tag:www.wncbusiness.com,2005:/categories/agricultureAgriculture | WNC Business Connect | Inform | Inspire2024-03-25T09:49:10-04:00urn:uuid:e5e66c7e-4083-4bba-8576-ce40a60ed9d52024-03-25T09:49:06-04:002024-03-25T09:49:10-04:00NC Agriculture Manufacturing and Processing Initiative accepting applications2024-03-25 09:49:05 -0400WNC Business<div class="clearfix"><p>RALEIGH – Applications are now being accepted for the NC Agriculture Manufacturing and Processing Initiative, which has been created to fund and promote the establishment of value-added agricultural manufacturing and food processing facilities in North Carolina.</p><p>“This program will help create new opportunities for farmers and agribusiness owners and will also benefit consumers with locally produced foods and products,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Value-added opportunities help farmers capture more returns from their raw commodities and this program continues our efforts to increase food production capacities locally.” </p><p>The new initiative was established by the NC General Assembly in the 2023 session and will be administered by the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.</p><p>Potential applicants are invited to contact NCDA&CS to discuss proposals prior to applying to determine fit and for other guidance. Potential applicants are asked to email the Marketing office at <a href="mailto:ncampi@ncagr.gov">NCAMPI@NCAgr.gov</a>.</p><p>The program is intended to:</p><ol><li>Provide support for agricultural processing opportunities that increase jobs and local property tax bases across the state and/or reduce costs and increase profit options for North Carolina farmers and growers.</li><li>Identify and assess opportunities to increase value-added processing of commodities produced in the state and fill geographic and commodity gaps across the state.</li><li>Market and recruit facilities to fill such gaps and meet such opportunities.</li><li>Support eligible entities with funding for eligible costs necessary to create or expand North Carolina agricultural manufacturing facilities and projects related to increased demand for agricultural products.</li></ol><p>Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. The guidelines, application and supporting documents for NCAMPI can be found at <a href="https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/marketing/ncampi">NCAgr.gov/Divisions/Marketing/NCAMPI</a>.</p><p><i>Source: NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services</i></p><div><br></div></div><div></div><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:2e062f70-5ec6-4e36-b703-47c84d9565702024-02-13T18:12:55-05:002024-02-13T18:13:11-05:00ASAP encourages support for local agriculture2024-02-13 18:12:54 -0500WNC Business<p><span><br>ASHEVILLE — </span>Joining a CSA (or Community Supported Agriculture) program connects consumers directly with local community farms. Members buy a “share” of a farm’s harvest upfront and receive a weekly box of fresh produce or other farm goods. The best time to sign up for a CSA is in February and early March — prompting ASAP to declare Feb. 15 to March 15 to be CSA Month. CSA Month will include a social media campaign with CSA education and farmer features, digital tools for finding CSA programs, and an in-person CSA Fair at the YWCA of Asheville on March 8 from 3:00 to 5:30 PM. </p><p>The CSA Fair on March 8 highlights farms with a CSA pickup location in Buncombe County. In addition to traditional produce CSAs, the fair includes farms with specialty CSA products, such as meat or flowers. The fair is a relaxed, family-friendly setting where attendees chat with farmers about their products, growing practices, payment structure, and more. Attendees can sign up for a CSA during the fair or follow up with farmers later. The fair also features local food tastings and activities for kids, as well as produce and food products available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public. The YWCA is located at 185 S. French Broad Ave. in Asheville.</p><p>For those unable to attend the fair or who are looking for a CSA outside of Buncombe County, online tools at <a href="http://asapconnections.org/find-local-food/csa" target="_blank">ASAPConnections.org/CSA</a> help customers compare CSAs throughout the Appalachian Grown region, making it easier to choose a program that fits individual needs. The Appalachian Grown region includes Western North Carolina as well as bordering counties in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. </p><p>Things customers could consider when choosing a CSA include convenient pickup times and locations the farm’s growing practices, and appropriate share size (i.e., how much food). Some farms offer variations on the traditional CSA model, such as online selection, shorter commitment, or a market share (members pay upfront, but select their own produce at the farmers market each week).</p><b><i>About Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project:</i></b><br><i>ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more, visit </i><a href="http://www.asapconnections.org/" target="_blank"><i>ASAPCconnections.org</i></a><i>.