THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA

Report by

ELAINE BRADLEY 2012 Churchill Fellow

To investigate rural communities that have rebuilt local economies by supporting networks of small farmers working together

I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this Report, either in hard copy or on the internet or both, and consent to such publication. I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arising out of any claim or proceedings made against the Trust in respect of or arising out of the publication of any Report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet. I also warrant that my Final Report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing-off or contravention of any other private right or of any law. Signed Elaine Bradley Dated 12th January 2013

Table of contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................... 4 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................... 5 STUDY METHODS ................................................................................................ 6 PROGRAMME .................................................................................................... 8 OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS ................................................................................. 13

APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT ................................................ 13 Summary ............................................................................................. 16

APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT .......................................................... 17 Summary ............................................................................................. 18

ORGANIC GROWERS SCHOOL ........................................................................... 19 Summary ............................................................................................. 20

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE ............................................................ 21 RESULTS OF INTERVIEWS AND FIELD VISITS ........................................................... 24

Farms ................................................................................................. 24 Markets .............................................................................................. 29 Training/Education ................................................................................. 31 Farm Business Incubators.......................................................................... 31 Cooperatives, Food Hubs and Aggregation Centres ............................................ 32 Food Processing Business Support Organizations ............................................... 32 Other Support Organizations (marketing, promotion, co-ordination, etc) ................. 34 Other stakeholders in the food supply network ................................................ 34 Agricultural Extension Services ................................................................... 35 Agritourism .......................................................................................... 36 Other Conferences/Tours/Workshops/Webinars ............................................... 36

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................... 38 Recommendations For Local Food Systems In Australia ............................................ 41

APPENDICES .................................................................................................... 42 Appendix A - Glossary ................................................................................... 42 Appendix B - Itinerary ................................................................................... 43 Appendix C – Organizational Contacts ................................................................ 45

INTRODUCTION For seven weeks between September and November 2012 I toured the southern Appalachian region of the mid-eastern United States visiting and interviewing small farming operations and their support organizations in the local food supply network. These support organizations included Cooperative Extension Services, collaborative food distribution facilities, farm business incubators, training organizations, farmers markets and agritourism operations. I was able to share information between the various organizations and farmers, and bring back findings that I hope will be useful to small-farm based local food systems in Australia, and would be particularly applicable to my home region in the Mary Valley, Queensland. I would like to thank all with whom I visited on my journey, particularly the 64 farming families who openly discussed why farming is their passion, what makes their businesses viable, and what have been their challenges. Each person I spoke with and organization visited had a story or comment valuable to the understanding of how small farms can be sustained. I would like to acknowledge the selection committee and administrative staff of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for providing me with this unique opportunity and for assistance given during the application process. I acknowledge assistance from the Queensland State Government's Mary Valley Economic Development Fund administered through Gympie Regional Council and Mary Valley Inc. for supporting my research into local food production and supply networks in the Mary Valley region that is intrinsically related to this Churchill Fellowship. I am grateful for the support of the other members of the Dagun Community Group and the Dagun Growers Market for covering my duties so well while I was away. I would also like to thank my family (particularly my daughter Anna) for maintaining our market garden while I traveled, and my partner Steve for his unwavering support and tolerance.

"To keep farmers on the farm we must maintain a strong farm safety net. This must pursue new approaches that create more good-paying jobs, in addition to the time-tested programs that support an abundant agriculture system. We need to embrace

new strategies to help create a thriving rural economy."

Tom Vilsack, US Secretary of Agriculture (June 2010)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An investigation of rural communities that have rebuilt local economies by supporting networks of small farmers working together.

Elaine Bradley (Market gardener) "Wurraglen", 119 Doyle Rd, Dagun, Queensland, 4570

ph:+61 7 5484 3749 , m: 0459 225 399, e: wurraglen@homemail.com

Between September and November 2012 I travelled in the southern Appalachian region of the United States, visiting rural communities that have built strong and resilient economic and social networks based on supporting small-scale farming and a vibrant local food culture.

Highlights I met with many inspirational individuals and organizations, every one of them a highlight because of their enthusiastic commitment to restoring healthy rural economies. In summary: I visited 29 farms and interviewed another 35 farmers at 19 different Farmers Markets Examined 9 co-operative food distribution centres Inspected 3 farm incubators Consulted with 5 agriculture extension specialists and managers, and with staff at another 8

education and training facilities Met with project coordinators at the 3 key organizations involved with the support and

promotion of small-scale agriculture, farmer training and local food networks. These key organizations were the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Appalachian Sustainable Development, and the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training

Met with coordinators of 3 other major support services Observed 6 agritourism operations, including a 2-day farm tour Visited with 11 other stakeholders in local food supply networks Attended a 3-day Sustainable Agriculture Conference (with about 500 other farmers!) Participated in 2 training workshops and in 2 webinars (National Good Food Association)

Conclusions The major lesson was that successful, economically viable small farms can't operate in

isolation. "The more tangled the web, the stronger the organism" For a small farm to remain viable, it needs to develop strategies for resilience. These are

diversity of produce, diversity of markets, adopting a systems approach. State of the art record-keeping and analysis of operations are essential to success. Farm business planning is essential, but developing a financial assessment tool for the farm

business is critical. Persistent effort is needed to maintain and increase the consumer demand for locally

produced food. With other stakeholders in the food supply chain doing this role, farms have more time to concentrate on production logistics.

The importance of ensuring convenience and ease of access to locally grown food. Professionalism at all levels is needed for success to happen.

Dissemination In 2013 I intend to pursue opportunities to apply a proven model that has been successfully

implemented in the Appalachians to a similar region in Australia. The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is willing to collaborate with Mary Valley organizations to assist them develop a local food culture in the region.

The collation of technical and training materials collected during my fellowship is published on my Churchill Fellowship website at www.elainedagun.wordpress.com

I have accepted invitations to share findings of my studies locally and interstate, and will continue to do so, where there is interest.

