Clemson Livestock Poultry Health has named Catherine Harris, DVM, as South Carolina’s new deputy state veterinarian.

Harris has experience as both an animal agriculture regulator and a veterinarian working directly within the industry, according to a university news release.

Harris joins Clemson from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, where she served as assistant state veterinarian and director of livestock animal health programs. In that role, she managed statewide programs involving infectious disease surveillance, emergency response, animal disease traceability and livestock movement regulations across multiple species.

Before entering state government, Harris spent a decade working in integrated swine production medicine with Smithfield Hog Production and Smithfield Premium Genetics, overseeing animal health programs for large commercial production systems as well as high-health genetic herds. She also spent three years in dairy-exclusive private practice in Texas and New Mexico, according to the release.

That breadth of experience, Harris said, gives her an important perspective when working with producers and industry partners.

“Having been on that side of industry, and worked alongside producers and stakeholders, has allowed me to better understand the day-to-day workings and needs of our animal agricultural industries,” Harris said in the release. “This knowledge and understanding facilitates my ability to provide better oversight and guidance, as well as develop relationships to work closely with producers and industries.”

Harris said her experience in the private sector and being subject to regulatory oversight has shaped how she approaches regulating animal health.

“It’s always good to have been on that side of things,” Harris said in the release. “Then you can better explain regulatory requirements in terms and language that helps producers understand how we serve to protect their livelihoods, such as why we have movement restrictions, why we have quarantines and why we require certain types of testing and disease surveillance, for example.”

She said she has found that this perspective and experience has helped build trust with producers and allows us as regulators to work more effectively during disease investigations and emergency responses.

“Producers understand and appreciate that I am familiar with their industry, and that we, as regulatory animal health officials, are here to protect it,” Harris said in the release. “That has allowed me to be very effective as a state animal health official in North Carolina, and I hope to bring that same sort of trust and industry relationship to South Carolina.”

Clemson Livestock Poultry Health serves as South Carolina’s animal health authority, state meat and poultry inspection department and veterinary diagnostic center. The organization protects animal health through disease surveillance and response programs while also helping ensure the safety of meat and poultry products for consumers.

Harris earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from North Carolina State University in 2008, with a focus on food animals.

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Premium Peanut conducted a grand opening ceremony for what it calls “North America’s newest and most innovative peanut shelling facility,” located in Santee

The company has been working toward the expansion since 2021. The cost of the project was not divulged. However, when the company announced plans to build in Santee, it Premium Peanut said it would invest $64.3 million and create 130 jobs.

Premium Peanut said in a news release that the new shelling facility sets a new standard for innovation in the industry, expanding the company’s capacity while enhancing operational efficiency. In addition to strengthening Premium Peanut’s processing capabilities, the facility will create quality jobs and contribute to the continued growth of the Santee community, the company said.

“It is an exciting day for Premium Peanut as we celebrate the grand opening of our new shelling facility in Santee,” said Clay Garnto, president and CEO. “This achievement would not have been possible without the support of so many partners. We extend our sincere thanks to Gov. McMaster and the state of South Carolina; Secretary (Harry) Lightsey and the South Carolina Department of Commerce; Commissioner (Hugh) Weathers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture; the Orangeburg County Development Commission; the Orangeburg County Council; the South Carolina Power Team; the town of Santee; Truist Bank; numerous community development entities; and many others.”

Founded in Georgia in 2014, Premium Peanut is a grower-owned peanut shelling company consisting of more than 475 grower-owners.

“At Premium Peanut, our grower-owned model drives everything we do,” Granto said in the release. “We are dedicated to delivering greater value back to our growers, and this investment represents our commitment to fulfilling that mission.”

Weathers said the facility will fill a void for the state’s peanut growers.

“Premium Peanut’s new facility is the first peanut shelling operation in the state of South Carolina, which is a significant step forward for South Carolina’s peanut industry,” Weathers said in the release. “This facility means new value-added opportunities for South Carolina peanut growers and is an important addition to our agribusiness community.”