</i><br><i>Source: Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project</i><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:13869623-c6dd-4e7d-969a-a183404061cb2024-01-21T14:37:52-05:002024-01-22T11:03:10-05:00ASAP’s Growing Minds publishes new farm-to-school curriculum2024-01-21 14:37:51 -0500WNC Business<p>ASHEVILLE — Growing Minds, the farm to school program within Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, is introducing an immersive curriculum designed around 10 crops grown in North Carolina. “I Tried Local…” A Toolkit for Engaging Kids with Local Food and Farms is designed for use in early care and education through second grade classrooms across the state. The print toolkit is currently available for free to educators in North Carolina who participate in a virtual training with Growing Minds. A free digital version is available to anyone at <a href="https://growing-minds.org/publications/" target="_blank">Growing-Minds.org/Publications</a>.</p><p>“I Tried Local…” gives educators tools to connect kids with how food is grown and the farmers in their communities who grow it. Each unit includes an overview of a North Carolina–grown crop, lesson plans, recipes, coloring pages, book recommendations, discussion prompts, and a link to the “Meet Your Farmer” video series featuring North Carolina farmers. The toolkit also offers resources for implementing the core elements of farm to school — gardens, classroom cooking and taste tests, farm field trips and farmer visits, and local foods in meals or snacks. “I Tried Local…” can be used on its own or as a companion piece to the Growing Minds Farm to Preschool Toolkit, which is also available at <a href="https://growing-minds.org/publications/" target="_blank">Growing-Minds.org/Publications</a> in both English and Spanish. </p><p>“The mission of the Growing Minds program is to help farm to school and farm to ECE programs thrive by improving systems and building the capacity of educators, nutrition staff, caregivers, and farmers,” said Danielle Raucheisen, Growing Minds Program Director. “This new toolkit will engage these leaders so that they, in turn, can inspire the next generation with local food and farms in the classroom, cafeteria, and community.”</p><p>Children who participate in farm to school activities learn about where food comes from, foster lifelong healthy eating habits, and build connections with their community. Farm to school offers an experiential, holistic approach to engaging students in a wide variety of subjects, including math, science, literacy, art, nutrition, social emotional learning, and cultural awareness. </p><p>Growing Minds will offer virtual training to support educators interested in using the toolkit. These sessions will provide an overview of the curriculum components and the opportunity to hear success stories from farm to school champions across the state. The first will be held Feb. 20, from 3:30 to 4:45 PM. <a href="https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEtdO2orz0oHtFdQDimAbkKYfnGtcob6ba1#/registration" target="_blank">Register via Zoom.</a> For future dates, subscribe to the Growing Minds e-newsletter or contact <a href="mailto:growingminds@asapconnections.org" target="_blank">GrowingMinds@ASAPConnections.org</a>.</p><p>“I Tried Local…” is made possible in part through support from the North Carolina Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, supported by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services with funding from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. </p><b><i>About Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project:</i></b><br><i>ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more, visit </i><a href="http://www.asapconnections.org/" target="_blank"><i>ASAPConnections.org</i></a><i>.</i><br><i>Source: Appalachain Sustainable Agriculture Project</i><br><div><br></div><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:4d729003-8c61-4dd9-97dd-9ee357c4d4fc2024-01-08T10:04:47-05:002024-01-08T10:04:52-05:00ASAP’s 2024 Business of Farming Conference will take place Feb. 24 2024-01-08 10:04:47 -0500Randee Brown<span><p>ASHEVILLE — The 21st annual Business of Farming Conference, presented by ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project), will be held Feb. 24 at the A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The conference focuses on the business side of farming, offering beginning and established farmers financial, legal, operational, and marketing tools to improve farm businesses and make professional connections. </p><p>More than a dozen workshops will be led by innovative farmers and specialists. Returning workshops include topics such as “Farm Financials and Recordkeeping” and “Resources for New and Beginning Farmers.” Among several new sessions for 2024 are “Alternate Capital: Grants and Fundraising for Farmers” and “Planning for Retirement.” A full list of workshops is at asapconnections.org. </p><div class="image-main"><img alt="" src="//cdn1.locable.com/uploads/resource/file/1087330/fill/700x0/Grower_20Buyer_20Meeting_BOF23_SH_7059.JPG?timestamp=1704726205"></div><p>“Farmers don’t have a lot of opportunities to come together in learning or social environments. ASAP is committed to making the Business of Farming Conference that chance every year,” said David Smiley, ASAP’s Local Food Campaign Program Director. “The information conference presenters share in workshops is incredibly valuable, of course, but so is the chance for farmers to meet, network, commiserate, and share experiences and solutions with one another.” </p><p>The popular Grower-Buyer Meeting, in which farmers meet with chefs, grocers, wholesalers, and other buyers to discuss their products and potential business relationships, will be held at lunchtime. Other networking opportunities include an exhibitor hall and one-on-one sessions to ask questions around social media, photography, tax, and legal topics. An informal post-conference