June Porkline

NC Farm Act of 2018 awaits action from Gov. Cooper

After 6 committee hearings, 11 votes and nearly 10 hours of debate, the NC Farm Act of 2018 passed the General Assembly on June 15th and now awaits action from Gov. Roy Cooper.

The governor must sign the bill or veto it by June 25th. If no action is taken, the bill will become law without his signature.

If the governor vetoes the bill, the NC House and Senate can override that veto but must do so by a 3/5 majority of those present and voting.

Thanks to all of you who took time away from your real jobs to come to Raleigh and show your support for the bill. The large contingency of farmers that were present in - and outside of - the House and Senate galleries definitely made an impact on all who were in the building.

Also many thanks to all of you who made phone calls and sent emails to legislators to urge their support.

Finally, Sen. Brent Jackson and Rep. Jimmy Dixon deserve our sincere gratitude for carrying this bill for us. Please take a moment to send an email or make a call to each of them to say “thank you.”

For those of you who could not make it to Raleigh to see lawmakers debate the bill, you can watch the Senate debate from June 7th here . Sen. Jackson's remarks can be found at around the 1:21:20 mark in the video.

The final House debate on the Farm Act (note: the debate that occurred the day AFTER farmers were in the gallery) can be viewed here . The debate starts at around the 1:43:00 mark.

Show your support at the NC Agriculture Rally

Join state leaders and agricultural supporters from across the state for a rally in downtown Raleigh on Monday, June 25 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Click on the image below to be taken to a video invitation about the rally:

Shuttle information:

A shuttle bus will be available from the NC State Fairgrounds to the Agriculture Rally on Bicentennial Plaza. Enter the Fair Grounds at Gate 11, 1025 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, and park near the Expo Center. Shuttle buses will start leaving the Fairgrounds at 3 pm and continue until 4:30 pm. The Rally is scheduled to take place on the Mall from 4:00 pm to 6:00pm. The speaking program will start at approximately 5:30 pm and last and last about 45 minutes.

Parking downtown

Click here for a map of the parking options.

Where's the rally?

The Centennial Mall ( Bicentennial Plaza) is located between the Agriculture Building and the History Museum. It is also the pedestrian mall that links the Capitol Building and the Legislative Building in downtown Raleigh.

Blogging about the nuisance trial

NC Pork Council CEO Andy Curliss is blogging about the nuisance trial on our website. Follow along with the developments in this case. Closing arguments are expected the week of June 25.

Check out recent posts:

Stay up to date at http://www.ncpork.org/category/beyond-bacon-the-blog/

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Click here to read Troxler's entire statement

Troxler releases statement supporting NC Pork industry

North Carolina’s pork industry has been in the news a lot lately, but not in a way that tells the true story of its contributions to our economy. While the industry has drawn attention as the subject of nuisance lawsuits, what has been consistently overlooked is the significant economic contributions the pork industry makes in terms of jobs and its role in producing safe and affordable food for consumers.

I consider the production of food and fiber to be admirable and certainly not a nuisance, and I want people across the state to understand how important agriculture, including the pork industry, is to our state. When we take our farmers and food production for granted, we stand to literally lose the hand that feeds us. ...

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Upcoming Events

Members-only PAC events

Sept. 21 - Pork Chop Open (Wallace)

Virtual Reality Experience

We will be showcasing our Virtual Reality Experience at the following events:

Aug. 7 - Touch a Tractor at North Hills (Raleigh)
Sept. 7-16 - Mountain State Fair (Asheville)
Sept. 27-Oct. 6 - Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair (Goldsboro)
Oct. 11 - 21 - NC State Fair (Raleigh)

Warning: be careful when working outdoors

NC Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is warning people who spend a lot of time outdoors to protect themselves against ticks after a bite from a tiny critter left him allergic to the meat of beef and pork.

The allergy, called alpha-gal or Mammalian Meat Allergy, is caused by the lone star tick, which is prevalent across North Carolina.

"There are things that you can to do to prevent the tick bite, and that's the best way not to have the allergy if you don't get bit by the tick," Troxler told Mike Davis with Southern Farm Network. "Try and keep the ticks away from your skin by taping up your pants leg and sleeves and use an insect repellent that has DEET in it."

Learn more about ticks, how to avoid them and how to remove them from the Centers for Disease Control.

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