How those sweet potatoes, tomatoes or chicken breasts make their way from the farm to your table takes a variety of different transportation methods. Tractors, trucks, trains and more all have a part in the moving of agriculture products through North Carolina and beyond.
As the machines might vary, respective laws associated with those transportation implements are even more complicated. Farm Bureau created a guide to transportation that’s referenced by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as several different state associations, so producers can use their equipment legally.
As defined by North Carolina transportation law, a farmer is “any person engaged in the raising and growing of farm products on a farm in North Carolina not less than 10 acres in area, and who does not engage in the business of buying products for resale.”
Thanks to modern farming techniques and these machines, research from N.C. State University shows farmers and ranchers are producing more food on fewer acres.
Precision farming practices boost crop yields and reduce waste by using satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protection applications to local soil conditions.
A recent survey of young farmers and ranchers reveals that computers are used on 83 percent of farms. Nearly 75 percent of today’s young farmers have a cellular telephone, and nearly one-third have access to the Internet.
By the Numbers:
- 83 percentage of farmers who use computers on farms
- 75 percentage of today’s young farmers who have a cellular telephone
- 1/3 of farmers have access to the Internet