social gathering at Plēb Urban Winery will give conference attendees a chance to keep the conversations going. Embedded within the conference is the Farmers Market Summit, a chance for farmers market managers from across the region to come together for peer-sharing, technical assistance support, and annual planning. </p><p>Registration is now open at asapconnections.org. The cost is $75 by Feb. 1 and $95 after, with a discount for farm partners registering together. Scholarships are available for limited-resource and BIPOC farmers. The registration price includes a locally sourced breakfast and lunch. Lunch is sponsored by Farm Burger. </p><p>Support for the conference is provided in part by Dogwood Health Trust, NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, Southern Extension Risk Management Education, US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Wells Fargo. </p><b><i>About Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project:</i></b><br><i>ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more, visit ASAPConnections.org. </i><br><i>Source: ASAP</i><br><div><br></div></span><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:b0d3cd3e-9dde-43a1-822a-21555e8a49032023-12-18T19:49:15-05:002023-12-19T12:40:29-05:00NC Double SNAP Network to expand farmers market SNAP incentives2023-12-18 19:49:15 -0500WNC Business<p>ASHEVILLE — Beginning in January 2024, ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) will partner with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture and MountainWise to expand Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables programs to more farmers markets, farm stands, and groceries in Western North Carolina. This group has established the WNC Double SNAP Network in order to bring together existing programs and expand to new sites, making SNAP incentives more accessible throughout the region. </p><p>SNAP programs that center local food and farms can significantly improve individual and community health. They make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible, keep food dollars in the local economy, and connect participants with positive food and social environments in their communities. </p><p>“ASAP, Mountainwise, and Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture currently operate successful SNAP incentive programs at 26 sites, which connect participants with fresh food and farms in their communities,” said Mike McCreary, ASAP’s Farmers Market Program Manager. “By combining efforts and resources, we’ll not only be able to deepen the impact of our existing programs, but also create adaptive programs that meet the needs of communities that don’t currently have access.”</p><p>The first phase of the project focuses on strengthening existing programs across sites operating January through March, including: </p><ul><li>Asheville City Winter Market, 52 N. Market St., Saturdays, 10 AM – 1 PM</li><li>Winter King Street Market, 252 Poplar Grove Rd., Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM</li><li>Columbus Winter Market, 35 Locust St., 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM</li><li>High Country Food Hub, 252 Poplar Grove Rd., Boone, online ordering with Wednesday pick-up, 12:00 – 6:30 PM</li><li>Jackson County Winter Farmers Market, 110 Railroad Ave., Sylva, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM</li><li>Jarrett Brothers IGA, 191 Main St., Rosman, daily, 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM</li><li>North Asheville Tailgate Market, 275 Edgewood Rd., Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM</li><li>River Arts District Farmers Market, 350 Riverside Dr., Asheville, 3:00 – 5:30 PM</li><li>Rutherford County Winter Farmers Market, 146 North Main St., Rutherfordton, 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM</li><li>Saluda Winter Market, 64 Greenville St., 2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM</li><li>Transylvania Farmers Market, 200 E. Main St., Brevard, Saturdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM</li><li>Weaverville Tailgate Market, 60 Lakeshore Dr., Saturdays, 3:00 – 6:00 PM</li></ul><p>More participating sites, including farmers markets and farm stands, will be announced in the spring. Over the next three years, the Network plans to expand to include nearly 40 sites across Western North Carolina.</p><p>In most cases, the way shoppers access Double SNAP benefits at farmers markets will not change. Shoppers will swipe their SNAP/EBT card at the market information booth and receive SNAP tokens for the transaction amount, as well additional tokens to shop for fruits and vegetables. Individual sites will post information about changes to program operation as applicable.</p><p>This partnership and program expansion is made possible in part by funding from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program. ASAP, as the lead organization, is one of 19 awardees across the country that received funding for nutrition incentive programs, which increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by providing incentives for income-eligible households participating in SNAP.</p><p>“USDA is delivering on its promise to bolster food and nutrition security for underserved communities,” said USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young. “Investments like this enable people to afford and eat healthy fresh fruits and vegetables so they don’t have to make a choice between healthy eating and cheaper less healthier options.”