Heather Overton
A North Carolina native, Heather Overton started interning for the N.C. State Fair while finishing up her degree in Communications at N.C. State University. She then worked full time from 2000 to 2006 as a public information officer for the N.C. State Fair division. She returned to work for the agriculture department in July of 2013 in the Public Affairs division.
Recipe: Honey Pecan Tart
National Pollinator Week is a great time to celebrate bees and the delicious, natural sweetener they provide. Without bees, we wouldn’t have honey. The value of honey production in North Carolina in 2015 was $2.4 million. The taste and color
News Roundup: June 17-23
Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. “Addressing rural hunger in Lenoir County,” Kinston Free Press: Across America, some 42 million people
Red Light, Green Light: Bee ‘Traffic Light’ is a Best Management Practices Tool
Farmers, growers, applicators, homeowners and beekeepers have a new tool to help reduce the pesticides risks to bees. The Pesticide Toxicity to Bees “Traffic Light” uses a color-coded system to show pesticide toxicity levels. The traffic light, developed by the
Recipe: Corn on (and off) the cob
Check out your nearest farmers market for the newly arrived stars, including Silver Queen, Peaches and Cream and Fantasia. These stars aren’t the newest reality TV sensations, these are popular corn varieties. Oftentimes, the corn is fresh picked in the
News Roundup: June 3-9
Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. “Carolinas Southern veg deal heating up after a frosty spring,” Southeast Produce Weekly: A late
Recipe: June is Dairy Month
As if you needed another reason to enjoy a big bowl of ice cream. June is National Dairy Month and a great time to celebrate the milk, cheese and, yes, ice cream produced by our North Carolina dairy farmers. North
News Roundup: May 27-June 2
Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. “State of the State: Commissioner Steve Troxler talks NC ag past, present and future,” Southeast
What’s in Season: Fresh fruits and vegetables
It’s the beginning of June and farmers markets across the state are beginning to fill up with fresh, locally grown produce. Visitors to local markets should find a colorful and diverse array of fresh and local produce, including strawberries, blueberries,
News Roundup: May 20-26
Each week we round up the latest N.C. agricultural headlines from news outlets across the state and country, as well as excerpts from the stories. “Rain drenches county, puts crops on hold,” Hendersonville Times-News: Rain is drenching the already saturated
Recipe Roundup: Celebrating the blues (berry)
WRAL reporter Brian Shrader and our own Lisa Prince feature seasonal recipes in their weekly Local Dish Cooking segment. Below, Brian and Lisa feature recipes that include our state’s official blue berry as the main ingredient. North Carolina is the