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bjbjMFMF What do you get when you bring together world-class scientific research and the culinary
arts? A sweeter, juicier, North Carolina strawberry. Researchers with N. C. State University Plants
for Human Health Institute at the North Carolina Research Campus, have joined forces with chefs
at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte to breed a better berry with a longer growing
season. These experts hope the results are sweet for farmers profits and consumers palates.
JEREMY This is a really exciting new partnership that we ve developed and we think its very
unique in plant breeding in that we re bringing in the culinary industry into helping us define
what is exceptional in terms of fruit quality. And really, the overall goal is to marry high
quality with all of our agronomic traits that keep our growers profitable. MARK As a chef
I look for quality. I look for freshness and above all else, I look for taste. So if you
pick the strawberry straight from the vine and its not traveling a great distance, then
you re guaranteed to the quality and the freshness. At Johnson and Wales, we teach our students
to source the best quality in all products. So working as a team, with NC State, the local
farmers and Johnson & Wales students, hopefully we ll get the taste right and it will be a
fabulous strawberry. JEREMY So in North Carolina, the industry is roughly about 1800 acres.
It s about a 21 million dollar industry. That s a farm gate value, but it also generates
lots of jobs, and keeps farm families on the farm, keeps farms green and not paved, and
so, I think the more we can do to support that industry, the better it s going to be
in multiple aspects of the state economy. MARK ve got 80,000 alumni, spread throughout
the United States and around the world, so they ve got great experience. So if you bring
some of the alumni in to taste test strawberries, then that experience is going to show, and
hopefully they ll produce a great product. JEREMY So with plant breeding, what our ultimate
goal is, is to create a better plant. We define what better is, and we go ahead and implement
strategies to do that. And strawberries, they re a cross pollinated crop, and so we use
traditional breeding methods to take pollen from one parent and place it on flowers of
another parent to hope for that recombination of beneficial attributes from both parents.
The crop offers opportunities in conjunction with our environment. And we can go all the
way to the western part of the state in high elevation where our climate is very different
from what it would be like down east, and it provides us with some opportunities to
see a harvest season that can go from 4 weeks potentially to 4 months. VO: North Carolina
ranks 4th in the nation in strawberry production and adds nearly $21 million to the state s
economy each year. Experts are hoping to increase that figure by 25-percent. MARK I think it
s a very important initiative. It s a win win situation, not only for the students and
the alumni, the local farmers and the researchers - a great team working together will produce
outstanding results. And hopefully we ll end up with a quality product. JEREMY So, again,
the consumers I think if we can make a better product for them, and have consumption increase
leading to, hopefully a healthier population. Fruits and vegetables are very good for us
and if we and increase the quality, maybe we can drive consumption as well. MARK Chefs
like to buy local because they know the quality is there. And also we like buying local to
give back to the community. And what better way to buy from your local farmer and to reinvest
into the community. JEREMY We have a really wonderful industry already present in North
Carolina, and we have an exceptional product from the east to the west and so what consumers
can do now is go find where your local strawberry grower is located and get out on a farm and
really enjoy what we have to offer right now. The new berry won t be available this season,
but with a little preparation and know-how, there are still plenty of good North Carolina
strawberries you can enjoy right now. The N.C. Strawberry Project is sponsored by the
Golden LEAF Foundation. You can find information on The North Carolina Strawberry Project and
Chef Mark s recipes at plantsforhumanhealth.ncsu.edu. [Content_Types].xml u$Nw @8Jb _rels/.rels
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