For many producers, survival increasingly depends on thinking like entrepreneurs. Roxanne Reed operates a 120-acre hay production farm in Yadkin County, The Farm at Buzzard Rock, and is also the founder of Farm School on Wheels, which provides business and financial training for farmers. She says diversification has become one of the defining trends in modern agriculture.

“It’s no different than what we tell people in business and finance,” Reed said. “You're not just going to stick all of your money in one stock and just hope it does well. You're going to diversify it.”

While some large, established farms can still survive on a single commodity, Reed said those operations are becoming increasingly rare.

“I would say there are some farmers out there that can make it happen,” she said. “The stress level for those farms is astronomical, because if one thing goes wrong, [their business is in trouble].”

As a result, many farms are adding new revenue streams. Some are creating event venues, overnight farm stays, educational programs or direct-to-consumer sales opportunities. Others are building agritourism experiences that capitalize on growing consumer interest in local food and rural experiences.

The trend reflects both necessity and opportunity. Some farmers seek additional revenue because existing income streams are underperforming. Others simply realize they have untapped assets.

“What we find is they're not confident they've maximized” an existing revenue stream, Reed said.

Rather than starting over, many successful pivots build upon what already exists. A barn becomes a vacation rental. A livestock operation adds educational tours. A produce farm expands into direct sales or farm events.

The rise of direct-to-consumer marketing has also created new opportunities. Reed pointed to examples from the pandemic when farms bypassed traditional distribution channels and sold directly to customers through creative pop-up markets.

“The creativity of farmers is incredible,” she said.

Technology is helping fuel that creativity, particularly among younger farmers. Reed sees a new generation entering agriculture with a different mindset than previous generations. Many approach farming not simply as a lifestyle but as a business venture that can support multiple income streams.

“They're business owners who happen to be on farms,” Reed said.

Janice Wright, founder of Rooted in NC, a marketing consultancy for farmers, said young people are also drawn to agriculture for the independence it offers.

“They want more ownership of what their life's going to look like,” she said. “I think they want to be their own boss and have that flexibility.”

Consumers increasingly want experiences, stories and connections to the farms where their food is produced, which the younger generation of farmers offers through social media and online sales platforms, helping them capture more value from their products.

Those tools may prove increasingly important as Western North Carolina continues recovering from Hurricane Helene. Both Wright and Reed pointed to the storm's long-lasting effects on farms throughout the region. Many operations are still rebuilding infrastructure, repairing land and recovering financially months after the disaster.

Reed believes the region needs stronger support systems, including more flexible financing options and additional agricultural professionals working in the field.

“We [can’t keep asking] Western North Carolina farms and rural businesses to keep taking out more and more debt to survive the most recent impact,” Reed said. “We need more state and federal budget allocated to put more feet in the street. Our Cooperative Extension agents are heroes that help farmers but, like most resources these days, they are stretched thin, even more so in the aftermath of the hurricane. We need more resources. We need more people.”

When it comes to the future of agriculture in Western North Carolina, the stakes are high.

“If we lose our land, we lose our food,” Reed said. “We lose our resources. We lose our freedom to navigate futures. We lose our wealth that could be transferred to our families.”

In a region where farms contribute not only to economic activity but also to identity, culture and quality of life, the future of agriculture is a high stakes matter.

“The small homegrown farmer, when push comes to shove, they're going to feed their neighbors,” Reed said. “They're going to unify.” 

That community spirit may ultimately be agriculture's greatest asset as Western North Carolina charts its next chapter.