Steve Troxler, Commissioner | North Carolina Department Of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Steve Troxler, Commissioner | North Carolina Department Of Agriculture & Consumer Services
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) is offering complimentary agronomic services to aid growers in western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene. The department's Agronomic Services Division will provide soil testing, nematode assay analysis, and analysis of plant, waste, solution, and media samples at no cost to growers in 27 counties declared as presidential disaster areas.
Counties eligible for these services include Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg Mitchell Polk Rutherford Swain Transylvania Watauga Wilkes Yancey Fees are covered by special state funding until June.
The soil testing service aims to offer lime and fertilizer recommendations crucial for reestablishing fertility levels in fields affected by the storm. "Whether it's Fraser fir apples tomatoes sweet corn corn silage grapes pasture or other commodities site and crop-specific recommendations are being offered," said Kaleb Rathbone assistant commissioner of Western N.C. ag programs.
A two-week turnaround time from sample submission to report availability is expected. Growers can submit samples using NCDA&CS soil sample boxes with completed forms available online.
For crops currently growing plant tissue testing is recommended before bud break particularly for Fraser firs wheat or small grains. Plant tissue sampling requires precision in selecting the correct leaf or part with guides available online.
Regional agronomists will assist growers directly providing expertise in crop management. "Our agronomists have decades of field expertise...they can help sample interpret reports including management recommendations," stated Dr. David Hardy director of the Agronomic Services Division.
Additional support is accessible through the NCDA&CS Division of Soil and Water Conservation as well as the NC Cooperative Extension Service which offers resources across all counties.
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