North Carolina agriculture in the summer is both demanding and rewarding. Summertime is the season when our fields, orchards, and pastures are the most active and productive. Across our state, from the Coastal Plain into the Piedmont and certainly up in the Mountains, agriculture in the summer reflects a blend of labor, tradition, science and resilience. We’ll showcase some of that science in this issue, looking at the evolving fiber hemp world.
Those three separate but distinct regions are what make our diverse farming culture so dynamic. In the East, broad fields of corn, soybeans, sweetpotatoes and tobacco stretch across our larger farm landscapes. Yes, “sweetpotatoes” is one word, no matter what spellcheck says!
Facts & Stats
Sweetpotato Is One Word
North Carolina’s state vegetable has a new spelling – the correct one, if you ask the experts. In fact, changing “sweet potato” to “sweetpotato” has been a long time coming.
In the Piedmont, produce farms thrive with tomatoes, cucumbers and melons, and there are many local markets like the ones highlighted in this issue, teeming with people buying local food. In the Mountains, the apple trees are beginning to ripen, the cattle are fattening up and much work continues to get our Christmas trees ready for the winter. Of course, among all these regions is woven a tremendous number of poultry and pork farms that provide protein to North Carolina and the world.
A Bountiful Summer
What is often overlooked in discussions of agriculture in the summer is the sheer intensity of the labor involved. The abundance all of us as consumers enjoy at on-farm markets or in the grocery store is the result of early mornings, long hours in the sun and late nights at the barn. Whether it’s sweet corn picked at dawn (not my wife’s favorite job) or tobacco topped under the noontime sun, the work is physically demanding and highly time sensitive.
Food
10 Perfect Peach Recipes for Summer
Celebrate summertime with sweet and savory peach recipes from breakfast to dessert.
Farming in the summer is not romantic, but rather repetitive and essential. The heat and humidity will be with us, but hopefully so will the dramatic thunderstorms that are so common this time of year. These storms are part of the identity of summer, bringing much-needed rain as well as a break from the work. I remember many times lying under a tin roof tobacco barn, thankful for a respite as the rain fell.
So, this summer, let’s all remember the hard work that goes into getting our food to us. Let’s all appreciate agriculture for sustaining rural economies and filling urban food systems, and for the knowledge passed down through farm families and farm communities. Whether a basket of peaches, a field of sweetpotatoes or a roadside stand selling fresh tomatoes, they all speak to our N.C. agricultural heritage.
Commentary
Agricultural Stability Threatened by ‘Piling On’
The state’s agricultural industry has been called a bright spot in the dark forecast that defines today’s economy. Yet, it seems that rather than protecting and cultivating this industry …
