Farming in the Carolinas

As people across the U.S. celebrate the Fourth of July, here at WFAE, we're also celebrating our 40th birthday. But that didn't stop our reporters from covering important stories this week. They include the political fallout over Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools hiring anti-racism author Ibram X. Kendi for a speech, a look at Black farmers waiting on debt relief, rising COVID-19 vaccination rates for Charlotte's Latino community and the growing fear of a wave of evictions once the CDC's moratorium ends.

The USDA was supposed to provide $5 billion in debt relief to Black farmers this month as part of the American Rescue Plan. The funding has been touted as a way to address historical government discrimination against farmers of color. But two court rulings have put the funding on hold.

The annual farm bill has been approved by the North Carolina Senate. The Republican-written measure passed Tuesday on a party-line vote despite criticism of a provision that likely would make it easier for livestock operations to seek and obtain permits to convert liquid waste into natural gas.

The biggest peach producer east of California, Titan Farms in Ridge Spring, South Carolina, provided the host site for an unusual event with more than 800 farm workers on hand to receive their first of the two COVID-19 vaccinations.

A group called the Carolina Farm Trust has started work on an "urban farm" in Huntersville — its fourth in the Charlotte area. It's part of a campaign to bring farming back to Mecklenburg County and rebuild appreciation for farms. WFAE environmental reporter David Boraks has more.

Two of Donald Trump's promises have caught the attention of employers in the agriculture industry. First his promise to deport millions of immigrants in…

North Carolina was once a top wine producer - until Prohibition killed the industry. But it's growing again. The North Carolina Wine & Grape Council says…

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley vetoed a bill today to give farmers $40 million for help recovering from historic flooding over the fall. Governor…

Historic rainfall is making this a grim year for one of the biggest industries in the Carolinas: farming. Just when fall crops were ready to harvest,…

Alpacas—the smaller, South American cousins of the llama—provide fleece for all kinds of knitted goods. The number of alpacas, and alpaca farms, has…