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This publication explains genetic engineering and its use in food, agriculture, and the environment. It answers key questions about genetic engineering, including its definition, applications, safety, ethical issues, and related regulations. The publication also discusses potential risks and concludes with resources for more information.
This manual, updated every year, covers pesticide use and safety information, chemical application equipment, fertilizer use, insect control, chemical weed control, plant growth regulators, animal damage control and disease control.
This guide summarizes the basic principles of managing recreational ponds and the requirements for producing and maintaining high-quality fishing in a pond. Its purpose is to help the reader develop an effective pond management plan.
Phorid flies are small flies that breed in moist, decaying organic matter and can be a problem in and around homes. This factsheet covers their identification, biology, habits, management and control.
This factsheet offers information on the identification and management of various flatworms that may be found in North Carolina.
Extrusion processing is a versatile technology utilized by industries such as rubber, plastics, metal, foods, and feeds. The success of extrusion processing lies in a carefully designed screw profile/configuration. Often challenging and complex, this publication intends to explain screw geometry and mixing concepts.
Sales Taxes are reportable on the sale of many goods and services. Such taxes also become an expense when purchasing inputs for business and personal use. In North Carolina, agricultural products and the purchase of inputs enjoy various exemptions. However, such exemptions have their limit, and it is important to understand when a particular product fails to meet the exemption. Likewise - regarding exemption from sales tax on inputs - North Carolina producers need to be aware of income maintenance requirements for the exemption. For farm operations, most products sold from the farmer direct-to-buyer are exempt from sales taxes, in that the customer neither pays the tax nor the farm operator is required to remit the tax. However, a change in the nature of the farm product sold and where it is sold in combination with other products may trigger a sales tax requirement. Also, if the farmer loses their status as producer of the item sold and is considered a retailer of the item, exemptions are lost. This short paper seeks to clarify the line of when a farmer must remit sales tax for products sold, as well as the responsibilities of farmers and specialty markets.
Formulated fish feeds are the most cost-effective way to provide a balanced nutrition for aquacultured fishes. This factsheet compares the pellet mill and extrusion methods for fish feed production.
Though impossible to measure the incidence of neighbor complaints against farmers, North Carolina public policy to protect production agriculture rests on the presumption of a legal pathway by which one landowner can curtail the farming practices of another. These concerns may arise when a neighbor complains to the farm operator about aspects of their land use they find displeasing. Other times when a neighbor discovers that the landowner plans to expand or implement new farming practices on land in their proximity, the neighbor may threaten to “sue” the farmer, or may call local authorities (e.g. zoning office, sheriff’s office, animal control) demanding they use their power to stop the offending farming activity. Such complaints call into force North Carolina’s Right to Farm Law, as well as the Bona Fide Farm exception to county zoning regulations. This short fact sheet provides an overview and contrast between these two policy concepts in farm operation support.
This publication provides information about unmanned aerial vehicles and what to consider when choosing a drone for precision agriculture applications. Topics include restrictions, definitions, needs assessment, equipment options, and information processing.
This FactSheet provides a guide to understanding and addressing PFAS in our communities, which may be helpful for Extension agents, community members, and others who are interested in learning more about PFAS and their potential impacts.
This Factsheet discusses the steps in forming an LLC in North Carolina for your farm.
This Q&A factsheets answers several questions about the preconditioning process in food and feed extrusion.
This publication provides information and guidance on using computer code to access the National Agricultural Statistics Service's survey data to view data from multiple years, crops, and other categories.
This factsheet provides an overview of the use of by-products in animal feeds and outlines several challenges to incorporating them to the fullest potential.
This publication covers the basics of leasing land for farming operations, from both a landowner and tenant perspective.
This publication provides an overview of how satellite remote sensing can be used to help monitor algal blooms in bodies of water. It also explains some of the limitations of using satellite imagery for this purpose.
This publication discusses the practice of leasing estuarine waters on the North Carolina coast for shellfish mariculture. It covers how shellfish are grown in North Carolina, how shellfish leases work, what constitutes a shellfish growing area and shellfish harvest closure, and the process for reopening after a closure.
Factsheet summarizing the economic impact of North Carolina's shellfish mariculture industry.
This publication discusses flying unmanned aerial vehicles (drones, model aircraft) for commercial purposes. You'll learn about the requirements becoming a commercial UAV pilot and how to obtain a remote pilot certificate.
Uncrewed vehicles are simply vehicles that operate without a human operator aboard. They can either be autonomous or remotely operated. This factsheet will introduce you to the many different types of uncrewed vehicles that are being used in the sky, on the ground, or in the water.
This publication discusses the challenges of accurately testing for fecal coliform bacteria in coastal waters. It includes information about fecal coliform bacteria and how they affect coast systems and provides options for sampling and computer modeling methods that help growers, regulators, and coastal communities make decisions about coastal activities.
This publication summarizes research about the potential of oysters to become part of the North Carolina tourism industry.
