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

|| High Country Press Newswire

February 12, 2009 Issue

Upcoming Ag Opportunities—Skills, Policy Making, Diversification

Local producers can choose from a number of local and regional meetings, trainings, conferences, and other opportunities in the coming months to expand, refine, diversify and network their farms for better profits and sustainability. These opportunities range from basic skills building such as pruning workshops and grower classes to chances to reshape the larger political economy of agriculture in our region.

During these down days of winter, pull out your calendars and mark the opportunities that match your needs and interests. To chat about any of these events, contact Area Agent for Alternative Agriculture Richard Boylan at richard_boylan@ncsu.edu.

Mushroom Spawn Orders from NCA&T—Deadline Sunday, February 15
The shiitake mushroom spawn produced by NCA&T’s Mycology Program is again being made available to commercial-scale growers with 200 logs or more. To be eligible to receive this spawn, growers must have their logs cut by Sunday, February 15, and their spawn orders in by that date. Growers in Ashe and Watauga counties can obtain information and submit spawn orders to Area Agent for Alternative Agriculture Richard Boylan at richard_boylan@ncsu.edu.

Any new growers requesting mushroom spawn for the first time are required to attend one of the log mushroom production workshops being held around the state in the upcoming weeks. Sites and dates for these workshops include the following:

Monday, February 16, NCA&T State University Farm, 3136 McConnell Road, Greensboro, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., contact Barbara Turman at turmanb@ncat.edu or 336-334-7259

Friday, February 20, Muddy Creek Farm, 3515 Seals Road, Morganton, 12:00 p.m., contact Donna Teasley at donna_teasley@ncsu.edu or 828-439-4460

Monday, February 23, Apple Orchard Farm, 640 Mariposa Road, Stanley, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., contact Mark Blevins at mark_blevins@co.gaston.nc or 704-922-2112

Wednesday, February 25, N.C. Cooperative Extension, 210 Main Street, Dobson, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., contact Terry Garwood at garwoodt@co.surry.nc.us or 336-401-8025

Beginner Beekeeping Class—Saturday, February 21
Are you interested in beekeeping? Do you want to learn more about the honeybee? The Watauga County Beekeepers Association’s one-day workshop is an introduction to the art and science of beekeeping. Beekeeping books and equipment will be for sale, and the workshop will feature speakers from all over the state, demonstrations and door prizes. Breakfast, lunch and a resource notebook will be provided. The workshop is Saturday, February 21, at the IG Greer Auditorium on the ASU campus. Free parking is available at the Rivers Street Parking Deck Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the day ends at 4:00 p.m. The snow date is Saturday, February 28, at the same time and same place. The cost is $15 per person or $20 for a family of two.

The Watauga County Beekeepers Association meets at 7:00 p.m. the first Tuesday of every month from March through November at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center.

ASAP Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Conference—Saturday, February 28
Farmers who get to know the needs of local customers and buyers can thrive, given the right business and marketing skills. Join the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), local farmers, agriculture professionals and marketing specialists for a daylong conference on marketing at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. Check-in is from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m., and the conference ends at 5:15 p.m.

This event is targeted to serious farmers, those seriously interested in farming, food buyers and high school age FFA students.

The cost is $35 per person or $50 for two farm partners. The price includes a light breakfast, lunch of locally grown food and resource notebook.

ASAP is offering scholarships for FFA students and for those with financial need. For scholarship information, call ASAP at 828-236-1282. Also, potential buyers of locally grown goods can attend the conference at no charge for networking only. Call 828-236-1282 for information on attending at no charge.

The conference site has space for about 200 people, and in some years the conference has sold out. Lunch will include demonstration/learning sessions at Warren Wilson Farm and Garden and opportunities for farmers and buyers to meet. Preregister to guarantee a spot and lunch by clicking to www.asapconnections.org/moffform.html

Farm to Fork Summit—Monday and Tuesday, March 2 and 3
During the past few months, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems has conducted a series of regional meetings focused on building a sustainable local food economy across the state. These meetings have generated worthwhile discussions and highlighted trends in local food production—both the opportunities and the barriers. On Monday and Tuesday, March 2 and 3, CEFS will bring all that it has learned from these regional sessions to the 2009 Farm to Fork Summit at NC State University’s McKimmon Center in Raleigh. The $35 registration fee includes a local lunch and evening reception on Monday. Limited scholarships are available.

Participants will explore the outcomes of the six regional meetings and working issues teams, provide input about game changer and local toolbox ideas, and help produce a statewide action plan for building a local food economy.

Summit participants will also meet with other attendees to develop regional leadership around implementing ideas and action plans for ongoing communication, networking and initiatives.

For more information about the summit, including registration forms and agendas, click to www.cefsfarmtofork.com or contact Nancy Creamer at 919-515-9447 or nancy_creamer@ncsu.edu. For directions to the McKimmon Center, click to www.mckimmon.ncsu.edu.

To inquire about possible carpooling to the summit, email Richard Boylan at richard_boylan@ncsu.edu.