BACKGROUND

I was honoured to receive a Churchill Fellowship in 2012 to investigate the potential for innovation in small-scale agriculture and food supply chains to revitalize and sustain rural communities. My partner and I have a small farm in the Mary Valley (175km north of Brisbane in south-east Queensland) on which we have been small-scale market gardeners since 1994. Our region has undergone a huge economic decline in its rural industries in recent years, driven by a range of external economic and political impacts such as dairy deregulation, sale of state plantation forestry, impact of the defunct Traveston Crossing Dam proposal, the rural commodity cost/price squeeze, and the drain of skills and capital to nearby mining regions. Extensive community consultation following the demise of the dam proposal strongly recommended that a revitalization of the rural economy should be a major focus of future actions to restore the community structure. Recent research projects indicate that the Mary Valley has the capacity and potential to rebuild and sustain its agricultural economy. However, the local farming and food supply chain will require a paradigm shift to encourage experienced local food producers to remain in or recommence production and to share their skills and local production knowledge. Local food systems need to be reestablished that can create jobs, diversify the economy, support entrepreneurship, and build healthy communities. These changes are also needed to attract new growers to the area. It was my intention to study the practices and policies adopted by several key entreprenurial non-profit organizations in the southern Appalachian Mountains region of the USA (western North Carolina and western Virginia) that have been used to build and maintain successful local food systems specifically focussing on local branding, collective marketing, consumer education, creating demand, building grower capacity to meet demand, small-farm skills education, and integration with tourism. This region of the Appalachians has suffered similar problems to those experienced in the Mary Valley although over a longer period of time, and has been the focus of well-researched and well-supported community based programmes to restart local economies. The southern Appalachian region is a similar landscape to the Mary Valley: steep terrain over much of the area with small pockets of rich agricultural land, broad riverflats in the lower areas, and both are regions of high natural biodiversity. Extensive logging and coal mining destroyed much of the hilly slopes of the southern Appalachians, along with poor, greedy farming practices in the 19th and 20th centuries, depleting the once-rich soils. Burley tobacco was a major commodity crop throughout the region and the primary income source for most of the smaller family farms from the 1930s until the 1990s when regulation and subsidies were substantially reduced (and almost completely withdrawn by 2005), resulting in the collapse of the agricultural economy of many communities. Programmes and projects introduced in the 1990s were aimed at assisting tobacco farmers transition into alternative agricultural practices, and also supported 'new' growers attracted by a resurgence of interest in organic agriculture at about the same time.

STUDY METHODS I chose to concentrate my Churchill Fellowship in an area serviced by three major not-for-profit organizations which were formed in response to this agricultural renewal and have continued to function successfully for more than a decade, providing valuable support to farmers. My research would focus on viable small farms within this area, their relationships with these organizations, and to examine other support networks. In the examination, I would look for actions that have proven successful and are likely to be applicable to the Mary Valley region, and to take advice on mistakes to avoid. From research undertaken before starting my fellowship, I determined that the majority of time would be spent in North Carolina, due to the history of agricultural initiatives supported in that area over the past couple of decades. I had obtained lists of Farmers Markets and family farms in the Western North Carolina area from a local foods directory, "The Local food Guide", published annually by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. With more than 500 farms listed and 90 markets there was a lot of choice! I selected some key areas that were geographically more similar to the Mary Valley and decided on a group of about 20 markets to visit. I would make contact with the attending growers and interview those who had been farming for at least 4 years, as they would be more indicative of a viable business. I was also able to view the details of many farms through their websites that accompanied the farm descriptions in the Guide, and took note of those that fitted my target group, to be particularly sought out. In Virginia, similar information was obtained from a local food guide published by Appalachian Sustainable Development. I observed the stalls at the markets, took photographs, made notes on the goods offered and prices, customer interactions and rates of sales. I spoke to customers to enquire about what basis they used to select which stalls to buy from. I collected resource materials from the market management and from attending support organizations, when available. When a stall wasn't too busy, I interviewed the farmer, or made arrangements to visit their farm for more detailed discussions. Each farmer was asked a standard set of questions, including

Size of property and area farmed

Time in operation

Number of people working on property

Types of produce

Where did they sell their produce

Whether they value-added (e.g., made jams and preserves for sale)

Whether they were a member of a co-operative or collaborative marketing group

Involvement in agritourism

Did they have off-farm income

Did they consider their business viable and sustainable

Elements of success - what particular aspects of their operation were the most successful, what support services they utilized, what made their work easier or more enjoyable, etc

Many farmers referred to a support service or agency that was an important resource for their business. I found that there were common agencies mentioned, and made appointments with a selection of these to discuss their services. Where possible, I arranged to attend workshops, seminars and meetings organized by some of these agencies, as the opportunity arose. One of these opportunities turned out to be an important factor in my study - a major Sustainable Agriculture Conference was held in South Carolina towards the end of my trip. I made arrangements to attend, in order to network with a

broader range of support services. For the purposes of travel during my Fellowship, I hired a small camper van for the duration of the trip. This allowed me to travel independently and at-will to appointments to visit farms, and gave me greater opportunity to camp at farms along the way; further enriching my experience. The van also functioned as a mobile office, which allowed me to keep up to date with recording interviews, cataloguing resources and collating materials. In spite of a very full itinerary, I was able to enjoy the freedom that this arrangement allowed to explore the areas visited at a very beautiful time of the year. An unforgettable experience! A diary of the entire trip was kept and published as a web log at:

http://www.elainedagun.wordpress.com This blog provides an account of the whole journey and an overview of farms, markets and organizations visited. More detailed notes were made for further reference and have been used in the preparation of this report. These will also be used for further discussions and proposals that may arise as a result of this research. Most contacts provided additional reference materials and specific recommendations for further reading and information. These have been collated and republished with permission on the weblog site mentioned above.

My combined transport/accommodation/ office.

Principal study method – talking to people where they live and work

PROGRAMME

My Fellowship journey was from mid-September until early November 2012, coinciding with the "Fall" season in the USA, at a time when most farms were still actively producing and marketing crops but towards the end of the season and at a time when work programs were not as demanding. The area of my research extended from Charlottesville (south-west Virginia), south to Durham (central North Carolina), and west to Sylva (western North Carolina). This region is shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 1. Location of regions and communities studied. I visited many Farmers Markets throughout the region, in order to make contact with growers. Whilst many farms were visited, it was often more practical to have discussions with growers at the markets. In many instances, I was able to review information on individual farms, as many farms visit more than one market each week. The key organizations forming the basis of my research are also marked on the map: ASD Appalachian Sustainable Development (Abingdon, Virginia) ASAP Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (Asheville, North Carolina) CRAFT Organic Growers School/Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (Asheville,

North Carolina). Table 1 summarizes visits, meetings and related activities undertaken during the Fellowship.

ASAP Asheville NC

CRAFT Asheville NC

ASD Abingdon VA

TABLE 1 – Activities and visits FARM VISITS (29)

North Carolina (20) Flying Cloud Farm Hickory Nut Gap Farm Trosly Farm B & L Organics Highgate Farm Randall Gap Full Sun Farm Thatchmore Farm Balsam Gardens Imladris Farm New Sprout Farms Mountain Harvest Organics Round Mountain Creamery Lyda's Family Farm Stepps Family Farm Springhouse Farm Justus Orchard Slick Rock Country Emporium Tarheel Farm Chambers Farm Market

South Carolina (3), (all Greenville area) Patient Wait Farm Split Creek Goat Dairy Clemson College student farm

Virginia (6) T and T Farm (Meadowview) Dreamland Alpacas (Meadowview) John Mills (Duffield) David Main (Fort Blackmore) Harvest Table Farm (Meadowview) Blue Door Garden (Abingdon)

FARMERS INTERVIEWED AT MARKETS (35) North Carolina (30)

Ivy Creek Farm Fork Mountain Farm Creeksong Farm Tumbling Shoals Rogue Harbour Farm Rocking S Farm Lively-Up Farm New Life Farm Firefly Farm Sunshine Cove Blackbird Farms Cane Creek Valley Farm McConnell Family Farm Ol' Turtle Farm Green Toe Farm