</p><p>Additional support for this project comes from Alleghany Wellness Coalition, Dogwood Health Trust, MANNA Food Bank, Walnut Cove Members Association, and other private foundations and donors.</p><b><i>About ASAP:</i></b><br><i>ASAP’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food. To learn more, visit </i><a href="http://asapconnections.org/" target="_blank"><i>ASAPConnections.org</i></a><i>.</i><br><i>Source: Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project</i><br><div><br></div><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:6f5de3f0-b70c-4078-adfa-4538e6cb54422023-11-14T08:13:45-05:002023-11-14T08:13:49-05:00Golden LEAF Foundation announces NC Ag Leads2023-11-14 08:13:44 -0500WNC BusinessThe Golden LEAF Foundation and the NC Chamber Foundation, with support from NC Farm Bureau and Google, formally announce NC Ag Leads, a pivotal strategic planning initiative for the North Carolina agriculture industry that will position the state’s number one economic driver for continued success. The initiative will be overseen by a steering committee that includes Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler in addition to representatives of Golden LEAF, the NC Farm Bureau, and the NC Chamber. <p>Golden LEAF has identified the NC Chamber Foundation to lead a strategic visioning and planning process that will bring together agriculture stakeholders to address industry-wide, cross-cutting topics that impact commodities grown in our state, and to chart a course that strengthens North Carolina’s position as a leader for agriculture and agribusiness in the United States. </p><p>“I never cease to be amazed by the state’s agriculture and agribusiness industry and its collective contributions to the state and the world. I believe it has an even brighter future ahead as we work together to increase production to meet the global demand for food,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “NC Ag Leads is about coming together, discussing and establishing priorities, identifying things we can control, and building on our deep agricultural foundation to move the industry forward.” </p><p>NC Ag Leads will conduct a research and planning exercise that brings together North Carolina’s agriculture leaders, investors, and influencers to identify policy recommendations and strategies for fostering agricultural innovation, job creation, and economic growth in rural North Carolina. </p><p>“Golden LEAF is proud to be the lead funder in this initiative that will broaden our impact in rural and economically distressed areas,” said Golden LEAF President Scott T. Hamilton. “NC Ag Leads will deliver a roadmap of clear and actionable steps to best prepare North Carolina to continue to be a leader in agriculture into the future.”</p><p>Ray Starling, NC Chamber General Counsel and President of the NC Chamber Legal Institute, and Laura Kilian, Associate State Legislative Director at NC Farm Bureau, will lead the NC Ag Leads strategic planning process, directed by Steering Committee members N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, NC Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding, NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido, and Golden LEAF board members Lawrence Davenport, Laurence Lilley, and Don Flow, and Golden LEAF President and CEO Scott T. Hamilton. </p><p>Phase one of the initiative, focused primarily on researching and discerning opportunities, barriers, and alignment within the state’s agriculture industry, is currently underway and will culminate at the end of June 2024. Pending Steering Committee review and approval, phase two of the project will consist of solving and executing on the initiatives identified in phase one. Phase two will begin in July 2024 and conclude in January 2025. </p><p>“With its $103 billion annual contribution to our state’s economy, agribusiness and agriculture drive a major share of North Carolina’s economic success and status as a top state to do business,” said Salamido. “NC Ag Leads will ensure that North Carolina’s number one industry is positioned for continued competitiveness.” </p><p>Through the NC Ag Leads initiative, stakeholders will identify, educate, and plan for the impacts of external factors on the future state of the industry to position North Carolina’s capital markets, educational systems, farmer community, and the processing and marketing end of the agricultural value chain to take advantage of the opportunities for North Carolina agriculture in the next era. </p><p>“North Carolina Farm Bureau’s mission aligns perfectly with the goals of NC Ag Leads, and I have every confidence this initiative will deliver tools and strategies necessary to strengthen and support North Carolina agriculture, agribusiness and rural communities for the years ahead,” said NC Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding. “We are proud to be part of this team.” </p><p>At the conclusion of the NC Ag Leads strategic planning process, the North Carolina agriculture community will have agreed to a set of priorities that are both aspirational and attainable, and if given effect, would significantly strengthen the productivity, economic vitality, and community spirit of the industry, charting a prosperous future for North Carolina Agriculture. </p><p><b><i>About Golden LEAF: </i></b><br><i>The Golden LEAF Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1999 to receive a portion of North Carolina’s funding from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with cigarette manufacturers. For more than 20 years, Golden LEAF has worked to increase economic opportunity in North Carolina’s rural and tobacco-dependent