Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

February 22, 2007 issue

Agricultural Opportunities – Learning, Networking, Selling

Compiled by Kathleen McFadden

Planning for the Future of Farming in Western NC

Two Sessions Remain in Three-Part Workshop Series

WNC farmers are feeling the squeeze of increasing property values, pressure from urbanization and a population that is growing less familiar with agriculture every day. So, you wonder, what can small and limited resource farmers in WNC do to meet these challenges?

North Carolina Cooperative Extension has received grant funding from the USDA Risk Management Agency to host a Whole-Farm Planning Workshop Series to address a number of the challenges that WNC farmers face today. These workshops will be offered throughout the 17 westernmost counties in the state and are designed specifically for small and limited resource producers.

The first workshop was held on Thursday, February 15. Info on the remaining two workshops follows. Preregistration is required by deadline dates for the two workshops. Address questions about the grant or the series to Brittany Whitmire at brittany.whitmire@buncombecounty.org or 828-862-4231.

What: Part II: Risky Business
Date/Time: Thursday, March 8, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Mayland Community College, Spruce Pine
Cost: Free
Description: This workshop is designed to provide information on different forms of managing and minimizing risk, from insurance options to disaster assistance to liability issues concerning agritourism. If you want to protect yourself and your farm, don’t miss this one. Preregistration by phone is required by Monday, February 26. Call 828-250-4868 and include the number of individuals attending and the site.

What: Part III: Business Planning 101
Date/Time: Saturday, March 24, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Lunch will be included)
Location: Bakersville Fire Department
Cost: $15 per person
Description: Who buys your products? Who do you compete with for the best prices? Who are the people who make your farm business work? Do you ever plan to expand? Where will you find the financing you need? All of these questions need to be answered before you invest time, energy and money into a venture. No matter how much experience you’ve had with business plans, you’ll find information, examples, and one-on-one coaching for your individual needs at this workshop. Preregistration by mail is required by Saturday, March 10. The fee for this workshop is $15 per person; registration information and forms are available from your local Cooperative Extension office.

Participate in Local and Regional Workshops, Markets
Extension Agent Richard Boylan has announced a number of local and regional opportunities for area farmers coming up in March, as well as next week’s deadline for being listed in the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project Local Food Guide and a series of classes for food product entrepreneurs. For info on any of the following events, contact the Cooperative Extension office or Boylan, Extension agent for alternative and sustainable agriculture in the New River Headwaters by email at richard_boylan@ncsu.edu or by phone at 336-219-2650 or 828-264-3061.

What: Deadline for the ASAP Local Food Guide
Date: Wednesday, February 28
Location: www.buyappalachian.org
Cost: Free
Description: Many local growers have already listed their farms in the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) Buy Appalachian Local Food Guide, an excellent tool to reach the expanding “buy-local,” base of customers. ASAP’s guide is free to farmers, and the publication deadline for the printed edition is February 28. Those who are not yet in the guide can enter their farm’s information at www.buyappalachian.org.

What: High Country Growers School and Seed Swap
Date/Time: Saturday, March 3, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Ashe Family Central, Jefferson
Cost: Free
Description: Swapping heirloom varieties of seeds, roots, bulbs and apple scionwood has become a spring-time tradition in the High Country. This year, Cooperative Extension and partners are planning a Seed Swap and Growers School to take place on Saturday, March 3, at Ashe Family Central in Jefferson. The Seed Swap will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue through 4:00 p.m. All growers and gardeners are invited to bring a little of what they have grown and saved and to take some new varieties home with them. Classes will take place throughout the day on topics such as seed saving and incubating a new generation of young farmers. Ron and Suzanne Joyner of Big Horse Creek Farm will offer their popular class on grafting apple trees. The Joyners will offer a chance for hands-on learning again by sharing their knowledge of successful grafting techniques and also offering root stocks for sale to growers who want to start their own apple trees. The High Country Seed Swap and Growers School is free (with the exception of apple rootstocks) and open to all of the public. If you are just starting out gardening and don’t yet have seeds or root-divisions to share, don’t worry; just come this year and get what you need, and be sure to grow and save enough seeds to share some at next year’s swap. For more information, call the Ashe County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 336-219-2650. Find directions to Family Central by clicking to www.blueridgegraphics.com/acpc/map.asp.

What: Food Business Classes
Date/Time: Tuesdays, March 8 to March 29, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Ashe Family Central, Jefferson
Cost: Free
Description: The new Creative Food Ventures Kitchen at Ashe Family Central has teamed up with Wilkes Community College to offer a series of four free classes on Tuesdays in March to help food-business entrepreneurs to get started on the right track. All seminars will be held at the Family Central Conference Room, and preregistration is required. To register or for more info, call Celia Robinson at the Wilkes Community College Small Business Center, 336-846-3900, ext. 223. Here’s what you’ll learn:
• March 8, So, You Think You Want To Cook?—Business basics 101 for anyone wishing to produce and sell a food product. Students will learn the basics for starting a food-based company including the need for incorporation, financial reporting, food costing, marketing, distribution and other related topics. The class will assist potential entrepreneurs in determining if there is a need for their product and how to assess interest.
• March 15, Regulatory Compliance for Food-Based Companies—This course will teach individuals how to produce foods that are compliant with all Department of Health and Department of Agriculture regulations. Students will learn how to access resources necessary to ensure their food is produced, handled and delivered in a satisfactory manner.
• March 22, Marketing Cakes, Molasses, Hot Sauce and Other Food Products—This course will explore different marketing strategies for selling food-based products. From major distributors to local stores, learn what consumers are looking for and how to meet their expectations. Students will see several real-life examples of marketing strategies for food-based companies that have worked and some that have not worked so well.
• March 29, Packaging 101 For Food Sales—Learn the importance of the proper packaging for your food product based on the anticipated end user. The class will learn proper packaging techniques, how to create a realistic marketing plan and how to get a product in front of potential buyers. The class will also address proper labeling and design, as packaging for larger food batches.

