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

High Country Farmers Get Grants For New Ventures

The Western North Carolina Agricultural Options Program recently awarded $5,000 to 23 western farmers and $2,500 to 14 farmers who are diversifying or expanding their operations. The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission funds the program through a grant with the Asheville-based nonprofit organization Handmade in America.

Of the 37 grant awards, eight are to High Country farmers in Watauga, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties.

• In Watauga County, Marshall Shipp and his son Carl will increase their beehives, selling beekeeping supplies, honey, candles and skin-care products.

• In Avery County, Rebecca Daniels, a third-generation Fraser fir grower and sheep farmer, is working with her son Logan Burleson, 16, to establish a greenhouse operation for wine grapevines. They will sell to wine grape growers across the region.

• In Mitchell County, Cynthia Sharpe and Dwain Swing, owners of OakMoon Creamery, will improve their creamery facilities so they can produce raw milk products.

• In Mitchell County, Ronnie Sparks, a lifetime farmer, will transition his burley tobacco farm into boxwood production.

•In Mitchell County, Chad Calhoun will transition away from tobacco that he has grown since 1993 to establish a U-Pick strawberry farm—a crop his two daughters are interested in helping grow.

• In Yancey County, Nicole Del Coqlano and Gaelen Corozine of Green Toe Ground will offer a winter share to their community-supported agriculture members. They will store root crops for winter and construct high tunnels to grow tender crops in the cool weather.

• In Yancey County, Robin Smith, owner of Bee Log Berries & Produce, will install a greenhouse so she can increase the production of transplants to meet her growing demands.

• In Yancey County, Scott Paquin, owner of Firefly Farm, has received his second AgOptions grant. In 2006 he broadly diversified his organic vegetable farm with the grant. This year, he will add natural grass-fed beef cattle to his operation, including raising a heritage breed of cattle, Devon, to promote agritourism on his farm.

“The goal of this program is to help farmers in Western North Carolina to diversify their operations, and to help agriculture continue to grow and thrive as a profitable, ecological, and market-driven industry in our new farming economy,” said Stanley Holloway, Yancey County Cooperative Extension agent. “Ensuring the economic sustainability of farms is one of the best ways to preserve our farms and the rural nature of our region.”

The N.C. Cooperative Extension Centers in the 15 western counties and Cherokee Reservation operate the AgOptions program, now in its fourth year. Extension agents work closely with the recipients, strengthening the educational relationship between Cooperative Extension and area farmers.

“We're providing AgOptions recipients agribusiness training in hopes to create a smarter farm, which in the long run, establishes sustainability,” said Jeff Vance, Mitchell County Cooperative Extension director. “We encourage participants to seek marketing assistance from Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and business planning advice from N.C. Small Business & Technology Development Center, which are partnering with AgOptions.”

For more info, click to www.wncagoptions.org.

standalone graphic: ag options grant awards

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Agritourism Workshops in April

Agritourism refers to value-added agricultural activities on a farm, ranch or vineyard that provide entertaining, educational and recreational experiences. For example, some farms offer hayrides, barnyard animal exhibits, pond fishing, pick-your-own opportunities, summer camps, vineyards, special events and unique meeting spaces for business retreats.

To help promote the growth and awareness of agritourism in the state, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agritourism Office is sponsoring five workshops across the state for anyone who is interested in starting an agritourism farm business or who wants to learn more about the agritourism industry.

Each workshop will cover such topics as defining agritourism opportunities for a farm, hospitality hints, marketing tips, liability issues, agritourism success stories and information on how to form voluntary agricultural districts in your county. The program also offers farmers and others a chance to network and learn from one another. Workshops run from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $12 and includes workshop materials and dinner. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space and dinner arrangements allow. For agendas and registration forms, click to www.ncagr.com/agritourism.

The two workshops closest to the High Country are in Statesville and Old Fort:

• Thursday, April 17—Iredell County Cooperative Extension Office, Statesville: The registration deadline is Tuesday, April 15. Contact Wendy Wilson at 704-819-7545 or lazy5ranch@aol.com.

• Thursday, May 1—Pleasant Valley Farm, Old Fort: The registration deadline is Tuesday, April 29. Contact Marilyn Cade at 828-675-4856 or marilyn@mountainfarm.com.

Workshops are also scheduled in Williamston on Thursday, April 3; in Hillsborough on Tuesday, April 8; and in Beulaville on Thursday, April 24.

For more info on any of these workshops, contact Martha Glass, manager of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agritourism Office, at 919-733-7887 or martha.glass@ncmail.net.