communities through leadership in grantmaking, collaboration, innovation, and stewardship as an independent and perpetual foundation. </i></p><p><i>The Foundation has provided lasting impact to tobacco-dependent, economically distressed, and rural areas of the state by helping create 67,000 jobs, more than $720 million in new payrolls, and more than 95,000 workers trained or retrained for higher wages. For more information about Golden LEAF and our programs, visit</i><a href="http://www.goldenleaf.org/"><i> GoldenLeaf.org</i></a><i>. </i></p><p><b><i>About the NC Chamber Foundation: </i></b><b><i> </i></b><br><i>The NC Chamber Foundation works to create a strong, sustainable future for businesses and communities across North Carolina. Through nonpartisan research and collaboration, the Foundation serves as a convener, working to disseminate information related to complex issues, track progress, and focus on a </i><a href="https://ncchamber.com/foundation/north-carolina-vision-2030/"><i>future-driven vision</i></a><i> to expand economic growth in the state of North Carolina. The Foundation is a nonpartisan affiliate of the NC Chamber. For more information, visit </i><a href="https://ncchamber.com/foundation"><i>NCChamber.com/Foundation</i></a><i>.</i></p><p><i>Source: Golden LEAF Foundation</i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:f0c12a83-4024-4c51-be0f-8f3b20a1dc8d2023-08-29T10:07:47-04:002023-08-31T13:12:44-04:00It's My Job: Travis Dorsey - Tri-Hishtil2023-08-29 10:07:47 -0400Randee Brown<span><p>For Tri-Hishtil Greenhouse Manager Travis Dorsey, the people attracted to the company makes Tri-Hishtil a great place to work.</p><p>Growing up on a farm in Nashville, GA living and working in agriculture directed Dorsey’s educational path. He said he was comfortable with the lifestyle and enjoyed crop production, subsequently earning a bachelor’s and a master's degree in Entomology at the University of Georgia. After college, he worked in mosquito control before taking a job in Mills River growing crickets indoors for livestock feed. Having gone back home to spend some time on his family farm, he said he was happy to return to WNC when his current position became available.</p><p>Reaching his fourth year as Greenhouse Manager, Dorsey was new to the greenhouse industry when he began. “I really like the integration of tech into agriculture,” he said. “It’s fascinating to see where this business is headed, and the future of agriculture is really attractive. I want to be at the forefront of that.”</p><p>Tri-Hishtil grows a variety of fruits in a controlled greenhouse environment and distributes them to commercial growers nationwide. Dorsey said 90% of their plants are watermelon, often the seedless variety, which are grafted onto squash rootstocks. Growing the plants in this way allows more vigorous growth of the plant, promotes resistance to certain root- or soil-borne diseases, and in some instances helps the plants to be more drought tolerant.</p><p>“It’s more expensive for our customers, but the intention is for the customers to save money on pesticide application and irrigation,” Dorsey said. “They have a healthier plant extracting more nutrients out of the soil and are more resistant against the elements.”</p><p>As the Greenhouse Manager, Dorsey manages a team of eight full-time assistant growers, and they are working on hiring two more. Dorsey said they are cross-trained throughout all of the greenhouse’s zones, consisting of different plants at various stages of growth. Outside of his core team, there are 20 to 30 seasonal laborers working on a variety of tasks including record keeping, irrigation, and other physical labor.</p><p>There are approximately 115 staff members in the growing season, with the grafting room comprising 90 to 100 seats. Grafters and quality control specialists work under the Operations Supervisor, but Dorsey said part of his job involves lots of logistics, scheduling and figuring out what happens each day in the grafting room.</p><p>Dorsey’s additional responsibilities include overseeing the pest management program, adjusting plant protocols — “complicated recipe books for how to grow plants,'' preparing plants for grading and shipping, checking in with the growing team to perform assessments, and planning the following week’s grafting. It also involves quite a bit of intuition, according to Dorsey. He also conducts research focused on adjustments for growing protocols and standard operating procedures, the utilization of different fertilizers and production methods, and working with new crops to see if grafting techniques work within their existing infrastructure. </p><p>“All the work is done by hand; there’s no automation,” Dorsey said. “This business is a weird combination of farming and manufacturing and a little bit of a peak-hour restaurant. It’s a fast paced, dynamic workplace.”</p><p>Green tissue grafting allows for a faster healing process than woody plants require, and in a little more than a month and a half, each plant is off to a customer, allowing multiple harvests each growing season. He said the growing season can be demanding, but the strong team and positive work environment make it worthwhile.</p><p>The best part of working in this position, according to Dorsey, is taking a walk through the greenhouse. “I love to see all the plants growing,” he said. “When everyone is busy or on break, a greenhouse walk allows me to view the plants and use my intuition. It’s somewhat meditative.