The company started shelling peanuts in January 2016, and has since expanded to also produce peanut oil, peanut meal, peanut hulls, and peanut seed, according to the release.

“Today’s ribbon cutting marks an important milestone for Orangeburg County as we celebrate Premium Peanut’s shelling facility now in operation,” Kenneth Middleton, chairman of the Orangeburg County Development Commission, said in the release. “Their expansion into South Carolina strengthens our agribusiness sector and creates new opportunities for our workforce. We’re proud to have Premium Peanut operating in our community and look forward to their continued success.”

Premium Peanut has paid over $120 million to its grower-owners in dividends, the release stated.

Premium Peanut says its customers consist of major domestic snack, candy, and peanut butter manufacturers, as well as customers in more than 30 countries around the world.

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Researchers at Clemson University are rethinking cotton from the ground up.

What we wear carries an environmental cost long before clothing reaches a store shelf, the researchers say. From water-intensive dyeing to chemical processing and waste, the materials used in fashion have a major impact on natural resources. That’s what the researchers want to change.

With an $11 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund, Clemson scientists led by Christopher Saski, systems geneticist and professor in the Clemson University Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, will advance research aimed at creating cotton that performs better, uses fewer resources and opens new possibilities for growers, manufacturers and consumers.

“Clemson University is proud to be a part of shaping the future of global agriculture and the fashion industry through bold innovation and advancing groundbreaking research,” Robert H. Jones, Clemson University interim president, said in a news release. “Dr. Saski’s cutting-edge research in the fields of gene editing and synthetic biology has the potential to positively impact the lives of every person on our planet, which is a testament to the work we do every day at Clemson University and to fulfilling our unique land-grant mission of education, research and service.”

For South Carolina, where cotton remains an important part of the agricultural economy, the work could help strengthen a legacy crop while positioning the state at the forefront of sustainable textile innovation.

The project will combine gene editing, synthetic biology and advanced breeding to develop next-generation cotton with built-in color, improved performance and greater resilience. Instead of adding those traits later through resource-intensive manufacturing, researchers are designing them directly into the plant, the release stated.
The approach could reduce water use, lower chemical inputs and create fibers better suited for modern manufacturing. It could also help growers by increasing the value and versatility of cotton in a rapidly changing global market.

Collaborators from the University of Georgia are also part of the team. The project builds on Clemson’s advances in cotton transformation and eco-friendly fiber coloring.
“This work focuses on growing fibers that are inherently better for the planet by moving color, performance and resilience into the biology of cotton itself,” Saski said in the release. “This approach flips the traditional model that has been used for more than a century to build a future of sustainable fashion, and we’re excited to have support from the Bezos Earth Fund to help us move this research forward and further.”

The Bezos Earth Fund is investing in new approaches to the materials used in clothing, an industry with a significant environmental footprint, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, pollution and waste. Clemson researchers say addressing those challenges starts with rethinking how fibers are grown and produced.

For the Clemson team, the grant represents an opportunity to turn scientific discovery into practical solutions with impact beyond the lab. From South Carolina farms to global supply chains, the work could help shape a more sustainable future for one of the world’s most widely used natural fibers, the researchers said.

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Newground, an active 58-acre farm in Wadmalaw Island, is now under the permanent protection of Lowcountry Land Trust, a Lowcountry land and water preservation nonprofit.

The farm will contribute to the now 9,069 acres of protected land on Wadmalaw Island, as well as part of conservation easements covering 34% of the island, the trust said. Newground sits across from historic Nine Mile Fork Rosenwald School along Bears Bluff Road.

“Farmland is the lifeblood of the Lowcountry,” Natalie Olson, Sea Islands program director at Lowcountry Land Trust, said in a news release. “Working land like Newground feeds the community, supports wildlife, recharges groundwater, and helps filter our air and water. Thanks to the landowner and the South Carolina Conservation Bank, Newground is protected from development forever.”

