Published by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Ag Development
Forum and
Southern Farm
Show to be held
in February
The Southern Farm Show
will be held Feb. 1-3 at the State
Fairgrounds in Raleigh with free
admission and free parking.
Several special events and
meetings will be held during the farm
show incl udi ng the Ag Development
Forum on Thursday. Feb. 2, at 9:30
am; the N.C. Growers Association
meeting Feb. 2 at 1 p.m; the annual
Breakfast with the Commissioner
iiindraiser for the Tobacco Farm
Life Museum on Feb. 3 at 7:30
a.m.; and the annual meeting of
the Tobacco Growers Association
of North Carolina on Feb. 3.
For information on the
Southern Farm Show go to https://
southerashows.com/sfs
Year after major fire, Pilot Mountain shows
its resiliency, how prescribed fire proved helpful
Devastating. A word meaning highly destructive,
damaging, caasing severe shock, distress or grief.
It’s also a word that has commonly been associated
with the Grindstone Fire that ignited Nov. 27, 202 1 ,
at Pilot Mountain State Park.
It's not difficult to see where some might get that
perception when viewing images and videos of the
fire's behavior during its early stages. The park rested
under darkness of the night sky while the mountain,
lit up with orange heat, appeared almost as a celestial
body. Images such as these can paint a grim picture
and leave many wondering about the long-term effects
from the blaze.
Would the forest recover? How many years would
it take? What was the mortality rate among wildlife
living in the park? For the animals that didn’t perish,
what type of habitat would be left for them when they
returned? What can be done to lower the risk of this
happening again?
These are just a few of the questioas park visitors
(See Pilot Mountain, pg. 4) New pine and plant growth has sprouted in the aftermath of the destructive fire.
Nematode lab experiencing delays on routine tests
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Nematode
Assay Lab Ls warning North Carolina growers to expect turnaround times of 15
weeks or longer for routine (predictive) nematode samples submitted this year.
Samples submitted for diagnostic testing, including molecular diagnosis
of guava root-knot nematode species, will be given priority and those results
should be available in around five working days. Currently, there are around
15,400 samples waiting analysis.
The Nematode Assay Lab can assay soil samples for the presence of at
least 46 different plant-parasitic nematodes, which are microscopic threadlike
worms that live in the soil. The results of a nematode assay help growers
make important management control decisions for the upcoming crop season.
Increased demand for testing and staffing shortages have led to the long
turnaround times, said Dr. Weimin Ye, NCDA&CS nematologist.
“This is highly detailed work, requiring up to a year of specialized training
for nematology technicians,’’ Ye said. “Even with three experienced nematology
From the tractor
technicians and a lab manager qualified to identify and count nematodes,
only about 200 samples can be completed daily..
Management is working to address the issue but does not expect efforts
will alleviate the bottleneck of samples in the short-term. Two new staff
members are currently in training and five temporary employees have
been hired to help extract nematodes from samples in preparation for
analysis by trained staff.
“We are estimating that samples received before Dec. 1 should be
completed by the end of March 2023. Samples are being processed in
the order that they are received,’’ Ye said. “Given the anticipated delays,
growers should consider whether or not assay results will be ready in
time to make management control decisions before submitting additional
samples to the Nematode Assay Lab.”
Long storage times in the lab are not expected to impact assay results,
(See Nematode testing, pg. 2)
Commissioner Troxler
I spend a great deal of time on the
road with my job. Seeing the state,
particularly the areas outside of our
urban centers, is something I enjoy
most about my work.
Seeing both the rural and urban
areas serves as an excellent reminder
that North Carolina is more rural than
urban, but it also gives me a front row
seat to the acceleration ofdevelopment
and how quickly areas can change in
by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler
and around our big cities.
While we remain a mostly rural state,
make no mistake some of our cities
are experiencing explosive growth.
North Carolina is a destination state
for many people and studies show this.
I recently read a news report
that noted two of North Carolina’s
metropolitan areas fall into the Top
1 0 of fastest growing metro areas in
the United States.
In fact, Raleigh ranks second in the
country only behind Austin, Texas.
And Charlotte comes in at number
6. The population growth for Austin
from 2016 to 2021 was 14.1 percent,
for Raleigh it was 11.1 percent for the
same time period and 8. 1 percent for
Charlotte.
In the Top 1 5 noted in this report,
Texas placed four cities on the fastest
growing list, Florida had three of its
cities on the list and North Carolina
had two. I think it is interesting that
each of these are states with large
agricultural footprints and productioa
I talk a lot about farmland prerervatba
Some of you may even be tired of me
making it a frequent topic of discussion,
but there is a real urgency to ensuring
we have the natural resources to be
able to provide food, fiber and fuel
for ourselves and others.
This year we topped 30,000 acres
protected through our Ag Development
and Farm Preservation Trust Fund
since its beginning, which is a great
milestone. But our work is nowhere
near done.
For example, an electric vehicle
manufacturing plant planned for
Chatham County is expected to sit on
1 ,765 acres. A total of 280 acres were
purchased in the Research Triangle
Park for the planned Apple campus.
In July of this year, the American
Farmland Trust released its report Fames
Under Threat 2040 in which it noted
that North Carolina ranks second
in the country in potential farmland
loss by 2040. The report projected
1 . 1 million acres of farmland would
be converted from agricultural use.
That number was based on current
development numbers, but land
loss could increase to 1.6 million
if development increases.
Like I mentioned at the beginning
of this columa nearly everywhere I
travel development is taking place.
As a department, we will continue
to rally support for Farmland
Preservation efforts so we can
secure the natural resources we
need for future generations. We
cannot afford to wait until we are
in a crisis with land loss. We have
to have the foresight to understand
the long-term needs today, because
we know others are eyeing the future
and projected population increases.