Typical farmers market stall

Blue Ribbon Farm Common Ground East Fork Farm Fiddlesticks Farm Gaining Ground Looking Glass Creamery Meadow Cove Farm New Moon Farm Paper Crane Farm Spinning Spider Dairy Sunburst Trout Farm Ten Mile Farm Harvest Table Farm MiLo Acres First Blossom Farm

Virginia (5) Rivermyst Coltsfoot Winery Radical Roots Bellair farm Appalachia Star

MARKETS VISITED (19) North Carolina: (15)

Haywood (Smokey Mountains) Flat Rock (Southern Mountains) Henderson County Curb Market Asheville City Market South Asheville City Markets French Broad Co-op Market Leicester Madison County Montford /Asheville Chamber of Commerce North Asheville Weaverville West Asheville WNC Farmers Market Banner Elk Watauga County

Virginia /Tennessee (4) Abingdon (VA) Jonesborough (TN) Lynchburg (VA) Meade Park (Charlottesville, VA)

FARM BUSINESS INCUBATORS (3) North Carolina

Elma C. Lomax (Charlotte) PLANT (Breeze Farm) (Hillsborough) FIG (Valle Crucis)

FOOD HUBS/AGGREGATION CENTRES/COOPERATIVES (9) TRACTOR New River Organic Growers

Typical range of potato varieties on offer from a single market vendor.

Madison Family Farms Maverick Farms/High Country CSA Carolina Organic Growers Co-op East Carolina Organics Piedmont Grown The Local Food Hub (VA) Appalachian Harvest (VA)

EDUCATION/TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS (8) Organic Growers School Internships/Apprentice Link (CRAFT) North Carolina Cooperative Extension Warren Wilson College (NC), Clemson College (SC), Emory-Henry College (VA), Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Virginia Co-operative Extension/VirginiaTech (VA Master Gardeners)

AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES (5) Tres Magner, Yancey Co-operative Extension Jenn Beck (Marshall Co-operative Extension Michael Lanier (Pittsboro/Durham) Debbie Roos (Pittsboro) Scott Jerrell (VA Cooperative Extension, Duffield))

AGRI/FOOD PROCESSING BUSINESS SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS (5) Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project Appalachian Sustainable Development (VA) Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Blue Ridge Food Ventures Madison County Extension Office Food Processing facility

AGRITOURISM OPERATORS (6) Trosly Farm ASAP Farm Tour Valle Crucis Fair Split Creek Farm (SC) Harvest Table Restaurant (VA) Heartlands (VA)

OTHER STAKEHOLDERS IN FOOD SUPPLY NETWORK (11) Catering/restaurants

Laurey's Catering Harvest Table Restaurant (VA) EarthFare (natural foods supermarket chain - Johnson City TN, Asheville NC stores) Greenlife Grocery Ingles Markets (general supermarket chain in NC)

Retail French Broad Co-op Chatham Marketplace Chop Shop Biltmore Estate - large farm area, on-site market/shops, branding

Wide selection of cheeses from a small boutique creamery

Wholesale Mountain Food Products (also has a multi-farm CSA)

Distribution Leading Green

CONFERENCES/TOURS/WORKSHOPS/WEBINARS (7) CFSA Conference CRAFT Farm Visit - Balsam gardens ASD - Shiitake Workshop National Good Food Assoc webinars - (2) ASAP Farm Tour CFSA Farm Tour

Promotion of a local food culture was a feature of the communities visited.

OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS

APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROJECT http://www.asapconnections.org A key organization in western North Carolina, and a prime reason for wanting to visit this region for my fellowship. This organization supports farmers by creating a demand for local foods through innovative projects and professional delivery. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is a non-profit organization established in 1999 with a focus on assisting growers via marketing and programs to support a strong and active local foods culture. Its activities help create and expand local food markets that will preserve the region's agricultural heritage, give the community access to fresh, healthy food, and keep farmers farming. Its stated mission is "to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters, and build healthy communities through connections to local food." The work of ASAP focuses on three major areas: Capacity Building - this encompasses community liaison (farms, restaurants/retail outlets,

local governance, etc); workshops, training, resource development; business planning, surveying, research; and mentoring.

The Local Food Campaign - launched in 2002, this involves the production of the Local Food Guide (a free print and online directory of the area’s family farms, tailgate markets, and business that use local agricultural products), of the Appalachian Grown™ branding and labeling program, and of activities furthering local food access, awareness, education and outreach. This campaign serves as a national model and its influence has helped local food sales in western North Carolina triple in the last three years alone.

Healthy Communities - focuses on the education of children and families to promote access and wellness, experiential education to excite young people about fresh local food and connect them to their agricultural heritage, and increasing the amount of locally grown food served in institutional cafeterias.

ASAP provides an incredible level of support throughout the food supply network! Its activities and programmes are impossible to summarize here, and I would encourage a visit to look at their website. The aims of my visit with ASAP was to gain a general overview of the organization, its regular functioning, and to further examine some specific activities. Charlie Jackson (Executive Director) and Allison Perrett (Research Administrator) described the structure and operations of ASAP, providing an insight into its development over the past 15 years and a staggering list of past achievements and current projects. I was introduced to other staff, most of whom are part-time employees and all with a strong interest in supporting their local food culture. I was impressed with the high level of professionalism demonstrated across all sections of the organization, especially the quality of the merchandising. Most outstanding, though, was the strong adherence to a strategic plan that underpinned all activities. This was most evident in their resource materials - booklets, merchandising, resource packs, publications - all had the same targeted and identifiable message - EAT LOCAL. Obviously, materials collated for the campaigns were utilised in a number of projects. When registering to be a certified member of "Appalachian Grown", farmers supply detailed information about their farm operations including crops and availability, growing practices, other certification (Organic, Naturally Grown, Biodynamic), interest in agritourism and education, and property details. This information may then be used in a range of annual publications including: Local Food Guide (listings of family farms and businesses committed to local foods) Local Food Guide for Kids (part of the Farm to School Initiative) The Mixing Bowl (a farm to business trade directory)

Farm Tour Guide

Information about members is also used in media releases, promotional literature, and on social media sites. There is a staff member dedicated to communications, and whose role includes daily updates across a broad range of media.