The trust partnered with Lewis Hay, the landowner and former Lowcountry Land Trust Board member and employee who worked on multiple Wadmalaw Island conservation projects. South Carolina Conservations Bank funded a bargain-sale conservation easement, according to Lowcountry Land Trust.

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Twenty-one promising agribusinesses will receive some of the capital, tools and networking they need to grow and become competitive.

The winners of the Cultivating Innovation in SC Agribusiness grant program were announced by the South Carolina Research Authority, the Wells Fargo Foundation, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers, which collaborated to fund and create the acceleration program.

“We’re proud to partner with these organizations to deliver a program that directly supports South Carolina’s farmers and agribusinesses,” SCRA Interim President and CEO Bill Kirkland said in a news release. “This cohort represents innovative operators already leveraging technology to grow their businesses, and through this initiative, we’re helping them access capital, scale faster and strengthen their operations to compete and thrive in a rapidly evolving agricultural landscape.”

S.C. Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers, S.C. SBDC Senior Consultant Jim Johnson and Wells Fargo Foundation President Darlene Goins gave remarks and participated in a check presentation ceremony.

The 21 small- to medium-sized agribusinesses will form a cohort in the acceleration program, where they can test ideas more quickly and strengthen their enterprises, the release stated.

“We believe investing in rural prosperity is essential for the future of South Carolina and the nation,” Goins said in the release. “That’s why we’re proud to support the Cultivating Innovation in South Carolina Agribusiness program with a $600,000 grant. By collaborating with public and private sector leaders, technical experts and business advisors, we are helping small farms grow stronger and foster thriving rural communities across the state.”

SCRA Business Development Director Mitch Smith said the selected agribusinesses were already on a path to success and that the program will help them reach their next milestones. Cohort members have already participated in webinars, received guidance from the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers and taken part in networking and peer-to-peer learning opportunities.

Grant winners include:

• Advent Innovations — Richland County
• Airguard — Greenville County
• BioSensor Solutions — Richland County
• Broad River Vineyards — Chester County
• Carolina Seed Systems — Florence County
• Circular Farms — Aiken County
• City Roots — Richland County
• Crossroads Processing — Lexington County
• Edisto Gold Honey — Dorchester County
• Growing Green Family Farms — Anderson County
• Kindlewood Farms — Colleton County
• Lowcountry Fungi — Charleston County
• Marsh Hen Mill — Charleston County
• Microledon Farm — Horry County
• Old McCaskill’s Farm — Sumter County
• Peculiar Pig — Dorchester County
• Purple Mushroom — Richland County
• Realize Ascent Lab — Charleston County
• Spade and Clover — Charleston County
• Timber Wolf Services LLC — Aiken County
• Wet Knot Farms — Greenville County

The Cultivating Innovation in SC Agribusiness grant program represents a targeted investment in South Carolina’s agribusiness future, aligning Wells Fargo’s philanthropic goals with the needs of a key state industry.

The South Carolina Research Authority is a public nonprofit corporation that supports the state’s innovation economy through funding, workspace and services for technology-based startups, academia and industry.

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Signature Foods USA, a specialty food products manufacturer, has selected Anderson County to invest $11.5 million to establish its first South Carolina operation. The facility will create 202 new jobs.

A division of the Netherlands-based company Signature Foods, Signature Foods USA produces premium refrigerated prepared foods for the American market, including prepared meats and cheeses, dips, spreads, wraps and rolls. Signature Foods USA is headquartered in New York City, and the Anderson County plant is the company’s first manufacturing operation in the United States, according to a news release.

“After a long selection process, Anderson County in South Carolina was our number one choice for starting the first U.S. operation for our Dutch Group, Signature Foods NL,” Signature Foods USA CEO Peter Dornbos said in the release. “We believe that this location in Easley will be the foundation for the long-term growth of our business in the U.S. We would like to thank all people, companies and government officials involved in this project for their support.”