High Country Growers School & Seed Swap—Saturday, March 7
Swapping heirloom varieties of seeds, roots, bulbs and apple scion wood has become a springtime tradition in the High Country. This year, Cooperative Extension and partners are planning a Seed Swap & Growers School for Saturday, March 7, at Ashe Family Central in Jefferson. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues through 3:00 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, organic gardening and composting. Ron and Suzanne Joyner of Big Horse Creek Farm will offer their popular hands-on class on grafting apple trees and will also offer rootstocks for sale to growers who want to start their own apple trees.

The High Country Growers School & Seed Swap is free, with the exception of apple rootstocks, and open to 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 at next year’s swap.

For more information, call the Ashe County Center of NC Cooperative Extension at 336-846-5850. For directions to Family Central, click to www.blueridgegraphics.com/acpc/map.asp.

16th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference—Saturday and Sunday March 21 and 22
Registration for the 16th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference is now open. This year marks the first time the event will be a two-day conference, and it is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22, at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, N.C. Enjoy a weekend of workshops for everyone, from beginning gardeners to advanced commercial growers. Topics cover all aspects of sustainable living, from gardening to alternative energy options and from cooking to food preservation.

Register online at www.organicgrowersschool.org/store/120 or download a printable registration form and mail it with a check by Sunday, March 1, and you can attend for only $40 per day.

NCA&T Small Farms Week 2009—Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25
NCA&T State University’s Small Farms Week always includes a great mix of educational sessions and networking opportunities. This year’s event is Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25.

A new scholarship program will support travel and lodging for farmers to attend the two days of campus events. Four scholarships have been reserved for farmers in the High Country region. Selected farmers will receive transportation from Boone to Greensboro, overnight lodging in a motel near campus and tickets to the Small Farms Banquet and other planned Small Farms Week events. If you are interested in applying to be one of these farmers, contact Richard Boylan at richard_boylan@ncsu.edu. Eligible candidates are farmers who take an active role in managing their operations and whose gross farm sales are less than $100,000 per year.

Watauga County Local Food Summit & Seed Swap—Thursday, March 26
The Watauga County Local Food Summit & Seed Swap will take place at the Apple Barn in Valle Crucis on Thursday, March 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. During this day of education, collaboration and inspiration, participants will identify opportunities within the High Country to increase access to fresh, healthy food for all members of the community. The summit will feature presentations from Joel Salatin, Tim Will and Tom Philpott, ample opportunity for networking and planning, and of course, good food!

A free seed swamp will take place in the lower-level space where the ASU Agro-Ecology lab is located from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. All growers, gardeners and seed savers are welcome to bring what seeds they have to share and browse what others are swapping. People who register for the summit are welcome to participate in the seed swap at any time during the day as well.

Whether you’re a long-time local food advocate or simply interested in learning more, everyone with a vested interest in the High Country food system is invited to participate. The registration fee is $10. Seating is limited, so reserve your space now. For an agenda, directions, registration and other details, call 828-262-7248 or click to susdev.appstate.edu.

An Evening with Joel Salatin – Ballet in the Pasture—Thursday, March 26
An Evening with Joel Salatin – Ballet in the Pasture is a theatrical performance mixing humor and bombshell food system analysis. The free event is Thursday, March 26, at 7:00 p.m. at ASU’s Farthing Auditorium. All seating is general admission, and doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Joel Salatin passionately defends small farms, local food systems and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. He educates, entertains and encourages. First-rate pictures provide the audience with a virtual tour of his legendary Polyface Farm.

Salatin is a third-generation alternative farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The family’s farm, Polyface Inc., achieved iconic status after being featured in the New York Times bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma by food guru Michael Pollan. Polyface Farm’s choreographed plant-animal symbiosis heals the landscape, the community and the eater. The grass-based multispecies livestock farm services more than 1,500 families, 10 retail outlets and 30 restaurants through on-farm sales and metropolitan buying clubs.

The program is presented by the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program at ASU, with generous support from Mazie Jones Levenson.

For more information, call 828-262-7248 or click to susdev.appstate.edu.

Rainwater Barrels for Sale in Watauga & Ashe—Order Deadline Friday, April 3
Watauga and Ashe County Cooperative Extension offices, along with several local partners, are collaborating on a rain barrel sale for the residents of Watauga and Ashe counties. Those who want a rain barrel must preorder and prepay by Friday, April 3.

Rainwater is a high-quality, sustainable source of water that is ideal for use inside and outside the home. When rainwater is used for toilet flushing, laundry and watering gardens alone, it can reduce water use in a typical household by as much as 70 percent.

A rain harvesting system captures rainwater from the roof. One of the easiest and most affordable harvesting systems is an aboveground rain barrel that will help the environment and help your water bill.

Each rain barrel costs $90, and the system is easy to assemble. These barrels are manufactured in North Carolina out of 100 percent recycled plastic. They are black, which reduces algae issues, and have two spigot locations and two overflow options. They are mosquito proof and have a 3-year warranty.

These barrels sell online for $149 at www.rainwatersolutions.com, but because the sale organizers are purchasing in bulk, they are getting big savings that they are passing along to the community.

To order a rain barrel, stop by the Watauga Cooperative Extension office at 971 West King Street in Boone or the Ashe Cooperative Extension office at 134 Government Circle in Jefferson to drop off your money.

For more information, call Watauga Cooperative Extension at 828-264-3061 or Ashe Cooperative Extension at 336-846-5850. The rain barrels will be delivered to Watauga County around April 22, and to Ashe County around April 24.