Appalachian Grown http://appalachiangrown.org I was invited to attend a meeting with the coordinating group for ASAP's Appalachian Grown section. Meetings are held fortnightly, to discuss current issues, planning and direction. The Appalachian Grown program was developed to expand local markets for Appalachian farms and to provide a way the public can easily identify products from local farms. This certifies food and agricultural products grown or raised on farms in Western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Grown label readily identifies local agricultural products and helps consumers make informed buying choices that will ultimately benefit the farms of Appalachia and the local economy. One of the items discussed at the meeting was about some targeted promotion. Advertisements promoting Appalachian Grown were placed in 4 rural papers, and ran for 3 consecutive weeks (to 'set' the message). Areas chosen were in Ashe, Yancey, Jackson, Transylvania counties. All had been identified as requiring support to assist sales - perhaps farmers at markets had commented on falling sales, retail outlets reporting a low interest in local food lines. These are strategic placements to strengthen branding identity, build value for members, and form part of the local food awareness campaign. Another item discussed concerned a new retail outlet, an old style butchery which processes all the meats, purchased from local suppliers. The shop was having difficulties sourcing enough local beef, especially during 'grilling time'. This year, they had to buy in non-local meat, but have now been assisted by ASAP to contact and make forward orders with local suppliers. ASAP will maintain contact and monitor the situation. Because of the beef compromise, its reputation was affected, but is now balancing out, mainly due to some good, well-placed promotion by ASAP. Another issue concerned a change in relationship with a large local grocery store chain. ASAP was to follow up on changes in management with respect to increasing local possibilities. At present, local cheese procurement and display is piecemeal and not done well, and ASAP is keen to get Appalachian Grown certified cheeses stocked. But there are problems with regard to identifying the origin of some products, and in identifying how much local product is used in the production? What percentage of local product does it have to contain before it can be considered 'local'?

Growing Minds http://growing-minds.org Growing Minds has been developing and implementing the Farm to School program(a national initiative) in Western North Carolina since 2002 and has expanded from a school garden project to a holistic Farm to School program with an education focus.

The Growing Minds Farm to School Program embraces all 3 major focus areas of the organization. Though more often associated with the 'Healthy Community' focus, it is implemented through 'Capacity Building' and strongly supported by the Local Food Campaign. ASAP provides resources and training to a wide range of community stakeholders, to encourage and sustain Farm to School efforts - seeds for school gardens, grants for farm field trips, lesson plans, chef connections for classroom cooking, a lending library of children’s literature and curricula, canteen promotions, volunteer recruitment, and training for chefs, teachers (preschool and K-12), farmers, canteen staff, and parents. The program has 4 focus areas Gardens Cooking (and also trying to pair up with a local chef)

Farm visits Local food in school canteens

Materials are always being developed, synchronized with other ASAP initiatives and its strategic marketing. The section also conducts an annual Farm to School Conference which is very popular with educators.

Media/Graphic design This section works with the current strategic plan to produce a range of media to highlight that campaign, retaining the recognizable branding. I was given examples of promotional materials - regular farm use (bags, ties, stickers, etc), farm stall materials (badges, bumper stickers, leaflets), restaurant materials.

Retail support Retail outlets are encouraged to support local food production and participate in the certification program. Apart from the trade directory mentioned above, ASAP also provides a promotional pack with additional resource materials (table cards, farmer profiles, window decals, etc). Personal contact is maintained with members to ensure that the EAT LOCAL message was still being delivered effectively and professionally. These visits are also used to discuss outstanding issues. I visited the new butchery ("The Chop Shop") with Bridget Kennedy - Program Director of the Local Food Campaign - to discuss supply issues raised at the earlier meeting. In addition to shortage of local supply, the shop also had experienced difficulties in selling excess mince generated at some times of the year. The solution for this was to offer it direct to restaurants and institutions at a 'fair' price. Bridget also described how they had arranged for other local items to be stocked in the shop, including ranges of sauces, marinades and condiments that complement meat dishes. It was interesting to read the "Menu Board" on the counter, which described which farms the meats had come from, and a profile of the farm.

Farm support Another of Bridget's responsibilities is to support new local farm ventures. We visited Randall Gap Farm, a multi-faceted operation in Leicester. In addition to growing unusual vegetables and raising rare-breed farm animals, the farm also offers accommodation in luxury cabins and gem-scavenging. A recent innovation was to purchase a van from which they could make and sell meals at local markets, made from produce and meats off their own farm. ASAP had assisted this venture with cost-share funding that paid for the signage on the van. Bridget uses these visits to become familiar with farm, discuss ASAP levels of assistance, and to assist with connections to other local farms and initiatives.

Farm Tour This is held in September each year. For one weekend, more than 35 'Appalachian Grown' registered farms are opened to the public. Maps and farm descriptions are available in printed format, online, or via phone app. Farmers describe their operations, take tours of the property and sell their produce. It is always a very popular event. Visitors purchase a car-pass that entitles them to visit any listed farms over the whole weekend. Most would visit 3-4 each day. There is a great variety of farming enterprises that participate, and although most are small farms, there are usually some larger enterprises and a couple of city-based ''micro-farms". I visited 5 farms on the tour - Mountain Harvest Organics (pork, eggs, vegetables, building timber), Flying Cloud Farm (vegetables, berries, flowers), Imladris Farm (berries, eggs, rabbit meat), New Sprout Farms (large-scale, multi-farm commercial production), and Round Mountain Creamery (goat milk and cheese).

Research and consultancy Other ASAP support programs include the annual Business of Farming Conference, a Local Food Research Centre, and assistance with establishing a local food network in other areas. While on my fellowship, I was advised that I had secured funding through the Mary Valley Economic Development Fund to establish a Local Foods initiative, and took the opportunity to engage with Allison Perrett to develop a campaign focused on direct-to-consumer markets. This project will commence in January 2013. Allison also recommended that I contact other regions that had undertaken a similar project, one of which I was able to visit. As mentioned previously, the work of ASAP is impressive, and I highly recommend a visit to their website.

Summary

The role of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) is to support and develop a strong local food culture, creating demand for local produce that is produced, marketed and distributed in a manner that enhances human and environmental health; and that adds economic and social value to rural and urban communities. These efforts ensure that local farms thrive, that farmers are linked to markets and consumers, and that healthy communities are built through connections to local food.

Variety and professional presentation, a sample of pumpkin varieties available at market.

APPALACHIAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT http://asdevelop.org/ Another key organization selected for my fellowship visit was a support agency for farms in the southern Appalachian regions of Virginia and Tennessee, with a different focus on service delivery that involved direct sales.

Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) was founded in 1995 in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee as a non-profit entity with a mission to "create, promote and expand economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible opportunities to help improve the lives and the health of local communities and ecosystems."

Based in Abingdon (Virginia) it achieves it goals through a series of interrelated programs which focus on developing healthy, diverse and ecologically sound economic opportunities through education and training, and the development of cooperative networks and marketing systems.

Their work encompasses two broad areas: building a strong local food system based on organic and sustainable farming, and fostering forest conservation through promotion of sustainably-harvested native forest foods, value-added wood processing and "green building."

ASD links consumers with farmers and producers and provides hands-on opportunities for learning, advocacy and civic engagement through its major projects which include:

Appalachian Harvest - formed in 2000, this is a social enterprise owned and operated by ASD. It is an integrated field-to-table network in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee, which includes 60 farmers (mostly former tobacco growers) who operate collaboratively to access regional grocery store chains and other wholesale markets for their fresh produce. Growers are assisted with on-farm training and technical support, attend crop planning meetings and educational events, and to work with other farmers to develop farm plans that meet market demands. Produce is brought into the 15,000 square foot packing and grading facility at Duffield (VA) for grading, washing, labeling, and packaging, then distributed to supermarkets across the region. Demand for the chiefly organic produce from Appalachian Harvest currently exceeds supply by more than 200 percent.