Signature Foods USA’s new manufacturing will produce dips and spreads to be sold in the deli section of retail grocery stores, the state Department of Commerce release said. The company website says their products are inspired from Dutch origins “adapted to American eating habits.”

According to Realtor.com, the property — a little less than five acres — sold in 2025 for $3.9 million. It’s located at 211 Pine Road, Easley, an area known as Powdersville where Anderson, Greenville and Pickens counties come together.

“I’m glad to welcome Signature Foods USA to South Carolina,” Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers said in the release. “This manufacturing facility will not only expand South Carolina’s agribusiness industry, but will also provide opportunities to add value to foods grown by South Carolina farmers.”

Operations are already online, according to the Commerce Department.

“Signature Foods USA’s decision to establish operations in Anderson County reflects the strength of our business climate and the quality of our workforce,” Anderson County Councilman Jimmy Davis said in the release. “We are honored by their investment, and we are especially encouraged by the addition of good paying jobs that will directly benefit families in Northern Anderson County. This project represents meaningful, long-term opportunity for our community.”
The Commerce Department’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project. The council also awarded a $400,000 Set-Aside grant to Anderson County to assist with the costs of building improvements and wastewater pre-system upgrades.

“By selecting Upstate SC to prepare its premium food products, Signature Foods USA is validating that our region has the right ingredients for global food and beverage companies to succeed,” Upstate SC Alliance President and CEO John Lummus said in the release. “We look forward to seeing them grow in the Upstate.”

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South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce named Collum’s Lumber Products the 2026 Agribusiness of the Year, an honor that recognizes the company’s long-standing leadership in South Carolina’s forestry industry.

A fourth-generation, family-owned business located in Allendale, Collum’s has grown from a small planer mill founded in the 1930s in Batesburg into one of the Southeast’s leading producers of Southern yellow pine lumber.

Today, the company operates one of the most modern sawmills and planer operations in the Southeast, capable of producing up to 200 million board feet annually, including dimension lumber, poles, in-woods chips, biomass, and remanufactured components, according to a news release.

“Collum’s Lumber Products could not be a more deserving winner,” SCMC President and CEO Sara Hazzard said in the news release. “For nearly a century — starting in the 1930s — Collum’s has grown alongside South Carolina, thriving as the state has thrived and building a company its team can be truly proud of. SCMC is grateful for the impact Collum’s continues to have on South Carolina, and we are excited for what their future holds.”

The company says it is dedicated to sustainable forestry practices and is certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This certification helps ensure that the wholesale products delivered to customers are harvested using best management practices so that South Carolina’s forests remain healthy and productive for future generations, the release said.

“We are a fourth-generation company, and we have become who we are today by reinvesting in ourselves,” Collum Lumber Products’ Jake Scott said in the release. “We all understand how vital companies like this are to rural South Carolina, and we thank SCMC for this recognition.”

Collum’s was honored during SCMC’s Spotlight on Agriculture & Forestry event, which highlighted the essential contributions of South Carolina’s agribusiness, agriculture and forestry sectors. In partnership with industry leaders, this annual event was created to celebrate the industry’s impact, showcase innovation and bring together stakeholders dedicated to supporting the long-term growth of agribusiness in the Palmetto State.

The Agribusiness of the Year Award, established in 2025, recognizes a company, individual, or organization that has significantly contributed to the success and excellence within the agricultural industry. It highlights leadership, innovation and the positive impact that the agribusiness sector has on the state’s economy. The inaugural recipient was Super-Sod, a division of Patten Seed Company.

South Carolina’s agribusiness industry has an annual economic impact of $51.8 billion, supporting more than 259,000 jobs and generating $12.3 billion in labor income, the release stated.

