests positive for HPAI A commercial turkey operation in Sampson County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza. The positive sample was first identified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh and confirmed by the USD A APHIS National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa. This is the second case of high path avian influenza in commercial poultry in North Carolina this year. The first case was in a commercial layer operation in Hyde County. Prior to this case, North Carolina has had 1 2 affected commercial flocks and eight backyard flocks. “Since 2022, HPAI has impacted more than 141 million birds across all 50 states,” said State Veterinarian Mike Martin. “With HPAI being pervasive in some wild bird populations and the recent cases around the country, all flock owners, commercial and backyard, should remain vigilant with their biosecurity. If your birds are sick or dying, report it right away to your local veterinarian, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Division, 919-707-3250, or the N.C. Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System 919-733-3986.” More information on HPAI in general and a listing of all N.C. cases since 2022 is online at https ://www.ncagr. gov/divisions/veterinary/ Avianlnfluenza. From the tractor Commissioner Troxler This is one of my favorite times of year as preparatioas for a new growing season get under way. There’s always equipment to get ready and planting decisions to make. We are seeing that at our 1 8 state-operated research stations as well as plaas for this year’s research efforts taking shape. 1 have talked many times about the importance of ag research and how every dollar invested in research returns S20 on average. With a growing global population, we need research to figure out how farmers can produce more by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler food with fewer resources - whether that is improving yields, developing better production practices or using new technology and equipment to improve efficiencies. Across the state, our research statioas have updated some equipment, including tractors, sprayers, skid steers, excavators and other pieces. Irrigation platform upgrades are also being made, including adding new linear irrigation, traveler irrigation and updating some old control systems. Drones have also been added to the research stations and some stations are working to install fiber optics to increase internet capabilities. Three of our research stations will be using a new Vytelle Sease livestock feeding system. When these three are fully operational, we will have a total of four of these systems engaged in livestock research across different stations. They are located at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, the Upper Mountain Research Station in Laurel Springs, the Upper Piedmont Research Station in Reidsville, and the Umstead Research Farm in Butner. This technology will passively collect feed, water and weight data on every cow or small ruminant to track the growth of the animals and see which ones are the most efficient at converting feed into muscle. The system uses an individual radio frequency tag that is read when a cow comes up to the feed trough and water trough. The system can track the amount of food the animal eats and captures its weight when it drinks water. This technology saves labor by collecting data automatically, and the biggest return is expected to be its ability to help producers identify livestock that can more efficiently and quickly be ready to market. And that is important if we are going to be able to produce more food with fewer resources to meet the growing global demand. I am grateful for the continued support of the N.C. General Assembly in funding improvements and additions to our research stations. Investing in research will pay off for producers in the long run and will help North Carolina remain competitive in the global mariretplace. *** And finally, as of press time, I am continuing to work on disaster recovery funding with the N.C. General Assembly. We have nearly S5 billion in uniasured losses in agriculture and in using a formula we put together following Humcane Florence to figure what it will take to get farmers back to where they can borrow money for this season and get growing again, we are looking at S357 million for Western N.C. for recovery from Flurricane Helene and S 1 74 million for other areas of North Carolina for recovery from the drought, Hurricane Debby and another unnamed storm that created wet conditions. I am hopeful that proposed legislation passes that will help us get funding out to growers for crop losses in 2024.