Learning Landscapes - a multifaceted (kindergarten to adult) education program that creates outdoor classrooms on public school grounds and provides detailed curriculum support on food production and gardening

Healthy Families-Family Farms –a scheme to purchases “seconds” produce from Appalachian Harvest growers (this prevents growers from taking a loss on these crops) and donate these to the 'Feeding America' Food Bank and local food access pantries. The scheme also provides health and nutrition information, recipes, cooking demos and food tastings to food pantry recipients.

Appalachian Farmers Market Association - supports and sustains a network of community Farmers Markets throughout the Appalachian region of east Tennessee and western Virginia. Also compiles an annual Local Food Guide, listing farms, markets, growers’ organizations, and restaurants and businesses that utilize local products.

Forest Botanicals - research and promotion of useful herbs, berries, roots, and mushrooms that grow in the woods of Appalachia (e.g., ginseng, shiitake mushrooms). Wild-crafted or cultivated, forest botanicals can provide supplementary income to landowners. ASD provides educational opportunities in gathering, growing, and marketing these products.

I met with Tom Petersen, Agriculture Education Coordinator, who described the functions of ASD. Tom also does production scheduling for the Appalachian Harvest wholesale distribution, and organizes regular workshops with member growers, particularly on quality control. ASD staff members have extensive knowledge of agricultural practices and good connections to regional farmers’ markets, and Tom provides assistance to growers on skills such as succession planting, cover crops, pest and disease management, season extension, marketing, and harvesting.

Tom arranged for me to visit with some growers associated with Appalachian Harvest, and with other local farms using innovative ideas in their production. Four farms close to Abingdon were visited - a small market garden run by students at the local college (who were also trialing shiitake mushroom production); a 3-acre market garden, specializing in peppers and tomatoes; and an alpaca fleece farm. The fourth property had been set up to supply only to a restaurant in a nearby town, both owned by the same family. About 75% of the restaurant's requirements are grown on the farm, with produce picked and delivered each day. Good communication with the chef is essential to the success of this venture. On a second trip, I was introduced to Virginia Co-operative Extension Manager Scott Jerrell, who took me to visit 2 larger farms close to the Appalachian Harvest facility at Duffield. Both had been tobacco farms which had recently diversified into other crops, and produced bigger volume of lines for Appalachian Harvest, such as cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and corn. Scott also gave me some history of tobacco growing in the region and techniques that farmers are still using now with their vegetable crops. He also discussed some more sustainable practices that he is encouraging these larger producers to use, such as strip tillage, to promote soil and water conservation, while increasing crop yield and reducing input costs. Kathlyn Terry, Executive Director of ASD, gave me a tour of the Appalachian Harvest aggregation facility and discussed decisions that have been instrumental in its success, and insights into issues that have challenged the operations in the past few years. It is a large warehouse with huge coolrooms, processing equipment and ample dry storage areas. The facility also stores large farm machinery that can be borrowed by growers, and buys packing boxes in bulk, for uniformity in deliveries. AH operates its own fleet of delivery vehicles, including 2 large tractor-trailers and a box truck. Turnover for sales from the facility exceeds $1.2M per year for the 6-month growing season. I attended a shiitake mushroom production workshop coordinated by Katie Commender (Sustainable Forestry section) and run by Deni Peterson, Education Coordinator for the Learning Landscapes program. This was held at the Emory-Henry College student farm, on the outskirts of Abingdon.

Summary

Appalachian Sustainable Development was established to build local food and forest-based economies in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee. Its vision is to achieve triple-bottom-line outcomes - economic development that supports good jobs and livelihoods, improves community health, and restores and sustains the ecosystem. Several approaches are used to meet these targets including education, market development, and coordinating a wholesale distribution centre.

“Appalachian Harvest has been invaluable. It has helped tobacco growers, who might otherwise have abandoned farming, to adopt alternative strategies and to continue farming. It has improved the quality, and volume of sales, to regional buyers. By keeping more money circulating in the region, it has contributed to the region’s economic wellbeing.”

ORGANIC GROWERS SCHOOL (Incorporating CRAFT - Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) http://www.organicgrowersschool.org/ One of the most important aspects of encouraging new farming enterprises is access to practical training and sharing of information. The third key organization of my fellowship visit was an organization that makes a coordinated effort to bring established farmers and students of farming together for a season-long training in the art and science of farming. The Organic Growers School is a non-profit organization that grew out of the volunteer efforts of a group of farmers and Agriculture Extension specialists who had gathered in 1993 to discuss the need for region-specific crop growing information applicable for farmers in Western North Carolina. From this meeting, OGS was born, along with a mission to deliver practical information about organic agriculture at a reasonable price. The first Organic Growers School Spring Conference was held in 1993, with just over 100 participants. Since then, the event has grown exponentially. In 2012, more than 1900 farmers, gardeners, educators, students, consumers and chefs gathered from over 18 states and Canada, making the OGS Spring Conference the largest event of its type in the Southeast. In addition to the annual Spring Conference, the OGS offers learning opportunities for organic farmers all year round through its farmer education initiative, which began in 2007. CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) operates in both western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. It gathers farmers and their workers together for hands on learning about farm production and business management, usually in the form of a visit to a farm or grower organization. These form a broader educational role and are particularly suited to the needs of farm interns and apprentices. While each CRAFT Tour focuses on one specific aspect of farming (the “tour topic” for that farm), the tour also covers many of the basics of an organic farm operation. At each farm attendees hear about how that farmer addresses field preparation and planting, pest management, irrigation, planning, record keeping, season extension and greenhouse management, harvest, and more. This gives a chance to see how different each of the farms are, and to understand why each of the farmers choose to go about these matters in the way they do. Beginning farmers are encouraged to attend these training sessions to meet with other growers. They can also access the network of experienced farm mentors and receive one-on-one farm labor consultation. With this support, beginning farmers are much more likely to stay in the region and succeed in their farm enterprise. Experienced farmers are encouraged to attend the training workshops to share their knowledge, and are provided with networking opportunities with one another in the off-season 'round table' meetings, which usually host an agricultural expert from outside the area. Another service available to all members is 'Apprentice Link', which matches farmers to farmworkers and offers consultation about structuring labor on the farm. Membership fees for the Organic Growers School are kept purposefully low (about US$20 per farm and $10 for each intern. Each farm and trainee receives a comprehensive handbook, which is updated annually and contains growing information particularly relevant to the southern Appalachians. I met with Cameron Farlow, Farmer Programs Coordinator for the Organic Growers School. Cameron oversees the CRAFT calendar, farmer liaison (including assistance with preparing grant applications), and facilitates the farm visits and roundtable discussion sessions. She is also coordinator of ApprenticeLink.