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The state’s best-known philanthropist demonstrated once again that she’s as comfortable in orange as she is in garnet — this time with a pledge to fund the education of the first generation of South Carolina-bred veterinarians.

The Darla Moore Foundation created the Darla Moore Scholars of Veterinary Medicine program at Clemson University, a scholarship initiative designed to expand access to veterinary education while strengthening rural communities in eight counties within South Carolina’s Pee Dee region, where the scholarship’s namesake makes her home.

Beginning with the inaugural class of students enrolling this fall, the program will provide full financial support to six students preparing to enroll in Clemson’s Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine.

Covering tuition, fees and living expenses for up to four years, the scholarship enables recipients to complete their veterinary education without the financial barriers often associated with professional degrees. The dollar value of the commitment was not revealed, but the university places undergraduate tuition at $13,562 for the current academic year, and around $37,000 for the year when adding costs such as housing, food, materials and other expenses.

“Growing up in rural South Carolina, I saw firsthand how important animal health is to the vitality of our communities,” Moore said in a Clemson University news release. “Veterinarians support not only the well-being of animals, but also the farmers, families and local economies that depend on them. Through this program, we are investing in students who understand the unique needs of rural communities and who will be equipped with the knowledge and compassion to serve them. Talent exists everywhere, but opportunity doesn’t always follow.”

Scholars are selected from eight counties where access to veterinary services is limited, and agricultural economies rely heavily on animal health, according to the news release. By investing in students from these communities, the university says the program directly advances its land-grant mission to serve the state through education, research and outreach.

“Veterinary medicine plays a critical role in agriculture, food systems, the environment and the well-being of families across South Carolina,” Steven Marks, founding dean of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, said in the release. “This program ensures that talented students from rural communities have the opportunity to pursue their calling and return home equipped to make a lasting difference.”

The initiative builds on a longstanding partnership between Clemson University and The Darla Moore Foundation focused on expanding opportunity and leadership throughout South Carolina. Previous philanthropic investments have supported teacher preparation and educational leadership.

Darla Moore’s father, Eugene T. Moore, was a 1949 graduate of Clemson and a teacher, coach and principal in Florence County. In his honor, Moore supported the creation of the Eugene T. Moore School of Education, home to classroom and clinical training for pre-service teachers, professional mentoring of early-career teachers and cutting-edge continuing education for in-service teachers.

Moore has given more than $75 million in publicly announced gifts to the University of South Carolina, which named its business school the Darla Moore School of Business. She and her late husband, Richard Rainwater, pledged $10 million to Clemson for the education school in 2002, saying at the time that she was an “equal opportunity philanthropist.”

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Founded in 1974 by Bill Odom, Manchester Farms began with passion and modest roots. Odom, who had a background in poultry science, was raising quail in his backyard to train his hunting dogs, but his flock grew beyond what he expected.

Soon, neighbors began asking to buy birds to eat, so the Odom family started dressing quail on a backyard picnic table and distributed them locally — to individuals, restaurants and chefs.

Meeting an industry need
Today, Manchester Farms is the oldest and largest quail producer in the United States. Under the leadership of Brittney Miller, Odom’s daughter, the 150-acre farm in Columbia produces 50,000 Pharaoh quail weekly and in 2025, nearly 50 million eggs were sold. The farm employs approximately 100 people and the quail appear on menus and on grocery shelves around the country.

“What started as a hobby revealed a very real gap in the American food market,” Miller explained.

Now, quail is a rising star of the food scene, with continued consumer interest in it as an alternative protein to chicken and turkey. Quail eggs especially are recognized as a nutrient-dense superfood with up to five times the iron and potassium of chicken eggs, making them popular for health-conscious individuals or those on specialty keto or paleo diets.

Building on a legacy
At the very heart of Manchester Farms’ success is its more than 50-year legacy of keeping quality front and center. Additionally, Miller credits her team as a big part of the company’s ongoing growth.