</p><p>The future looks green for Dorsey, as he said his goal is to continue working in the greenhouse or modern farm business in some capacity. “I grew up on a farm,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”</p><p><i>Travis Dorsey is the Greenhouse Manager at Tri-Hishtil. Learn more at TriHishtil.com.</i></p><div><br></div></span><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:ffbf7809-767d-4539-8fb9-b6a7b8c9664f2023-08-25T17:08:16-04:002023-08-29T10:07:57-04:00Flourish Flower Farm spreads joy through seasonal blooms2023-08-25 17:08:16 -0400Randee Brown<span><p>For Niki Irving, Farmer and Florist at Flourish Flower Farm, owning a flower farm was a vision that turned into reality.</p><p>Irving frequently traveled while working in a previous outdoor education career, but she soon found that she wanted to spend more time at home with her dog, garden, and husband.</p><p>“I did some brainstorming and literally had a vision of myself tending to a field of flowers,” Irving said. “I dove in head first and started doing research and created a business plan while I was home from my day job. All the pieces were in place when I jumped in and gave it a go, which was amazing because I did all the work and really followed my dreams to get here.”</p><p>Irving said there is a resurgence of small flower farms in the region as the local food movement has paved the way for local flowers. “It’s about knowing the farmer and how much fresher that is,” Irving said. “These movements are melding together really well. Food feeds the body, but flowers feed the soul.”</p><p>A self-proclaimed “plant hoarder,” Irving grows more than 300 varieties of flowers on her farm. She said she is known for growing a little bit of everything special. There are a few tried and true crops that are reliable and low maintenance, and each year’s crop plan will include those. She also experiments with a variety of perennials to see how they will perform on the farm and how well they hold up as a cut flower.</p><p>“Each year there’s a little budget for experimentals,” Irving said. “There is lots of research involved to determine what grows best here and what is available for purchase. Some are grown via tissue culture and take three years to get, and some, like sweet peas, are beautiful but don’t do well because it gets too hot, but can do well in a mild spring. I just keep trying new ideas and keeping the good ones.”</p><p>In WNC, several popular varieties grow really well. Irving said zinnias are great in the summer, and she always has a place for special unique varieties of cosmos in her crop plan. She said snapdragons are always a staple; they are planted in the fall and are waist-high by the middle of spring. Dahlias grow well and she is happy to support the trending dahlia craze by growing them in several varieties of shapes and colors.</p><p>Flourish Flower Farm has evolved over its eight years in business. Irving said she is shifting away from a wholesale model and honing her business to make her farm accessible to people looking for an experience. A farm stand has been added, which provides a way for locals and visitors to get a snippet of what is happening on the farm.</p><p>A variety of workshops have grown in popularity, according to Irving. She said people want to be outside in nature, hold the flowers, and look around the fields. Guests are able to design their own centerpiece using a variety of flowers depending on seasonality. Workshops are small with only 15 available slots per session, allowing Irving to get to know everyone and allowing her guests plenty of time to ask questions.</p><br><p>Many of her repeat workshop attendees asked for more, and this year Irving began offering an in-depth flower arrangement class. She said these classes are priced for quality as she only grows premium flowers and the cost has to cover the designs created by students as well as other materials. By offering her expertise and professional development, she can help educate aspiring florists and help them hone in on their craft.</p><br><p>Another focus of Flourish Flower Farm is creating arrangements for events such as high-budget dinner parties, corporate events, rehearsal dinners, and weddings. Irving offers two main choices for weddings — custom-created full service packages, or an “Elopement + Micro Wedding package” that allows clients to choose from a color palette and trust her expertise on exactly what the arrangements will look like depending on the season.</p><p>“We are really honing in on attracting people who care about seasonal flowers,” Irving said. “While we have one hoop house that protects from frost and extends the season a bit, our flowers are primarily field-grown and we don’t grow year round. I can sometimes supplement large weddings with a local farmer friend or order from a local wholesaler, but I’m not ordering roses from South America.”</p><p>Social media has created an additional aspect of Irving’s business. She said when she started, she knew nothing about Instagram. She changed her handle to her business name and started sharing photos of flowers, and people loved it. Sharing photos of her fields of flowers on Instagram has earned attention from brands who want to use her space for their photoshoots. </p><p>Irving said people need beautiful places to take photos, and while this is a fulfilling and fun side of the business, it is still a working farm. Some big brands are willing to cover the cost of days of harvesting that would otherwise happen to ensure the fields are full of blooms for their shoots. She said she sometimes leaves a couple of sections for a local family photographer as well.