Cameron gave a background of OGS and the evolution of CRAFT, and its importance to the training of interns and new farmers. The annual farm visit program is very popular, and it is likely that more frequent visits will be scheduled in future. Farms for visiting and topics selected are carefully chosen to ensure a wide range of training opportunities. Topics for 2012 included: Production Planning and Greenhouse Management Equipment for 5-10 Acres of Vegetables Integrated Animal and Vegetable Production Operating a Small-Scale Creamery Timber Frame Workshop and Sustainable Forestry on the Farm Introduction to Biodynamics Alternative Approaches to Soil Fertility Raising Pastured Poultry Each of the sessions is documented and can be accessed through the CRAFT online newsletters. I participated in the farm visit on Pastured Poultry. About 30 people attended to be shown the production system for raising and processing chickens and turkeys, with specific details on feed requirements, length of time to raise the birds, cost of production, processing and packaging regulations, marketing. Whilst there, we were also shown cropping areas and shared experiences in producing regular items for farmers markets. A shared meal followed, with more discussion well into the evening. The transcript for the visit is available on the CRAFT website at: http://organicgrowersschool.wordpress.com/2012/11/19/craft-tour-balsam-gardens-and-pastured-poultry/ The training handbook provided to farmers and interns is a comprehensive reference source and highly valued by farmers. Most of the materials were written or adapted by CRAFT members so that, while the information is useful to all growers, it is of particular relevance to farming in western North Carolina. More than 600 pages, it is divided into 5 main sections - Member farm baseline details, Organic Production Techniques, Farm Business, Beginning to Farm, and Specialist Resources. The printed version is in a loose-leaf binder so that additional materials can be incorporated. The CD version is in pdf, and very easy to navigate through. I was most grateful to be given a CD copy for future reference.

Summary

The Organic Growers School supports beginning and experienced farmers to learn and share information on all aspects of farming. It co-ordinates an annual Conference each spring, assists farmers to find interns through its ApprenticeLink initiative, and co-ordinates CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) . Training is done mainly through a series of on-farm tours held by experienced growers in the region, and are focused on a specific aspect of sustainable farming. In addition to the tours, members receive a comprehensive handbook. CRAFT also offers a series of winter workshops, both for beginning farmers and for experienced farmer members. These are places for members to come together to discuss such issues as production planning, record keeping, labor issues and more.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE 26th-28th October 2012 Carolina Farm Stewardship Association The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) is a farmer-driven non-profit organization, founded in 1979, that advocates for fair farm and food policies, helping with the maintenance of small farms, and educating communities about local organic agriculture. Regular events and programming include: Workshops and regional conferences, including the Sustainable Agriculture Conference and

the Organic Commodities & Livestock Conference, to train farmers how to grow food organically and develop successful farm businesses

Farm tours to create meaningful field-to-table connections between consumers and local farms, and

"Growing Green" Farmers initiative to provide targeted education and assistance to new and beginning farmers.

I was able to attend the Sustainable Agriculture Conference (held in Greenville, South Carolina) during my fellowship visit, which also included a farm visit for agriculture advisors. The conference was very inspiring. More than 500 beginning and experienced farmers gathered for a weekend of workshops and presentations showcasing the conference theme of "Local and Organic: We know it, we grow it". All meals were provided, and were made exclusively of local grown produce, prepared by the chefs at the conference venue. Of note was that almost half of the attendees were young people, most being students or interns, with a few independent farmers. I had the opportunity over the weekend to ask why they were interested in farming. The responses were collated with those taken from interns on farm visits, and are presented later in this report. The conference keynote speaker also noted the willingness from young people to be engaged in activities that support a local food culture. Debra Eschmeyer is co-founder of a project known as FoodCorps. This is a nationwide team of leaders that connects children to real food and helps teach about healthy food choices. Young, motivated leaders are assigned to limited-resource communities for a year of public service. Working under the direction of local partner organizations, FoodCorps has implemented a “three-ingredient recipe” for healthy kids – knowledge, engagement, access. The role of the leaders is to facilitate this by teaching kids about what healthy food is and where it comes from; building and tending school gardens; and bringing high-quality local food into public school cafeterias. There were a number of these young leaders at the conference, and they were definitely an inspiration.

Networking Between workshop sessions, I was able to meet with businesses and organizations that support farmers and local food initiatives in the "trade show" section. Some of these were specific to a local area, whilst others had a state/region focus. These included food hubs and co-operatives, education centres, seed suppliers, farm business management specialists, and farm supplies agencies: Centre for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) - a partnership of North Carolina State

University, NC Agricultural and Technical State University and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Low Country Local First (South Carolina) - a farmer incubator project Mountain BizWorks (western North Carolina)- training and coaching in farm business planning

and record-keeping eOrganic.info - an online research and agriculture advisory service Southern Appalachians Highland Conservancy

Eastern Carolina Organics (Food Hub and co-operative) Piedmont Grown (central North Carolina) - a local food campaign started with assistance from

ASAP.

Workshop sessions I selected sessions that would provide a broad range of topics, and from which I could obtain information to be shared on my return. Five sessions were attended. 1. Farm-scale Composting and Fertility Presented by Ellen Polischuk, Potomac Vegetable Farms. Methods of making compost on a mid-size farm scale (50 tons at a time) using the Leubke Method, which involves frequent stirring of the piles but provides good-quality compost in about 10 weeks. The presenter discussed basics of composting as a biological process, sourcing materials, and scale-appropriate equipment. 2. Organic Zone-Tillage and Cover Crops Presented by Dr Ron Morse, Dept Horticulture at Virginia Tech. The workshop focused on using cover crop-based holistic techniques to build and sustain soil health for production of high quality, profitable, organic vegetable crops. The presenter showed how innovative cover cropping can provide organic nitrogen, manage weeds, and attract beneficial insects. He explained the many benefits of integrating different cover crop/vegetable crop sequencies in permanent controlled-traffic bed systems. 3. Helping Producers find Success in Marketing to Chefs/Restaurants and Wholesale/Grocery Customers Presented by David Lamie, South Carolina Beginning Farmer Program (Clemson University) and Tim Woods, University of Kentucky. The presenters had developed a program and management tool called "MarketReady", based on interviews with chefs, restaurant owners, and wholesale and grocery buyers. The focus was on helping producers better understand what is necessary for success in selling their products to these potential customers. The presenters discussed the importance of quality, presentation, packaging, on administrative issues such as insurance, invoicing and delivery, and on pricing and marketing. Although many of the examples used specifically related to conditions in USA, there are many parallels with Australia, and the clear message was, again, that professional approaches are needed for success to happen. 4. Farmers Markets - Elements of Success Presented by Emile DeFelice, Manager of Columbia Market, South Carolina. The session examined what factors define a farmers market, and reasons why some fail. Discussions on vendor requirements, target group assessment, location, management and 'marketing the market'. With more than 7 years experience of managing a successful and expanding market, the presenter provided some interesting insights into factors that ensure the vendors are happy, that customers are satisfied and are regular shoppers, and that create jobs and incomes for its participants. 5. Farm financial Stability: How Do You Know? Presented by Scott Marlow, Executive Director of the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI-USA). A very comprehensive and dynamic session on understanding ways to measure the financial stability and success of a farming enterprise. The presenter emphasized the importance of farm financial planning, income streams and, in particular, having an exit strategy and knowing when to use it.

