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MICHAEL F. EASLEY
GOVERNOR
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FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MONTH
2007
BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS, fresh fruits and vegetables are enjoyed by millions of consumers even,1 day, and the North
Carolina fresh fruit and vegetable industry generated an estimated $350 million in farm income according to the
2005 Agricultural Statistics from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: and
WHEREAS, the fresh fruit and vegetable industry is yet another part of the total diversification of
agriculture in North Carolina: and
WHEREAS, the industry also provides employment for many of our State's citizens and provides
supplemental income for a number of rural families who farm on a part-time basis; and
WHEREAS, last year, there were approximately 1 6,000 acres of fruits and 1 70,000 acres of vegetables
grown in the State according to the 2005 Agricultural Statistics from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Sendees; and
WHEREAS, the leading commodities were sweet potatoes and cucumbers according to the 2005
Agricultural Statistics from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: and
WHEREAS, because of the cooperation of fresh fruit and vegetable producers, the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sendees and allied industry', hundreds of farms are flourishing across the
State, and North Carolina is recognized as a leader in fresh fruits and vegetables in the Southeast: and
WHEREAS, major studies of health and nutrition indicate that fruits and vegetables contribute in important
ways to the prevention of certain diseases, including cancer and high blood pressure; and
WHEREAS, leading health authorities, including the United States Surgeon General, the United States
Department of Health and Human Services, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society,
recommend that Americans eat at least nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day in accordance with the USDA
dietary guidelines; and
WHEREAS. North Carolina fresh fruits and vegetables offer a wide variety of tastes, flavors, textures and
colors to the American diet, and are nutritious, economical and convenient: and
WHEREAS, these quality products provide Tar Heels and other consumers a most versatile and nutritious
commodity that is truly a symbol of goodness;
Carolina afi
Independent
NOW. THEREFORE. I. MICHAEL F. EASLEY, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby
proclaim June 2007^a^"FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLE MONTH" in North Carolina and urge our citizens
to support the
MICHAEL F. EASLEY
have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North
this first day of June in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven, and of the
of America the hundred and thirty-first.