</p><p>Farming can be a solitary and lonely endeavor, according to Irving. She said she is grateful to have opportunities to connect with others in the community through these opportunities, the Flourish Farm Stand, and support organizations like ASAP as well as enjoy her favorite flowers like ranunculus and dahlias.</p><p>“I feel really lucky in my business; it’s flowers, not life or death or dire consequences,” Irving said. “I get to make the world a little bit more beautiful and bring people joy.”</p><p><i>Flourish Flower Farm is a nine-acre boutique flower farm near Asheville. Niki Irving is also the author of Growing Flowers: Everything You Need to Know About Planting, Tending, Harvesting and Arranging Beautiful Blooms. Learn more at FlourishFlowerFarm.com.</i></p><br></span><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:1b00d3a3-af83-45c7-bf55-d1d0a1c71f282023-08-18T15:11:02-04:002023-08-18T15:20:49-04:00Agritourism boosts revenue for farming businesses2023-08-24 13:04:25 -0400Randee Brown<span><p>Moving to WNC from Charleston, SC, Robert Russel had been looking for farmland in the mountains for five years before his wife, Kathleen, found Mount Gilead Farm.</p><p>The couple purchased the 49 acres of the farm including several buildings in 2016 with no farming background. Russel said he worked in the academic sector for 35 years and was too young to retire. He was interested in the kinds of farming aimed at improving the land rather than “just hanging onto it.”</p><p>“Traditional farming is extractive,” Russel said. “You can’t just take everything out of the soil. Somehow soil has just become the medium in which to hold plants while you inject them with fertilizer. That’s not sustainable, and it gets really expensive. Dirt is not an inert medium, and I’ve always been fascinated about people doing farming to improve what they had.”</p><p>The soil at Mount Gilead Farm wasn’t in terrible shape, according to Russel. Over eons, topsoil from the mountains has run downhill into the valley. The Russels practice regenerative farming which involves abandoning primary agricultural equipment like the plow. The Extension Service offers a no-till seed drill, and they use this tool when growing their grass, which protects their soil and makes hay that feeds their goats.</p><p>Russel was making cheese as a hobby and decided to purchase goats for milking. While goat’s milk is a rich product worth $16 per gallon, Russel’s cheese is worth more than that. Starting at $20 per pound, different varieties of his homemade goat’s milk cheese are value-added products they can sell via direct marketing and increase the possibility of success for a full-time farming business.</p><p>The idea at the beginning of the Russels’ farming business was simply a goat dairy, and Russel said their mantra is also to have multiple income streams. Understanding the tourism draw of the area, they converted an old garage into two AirBnB units.</p><p>“This was extremely lucrative for the first couple of years,” Russel said. “We spent money upfront to renovate the building and get things going, but bookings have fallen off a bit since COVID, and we never fully bounced back from that. The general consensus is that the market here is saturated, and the Asheville area is the second highest in terms of added fees through AirBnB.”</p><p>There are still a good number of people visiting the farm, according to Russel. He gets a lot of repeat business, and a lot of those visitors are from Charlotte or other larger cities. People find something on the farm that clicks with them, and most people love getting out of the city and staying on the farm. </p><p>There are also specific farm-stay platforms that help bring visitors from other areas to the farm. Mount Gilead Farm is a member of WWOOF, or Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, a worldwide effort to link visitors to organic farmers for an educational experience. This allows visitors to learn and help on the farm in exchange for learning about agriculture from various hosts.</p><p>Russel said the state’s Department of Agriculture is pushing agritourism to farmers as a way to help farmers increase revenue for their businesses. Mount Gilead Farm also hosts Farm Tours during kidding season, and while there is growing competition in this aspect, it’s a popular portion of their business.</p><p>“From March through June, we offer a baby goat feeding experience,” Russel said. “There’s nothing cuter in the world than a baby goat, and as an ex-professor, I enjoy that I still get to educate people and get them excited about agriculture.”</p><p>Several years ago on a regional farm tour, a guide asked participants if anyone had ever heard of goat yoga. Russel said while most people laughed, one farm owner stood up and said that people pay her $25 per hour to come to her farm and play with her goats. This caught Russel’s interest, and he was later approached by a yoga instructor about offering goat yoga on his farm.</p><p>“We’ve now offered goat yoga a handful of times, and each session has more attendees than the last,” Russel said. “The thing is that goat yoga is seasonal. It can only happen until the kids are about 40 pounds — they will jump on you and be in your face, and after a certain size, it’s not as cute.”</p><p>Russel said he really enjoys the agritourism aspect of owning a farm. “We are not some sort of display farm; we are an actual working farm,” he said. “Many Americans are three generations removed from farming, and many of our visitors have never been on a farm or understand what farms do. I love that we get to expose them to some of the basics.”