Farm Tour Three farming ventures were visited, to discuss aspects of success, production efficiencies, and innovative marketing techniques. Patient Wait Farm breeds heritage turkeys, primarily for Thanksgiving sales but also for

stocking other growers. The farmer discussed breed selection, flock management, and sales of birds with a high price point.

Split Creek Farm is a goat dairy that produces a range of award-winning cheeses, dips and fudges. Herd management, quality control and value-adding processes were explained.

Clemson University Student Farm is the practical component of the college's Sustainable Agriculture course. The manager has worked with students to produce integrated growing systems to reduce energy usage, recycle materials, utilise waste products to heat hoophouses, and is currently trialling a variety of cover crop regimes to maximise soil fertility. Production efficiencies also extend to layout of the processing facilities, crop selection and harvesting techniques.

Walk-behind tractors with matched implements were a key tool used on many of the farms visited.

RESULTS OF INTERVIEWS AND FIELD VISITS

Farms

Most of the farms interviewed were small family-run properties (up to 4 acres in production at a time), in mixed production (apart from dairies and animals for fibre) a with a variety of outlets for their produce. Table 3 lists the main activities for each of the 50 farms interviewed in North Carolina. Table 2 summarizes this information

Table 2. Summary characteristics of 50 farms interviewed in North Carolina Number of farms. Workforce (apart from family): Interns 27 (54%)

Employees 13 (26%) (includes 3 with mix of both)

Items produced: Fruit 23 (46%) Veg 43 (86%) Meat 15 (30%) (beef, lamb, rabbit, trout) Poultry 7 (14%) Dairy 3 (6%) Eggs 20 (40%) Flowers 22 (44%) Other 24 (48% ) (honey, microgreens, plants, cheese, shiitake mushrooms,

quail eggs, grains, baked goods, molasses, crafts, christmas trees)

Produce outlets: Farmers Market 43 (86%) CSA 28 (56%) Retail 28 (56%) (direct to restaurants, grocery stores) Wholesale 18 (36%) On-Farm stall 12 (24%)

Value-add (e.g. manufacture of preserves): 16 (32%) Member of a co-operative: 12 (24%) Involved in agritourism: 13 (26%) (farm tours, on-farm meals, etc)

Off-farm income: 16 (32%) (commonly, one or both partners is employed off-farm part-time or is a professional/educator with some consulting work)

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Community-supported agriculture (in North America sometimes known as community-shared agriculture) is a locally-based model of agriculture and food distribution. CSA members or subscribers pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest, which may come from one farm or a collaboration small farms. Members receive a weekly share of vegetables and fruit, and also sometimes herbs, cut flowers, honey, eggs, dairy products and meat. This kind of farming operates with a much greater degree of involvement of consumers in the food supply network, and a stronger consumer-producer relationship. The core design includes developing a cohesive consumer group that is willing to fund a whole season’s budget in order to get quality foods. CSA theory holds that the more a farm embraces whole-farm, whole-budget support, the more it can focus on quality and reduce the risk of food waste or financial loss. National Academy of Sciences (2010). Toward sustainable agricultural systems in the 21st century. Committee on Twenty-First Century Systems Agriculture; National Research Council. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12832.html

Table 3. Characteristics of individual farms

Derived from

interviews with 50 farm

businesses in Western North Carolina.

FARM

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N #

OF

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ff s

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OF

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n s

easo

n)

INT

ER

NS

EM

PL

OY

EE

S

FR

UIT

VE

G

ME

AT

PO

UL

TR

Y

DA

IRY

EG

GS

FL

OW

ER

S

OT

HE

R

MA

RK

ET

CS

A

RE

TA

IL

WH

OL

ES

AL

E

FA

RM

ST

AL

L

VA

LU

E A

DD

CO

-OP

TO

UR

ISM

Tally (50 total) 12 8 27 13 23 43 15 7 3 20 22 24 42 28 28 18 12 16 12 13

B & L Organics cm x x x x x x x

Blue Ribbon cm x x x x x

Common Ground cm x x x x x

East Fork cm x x x x x

Firefly cm x x x x x x

First Blossom cm x x x x x

Flying Cloud cm x x x x x x x x x

Fork Mountain cm x x x x x x

Full Sun cm x x x x x x x x x x

Gaining Ground cm x x x x x x x

Green Toe cm x x x x x x x x x x

Hickory Nut Gap cm x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Highgate cm x x x x x x x

Imladris cm x x x x x x x x x

Ivy Creek cm x x x x x x x x x

Looking Glass cm x x x x x x

Meadow Cove cm x x x x x x

Milo Acres cm x x x x x x x x x x

Mountain Harvest cm x x x x x x x x x x x

New Moon cm x x x x x x

New Sprout cm x x x x

Paper Crane cm x x x x x x x

Randall Gap cm x x x x x x x x x

Rogue Harbour cm x x x x x x x x x x

Spinning Spider cm x x x x x

Tarheel Farms cm x x x x x x x x x x

Ten Mile cm x x x x x x x

Thatchmore cm x x x x x x x x x

Fiddlesticks fh x x x x x x x

Harvest Table

Farm

fh x x x x x x x

Ol' Turtle fh x x x x x

Round Mountain fh x x x x x x x

Creeksong hc x x x x x x x x x x

Lively-Up hc x x x x x x x

New Life hc x x x x x x x x x x x

Rocking S hc x x x x x x x x

Springhouse hc x x x x x x x x x

Sunshine Cove hc x x x x x x x

Trosly hc x x x x x x x x x x

Tumbling Shoals hc x x x x x x x x

Balsam Gardens smk x x x x x x x x x x

Chambers smk x x x x x x x x x

Sunburst Trout smk x x x x x

Blackbird sm x x x x x

Cane Creek Valley sm x x x x x x x x x

Justus Orchard sm x x x x x x x x

Lyda's sm x x x x x x x x

McConnell sm x x x x x x x x x x

Slick Rock sm x x x x x x x x x x

Stepps sm x x x x x x x x

OFI - Off Farm Income

Regions: cm-Central Mtns, fh-Foothills, hc-High Country, sm-Southern Mtns, smk-Smokey Mtns

Figure 2 Regional classification of Appalachian farming districts in North Carolina

Meticulous record keeping systems and professional organizational skills were a common feature among the successful small farms visited.

Farmers interviewed shared many viewpoints about what made their businesses viable and sustainable: Diversity of markets - having a variety of outlets for the harvest such as Farmers Markets, a

CSA membership plan, direct sales to selected restaurants or retail outlets, roadside stall, some wholesale sales via a co-operative.

