Plants For Human Health Institute

Watch a video outlining how Dr. Allan Brown is leading a team that is sequencing the blueberry genome. The work is a major step toward understanding the genetic information of the blueberry and is expected to yield new discoveries in both medical and agricultural research.

Watch as representatives from N.C. State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute and Johnson & Wales University discuss the N.C. Strawberry Project. The institutions have developed a dynamic, first-of-its-kind partnership that will help breed a better N.C. strawberry.

Dr. Penelope Perkins-Veazie discusses research that is under way to develop a rating system for the firmness of blackberries and raspberries. When finalized, this system will help growers determine what variety of blackberry or raspberry is best suited for their operation.

This slide show from The Produce Lady includes photos and tips to help you incorporate more nutritious and delicious fruits and vegetables into children’s diets. A PDF version is available for use in presentations, handing out at markets or other needs.

The Produce Lady’s new monthly e-newsletter encourages N.C. families to eat healthy fruits and vegetables purchased at local farmers markets. Each issue will focus on a seasonal crop and will assist consumers with selection and preparation tips. The newsletter is also an educational tool that growers and agents can share with clientele.

N.C. MarketReady launches the Tomato Growers Information Portal just as the greenhouse tomato season kicks off. Producers now have a one-stop shop for materials on production practices, business management and market data regarding tomatoes.

Carl Canaluppi stands before an asparagus field in the fern-growth stage. N.C. isn’t known (yet) for its asparagus production. In fact, it’s a relatively new introduction to Southern cuisine. That doesn’t deter Carl Cantaluppi, an N.C. Cooperative Extension area horticulture agent with the Granville and Person County Centers. He has been evaluating asparagus trials in North Carolina since 1994 and suggests that N.C. farmers will find asparagus to be a high-value, low-input specialty crop ideal for direct market.

Farmers in North Carolina have a new online resource to help them establish and grow their blackberry and raspberry operations. The Blackberry & Raspberry Growers Information Portal was developed as a one-stop shop to bring together all the resources pertaining to business management and production of blackberries and raspberries in North Carolina.

One of the first tools released by N.C. MarketReady will be the Fresh Produce Safety – Field to Family training curriculum to help fruit and vegetable growers across the state minimize fresh produce safety risks. The training manual will be distributed statewide in November to Cooperative Extension agents who will offer workshops for growers. The training manual focuses on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), including what it takes to obtain GAPs certification, and managing risks from field to market.

The Program for Value-Added and Alternative Agriculture recently launched two new sections on this Website. These online resources for the North Carolina Value-Added Cost Share program (NCVACS) and Cooperative Development provide agricultural producers with information about a new funding opportunity for value-added enterprises and outline the steps for creating an agricultural cooperative.