What: Organic Growers School
Date/Time: Saturday, March 10, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Blue Ridge Community College, Flat Rock
Cost: $40 (add $5 for each half-day workshop or cooking class selected)
Description: The High Country Seed Swap and Growers School is a small and down-home event. Growers ready for something larger, including a chance to learn from and network with some of the best organic farmers in the Southeast, will want to consider the Organic Growers School in Flat Rock. This year’s program includes dozens of classes, ranging from organic beekeeping to weed ecology. Workshops are divided into four time slots or sessions throughout the day, each 1.5 hours long and within several different tracks. Tracks cover a wide range of topics from Homesteading” to Policy and Research. In addition, the school hosts intensive half-day workshops and cooking classes. The online registration deadline is Thursday, March 1, and if you preregister by March 1, you can sign up for a $10 lunch buffet provided by Greenlife Grocery. For a full schedule and more details, click to www.organicgrowersschool.org.

What: Shiitake Mushroom Log Workshop
Date/Time: Saturday, March 17, 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Spin a Yarn…Weave a Web store, Lansing
Cost: Free
Description: Even after five years of offering local workshops on shiitake mushroom cultivation, Extension still gets requests for more information on the subject. For this reason, Cooperative Extension will offer a half-day workshop on successfully inoculating and cultivating shiitake mushrooms on natural logs in outdoor environments. The workshop will take place at the Spin a Yarn…Weave a Web store at 5983 Highway 194 N. in Warrensville NC 28693 on Saturday, March 17, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. The workshop will consist of presentations of both basic mushroom biology and cultivation techniques, plus hands-on practice of the process of drilling, inoculating and waxing the logs for successful production. The mushroom workshop is free and open to the public, but preregistration is required to ensure that enough tools and other supplies are on hand. To sign up, call Ashe County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 336-219-2650.

What: Watauga County Farmers’ Market Annual Meeting
Date/Time: Monday, March 19, 7:00 p.m.
Location: Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center, Boone
Cost: Free
Description: During the 2006 season, the Watauga County Farmers’ Market had its best year ever, and grower participation and customer support looks to make 2007 even better. The annual meeting of the Watauga County Farmers Market will take place on Monday, March 19, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center. The meeting agenda will include an update from the Farmers’ Market Board, a review of rules and policies, a discussion of the year ahead and elections for the open officers’ and board members’ seats. All current and potential market vendors are invited to attend, although you must already be a member to vote. For more info, call Richard Boylan at the Watauga County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 828-264-3061 or Market Manager Karen Bauman at 828-264-1917.

What: Ashe County Farmers’ Market Committee Meeting
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 20, 3:30 p.m.
Location: Ashe Agricultural Center, Jefferson
Cost: Free
Description: The Ashe County Farmers’ Market also continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and this year will herald the completion of a new market shelter in West Jefferson, plus many other exciting developments. The Ashe County Farmers’ Market Committee will meet to plan the year ahead on Tuesday, March 20, at 3:30 p.m. All Ashe County growers and crafters are invited to attend. Note that you must live, grow and craft in Ashe County to participate in this market. For more information, call Richard Boylan at the Ashe County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 336-219-2650.


North Carolina Leads Nation in Loss of Farms—Again

In case anyone questions the need for workshops and other assistance for the state’s farmers, consider this: North Carolina lost 1,000 farms during 2005, tying Florida and Tennessee for first place in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

These latest numbers continue a trend in North Carolina. The state lost 3,000 farms in 2004, also tops in the nation.

“North Carolina is a leading agricultural state, but losing farms is one category where I don’t want us to be No. 1,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Farm loss has become a chronic problem here. We’ve lost more than 6,000 farms and 300,000 acres of farmland since 2002.

“Development pressure and economic uncertainty make a deadly duo for family farms,” Troxler said. “And fewer farms mean fewer jobs.”

North Carolina had 48,000 farms at the beginning of 2006, down from 49,000 a year earlier, according to USDA’s annual report on farm numbers and acreage.
Aside from Tennessee, North Carolina’s neighboring states fared better. South Carolina gained 100 farms during 2005, Georgia saw no change and Virginia lost only 200 farms. Nationally, the number of farms declined by 8,900 during 2005, the report said.

Troxler said his top priority during the 2007 legislative session is to obtain funding for the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.
The General Assembly created the trust fund in 2005 to provide money for programs that preserve working farms and protect farmland from development. Unlike some state trust funds, the ADFP Trust Fund does not have a dedicated source of funding and must rely on the legislature for appropriations. The fund received $50,000 in 2005 and nothing last year.

“Agriculture employs 17 percent of our state’s workforce and contributes $68 billion to the economy,” Troxler said. “As global demand for food increases, we can’t afford for farmland to be taken out of production. We must put more resources into preserving our family farms.”