Miller shared, “We will never be the Tysons of the world, and we don’t want to be. We also maintain our own security and sensory inspection team to triple-check every bird for perfection … and we are nearly antibiotic-free. We believe that if you give birds a healthy, stress-free life, you shouldn’t need pharmaceuticals. We also have staff members who have been deboning quail by hand for 40 years, and now their daughters and granddaughters work right here alongside them. I call our extended community ‘the flock’ because that’s exactly what they are to us.”

Top employees, Miller stated, can debone 100 quail in an hour without ripping the skin or tearing the meat. They even have scissors customized to their personal preference of handle and blade, just like a chef’s knife.

“It is truly an art form, and I am in awe of them every single day,” Miller said.

At Manchester Farms, nothing goes to waste, either. Bones go to chefs for stock, innards go to gourmet dog food companies, and manure from grow-houses is composted by a local turf company into fertilizer.

“We close the circle of life and celebrate these birds as fully as we can,” Miller explained.

Diversification and overcoming challenges
Miller shared that expanding into providing quail eggs was crucial to the company’s transformational sales increase, but so was diversifying the product line. Consumers can now also purchase bacon-wrapped quail breasts and corporate gifting options are additionally available. Further, Manchester Farms has a private label co-manufacturing service for other brands and Miller invested heavily in a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel that introduced nationwide shipping so people could try quail products.

This growth hasn’t come without challenges, though. For example, Hurricane Hugo destroyed all but one of the facilities at Manchester Farms in the late 1980s, which has since been rebuilt. Weather continues to interrupt operations at times, with the area experiencing other hurricanes, ice storms, and periods of extreme summer heat and humidity. All these things impact hatch rates and bird health, and the team has learned to stay nimble and adjust as needed season by season.

Biosecurity is also important to Miller, and she and her team are always on high alert to the ongoing threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

“It’s not to say that we won’t ever get hit one day, but we are crazy about trying to make sure everything’s safe,” she said. “As soon as you let your guard down, it can happen. We work incredibly hard to make sure that weak links never exist. Everyone who enters our facilities must spray in and out, change clothing, and spray down their vehicles. Our pest control team works exclusively for us and doesn’t service other poultry operations.”

Looking ahead
With more people recognizing the benefits of quail meat and eggs, the sky’s the limit for Manchester Farms. The team plans on exhibiting at the Natural Products Expo West this year, will be involved in high-profile charitable and culinary events across the region, and they also plan to partner with chefs for farm-to-table dinners at local venues.

“South Carolina made us, and we try to give back to it every chance we get,” Miller said. “The best chapters of this story are still ahead.”

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The Boeing Co. donated $1 million to Lowcountry Land Trust, a preservation nonprofit for Lowcountry landscapes and waterways, in support of its Angel Oak Preserve project.

The preserve will serve as both a park and living museum, the land trust said. The donation brings the project’s funds to $6.9 million raised of the $16.5 million goal.

“Boeing has been a longtime partner and supporter of Lowcountry Land Trust, and is now the largest corporate contributor of the Angel Oak Preserve project to date,” Matt Williams, president and CEO of Lowcountry Land Trust, said in a news release. “Its initial donation of $100,000, followed by this $1 million investment, promotes our shared belief in balancing a rapidly growing region with community and landscape-scale conservation.”

The Angel Oak Preserve, which earned national recognition in 2025 as a designated community forest, will include 44 acres. The property also has been nominated on the National Register of Historic Places.

Lowcountry Land Trust considers the donation a symbol of corporate confidence in the preserve and the land trust.

“For more than 100 years, Boeing has believed in putting down roots in the communities where our teammates live and work,” Erin Fisher, senior manager of global engagement at The Boeing Co., said in the release. “With more than 9,000 teammates across South Carolina, we are proud to support the future Angel Oak Preserve and help ensure its extraordinary plans become a permanent community resource that generations can enjoy.”

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