</p></span><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>urn:uuid:53cbec18-ed6c-4960-9e63-e883acd002d02023-08-18T14:02:47-04:002023-08-18T14:02:59-04:00Value-added products are key to local farm’s success2023-08-22 02:01:57 -0400Randee Brown<span><p>While many of WNC’s farmers are beginning to incorporate added-value products into their business plans, Looking Glass Creamery developed in the opposite order.</p><p>Having always enjoyed working with animals, Looking Glass Creamery Owner Jennifer Perkins said she loved the creative aspect of cheese making. When she was living in Virginia, a cheese maker agreed to have her as an apprentice. She loved the experience and followed her apprenticeship with classes in Vermont and then at NC State University, and later worked on a farm in Tennessee. Wanting to be in Asheville for her son’s education, she and her family relocated to Fairview and built a barn, and Perkins worked making cheese by herself in 2009.</p><p>Within a year, Perkins said she had a contract with Williams Sonoma and realized she couldn’t do it all by herself. As their business grew, Perkins’ husband Andy began working with her full time. The contract with Williams Sonoma provided a great audience but wasn’t allowing her business to grow locally, so they pulled the plug on the contract and narrowed their focus.</p><p>Along with her husband and son Max, she purchased a farm in Columbus where they formerly purchased their milk in 2017, constructed a building for cheese making and storage in 2018, then built their farm store in 2019.</p><p>“We were put through the paces as far as things like shipping,” Perkins said. “Farmers markets were crowded, so we created our own market through our store. We expanded our offerings to include homemade hard cider, wine and cheese combinations, as well as our own homemade jams and pickled items to accompany these cheese boards. We’ve just been putting one foot in front of the other. You have to be flexible with what the Universe puts in front of you, and this is a reasonable place to grow.</p><p>Perkins said as she struggled to find staff for the store, Max began helping and understanding the business and has grown to manage the family’s store.</p><p>“It’s great talking to people and letting them know where their food comes from,” Max Perkins said. “We are seeing the smiles on people’s faces as visitors see the cows and meet the people who are making their food. I began to notice there aren’t that many places in this area for the community to come together, and the farm store is becoming more of a community pillar in that way. We’re doing more festivals and live music, and we’d love to keep doing that.”</p><p>Max Perkins said instead of growing their dairy specifically, they’d love to grow by creating other added-value products. They give their cows time off, as they are currently getting plenty of milk — enough to sell to other local cheese makers — and the cow’s time off has an effect on the quality of milk produced.</p><p>Currently, Looking Glass Creamery has 56 cows, and they are milking 20 of them to get about 100 gallons of milk per day during milking season. Perkins said milk produced at certain times of the year is better for different cheeses, and they currently make at least nine varieties. Depending on the variety of cheese, the result is anywhere from three-quarters of a pound to a pound and a half of cheese per gallon of milk. On a mid-spring day this year, they used 345 gallons of milk to make 18 wheels of cheddar.</p><p>Products created at the farm include three jams, three pickles, and some unusual or specific items. Perkins said they chose to make pickled mustard seeds because they are specific to their cheese plates, and they chose to make pickled watermelon rinds and dilly beans because they are Southern and different, and also support the local farms from which they are sourced.</p><p>Being in a dry county, the only way the farm store could offer alcohol is if they made their own. Hard cider is technically a wine and a fermented product like cheese, so Perkins said they were not intimidated to start brewing. Looking Glass Creamery sources local apples from Creasman Farms in Hendersonville, and with a federal permit, the facility produces a limited amount of hard cider to serve alongside their cheese boards at their store.</p><p>The combination of their value-added products and onsite activities like ‘U-Pick’ sunflowers adds an agritourism aspect to the family’s business. Jennifer and Max Perkins said people come from all of the region’s counties, nearby cities like Charlotte or Atlanta, and even from Florida. </p><p>“Value-added farm products may be the difference between farmers making it and not,” Perkins said. “If you want to build a business beyond a ‘hobby gone wild,’ value-added products are needed for flexibility and stability. It’s critical to bring these in once a farm is on its feet, and it’s a great way to bring longevity to produce.”</p><p>There is tons of support in the region for good food made locally, and Perkins said even the regulatory environment in NC is very supportive. Asheville’s restaurant scene allows consistent, year-round buying of their products, and also creates connections between chefs, farms, and amazing food.</p><p>“We love that we are keeping our dollars local,” Perkins said. “It’s all connected, and keeping money circulating within our community has a big impact.”</p><div><br></div></span><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.wncbusiness.com">WNC Business</a></small></p>