The state Agriculture Department is hosting its first Food Business Conference today in Alamance County.
Leoneda Inge: The Food Business conference is targeting small business owners who are trying to get to the next level. Annette Dunlap is a food business specialist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. She says there are a growing number of entrepreneurs who already have salad dressings, meats and vegetables on store shelves, they just need help building their brand and expanding internationally. Ag leaders say food businesses play a major part in the department’s 70-billion dollar contribution to the state’s economy. There’s clearly a lot of interest in this, because the conference is already full.