Diversity of crops - most vegetable producers would have 20-30 different varieties. This reduces the impact of a crop failure, makes a stall or CSA box more inviting, and is more interesting environment to work in

Efficiencies - if there are simpler or quicker ways to do something, then do it! For example, one farmer demonstrated a home-made seedling production system that substantially reduced the time taken to start and maintain seedlings (see below).

Established 'systems' - routines that are planned to reduce time and effort and risk. For example, keeping bed lengths to a standard width and length - you know how many plants are needed, likely harvest volume, amount of fertiliser needed, and trickle-tape and mulching material can be reused. Market preparation - a checklist of what equipment is needed, how it gets packed into the vehicle (particularly useful with a transient workforce).

A production plan for the season or year has to be designed well in advance. Many farms use computer-based spreadsheets that are readily available.

Good record-keeping is essential - how long from seed-harvest, period of harvest, size of planting, amount of harvest/sowing, seasonality, rainfall/temperature conditions, soil types, when fertilisers/amendments added, income/expenditure, time budget, seed variety/source, market reaction to new variety

A financial assessment plan is essential. Use proven tools to measure and to make sure that the enterprise stays on track to make it financially viable. Develop an exit strategy - if the business isn't viable, know how to recognise this and what steps to take to get out (temporarily or permanently).

Understand and manage risks, and maintain buffers Importance of support services - their work gives the farmer more time to concentrate on

growing. ASAP was singled out for its consistent high standards and amount of work put into maintaining the local food culture (promotional materials, campaigns, business support)

What attracts young people to farming? In the USA, as in Australia, the average age of farmers is about 60 years. About 25% of the farmers I interviewed in the Appalachians were under 30 years old, and nearly all interns were under 20 years. I took the opportunity to enquire as to why there was a strong interest in farming in this much younger cohort. I was able to expand the number of responses when talking with young people at the Sustainable Agriculture Conference, where almost half the participants were young people. Many were students in Sustainable Agriculture courses, others were interns or apprentices at farms, and a sizeable proportion were in the process of being farmers, having leased some land independently or as part of an incubator. The combined responses were varied: It's a 'collective' thing - most don't work their properties alone, but usually 3-5 people. It's a 'sexy' image- clothes, markets, appearance, as part of an identifiable subculture doing

something that gains admiration and respect from their peers. Social enough - city working friends come to stay on weekends. A varied workload not solely focused on one day per week harvest. Time is your own. Not easy to get other work. Opportunity - rural kids don't want to stay on the farm/city kids don't want to stay at home. Cheaper education option compared to tertiary institution fees. Low business start-up costs - can usually get a few people in a CSA. Even 5 supporters is

enough to buy seed/pay rent/borrow or rent equipment. Social justice issues. Environmental issues.

Food security concerns Meaningful work, doing something 'good' and 'useful'. Seems that a 'core' is needed to start the ball rolling, then to have a presence at markets or

elsewhere, then arrange a function where the cores get together (training? Farm visits?) Support is great! They can get help with every aspect and don’t feel that they are alone. Internships are good to try it out first (particularly if on different farms), but need to be able

to get together with others to discuss experiences, swap ideas, then be able to have space to try out own stuff/ideas.

In comparison, there are more incentives for young people to enter farming in the USA than in Australia. There is no welfare support system like Youth Allowance or Newstart for this group. Sustainable Agriculture courses are offered at most regional colleges and universities. Some colleges offer farm-based work as part of the course practicum component, even for

non-Agriculture courses. An example of this is from Warren-Wilson College near Asheville. Undergraduate students combine academic studies, work and community service, which may include farm duties, working in the canteen or janitorial duties.

There appears to be more concern about food security issues.

Some examples of innovation on small farms "Farm to Fork" Feasts A number of growers hold regular on-farm feasts featuring their own produce, sometimes supplemented with other local items (Trosly Farm, Green Toe Farm, Rivermyst). Flow-on benefits include direct sales of products on day of feast and on future visits, becoming a CSA member, and forging good relationships with customers and other suppliers. Value-adding to expand sales Randall Gap Farm recently purchased and refurbished a food van, which is taken out 2-3 times a week to sell ready-made meals from own meat and vegetables to markets and factories. It was much cheaper to buy a food van than to install a catering kitchen. ASAP assisted with funding the signage through a cost-share grant. Plant production technology Some growers have implemented and improved on plant-raising technology long-used in commodity agriculture. Much research on tobacco-growing in the 1960s developed systems for mass-production of seedlings ('transplants'), which was then further enhanced for use in other crops, creating more efficient systems. Most growers start seeds in trays that have up to 200 individual cells, which are filled with a seed-raising mix which is firmed down, a shallow indent made, a seed dropped in and covered lightly with mix. The trays are then frequently lightly watered ('misted') over 4-6 weeks until seeds germinate and the plants grow big enough for planting out. A time-consuming process, often with problems such as drying-out of seed mix or uneven watering patterns, burning of new shoots with application of liquid fertiliser, fungal disease from over-watering. I viewed some practices which addressed many of these issues. The greatest learning from these was the time-saving factor. All of these implements are available commercially, but many growers made their own Dibbler-board - once the seed-raising mix is in the trays, a dibbler-board is pressed lightly onto the surface. The compresses the mix slightly and creates an indent for the seed. Made from a board cut to the size of the tray, with thimble-shaped 'dibbles' attached at points corresponding with the centre of each cell. Dibbles I saw included electrical wire, nuts, marker pen caps, and roofing screws.

A seeder tray is a box made to fit over a seed tray, fitted with a plate that has a small hole drilled to correspond with the centre of each cell. The system uses vacuum to hold the seeds in place. The box has a vacuum manifold, with a valve to quickly turn unit on and off. Once the tray is dibbled, turn on the vacuum, sprinkle seeds across the plate, tip the seeder back and forth to cover holes and rid the plate of excess seeds, then invert the seeder over the growing tray and release the vacuum pressure to release the seeds. Home-made units I saw used household vacuum cleaners, and had plates drilled to suit different types of seeds. Using this process, a tray can be seeded in about 30 seconds (hand-seeding a 200-cell tray can take 5 minutes or more). (Here's a commercial unit in operation. Note the dibbler-board being used in the background) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w14foYnDsAw Wick-watering - uses styrofoam seed trays which are floated in a shallow trough. Water is 'wicked' up into the cells where the seed-raising mix remains constantly damp. No overhead watering required, just needing to maintain water in the trough. Generally promotes a higher germination rate, reduces need for complex overhead watering system, reduces risk of non-watering due to power failure or blocks in irrigation lines. Seedlings can also be fertilized by adding soluble nutrients into the trough.

Markets

Many markets had paid, part-time managers to co-ordinate, promote and liaise with the vendors. Most markets also had a system whereby customers could use an EFTPOS facility to exchange money for tokens that could be spend with any market stall, so that vendors only had to use cash or token transactions. Both Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and Appalachian Sustainable Development coordinate a Farmers Market Association. Both associations work to promote the local markets, fresh food, and artisan crafts of the area's farmers, bakers, food processors, crafters and other producers. Within each association, they collaborate and share the tools that have made their efforts a success. The philosophy is that spreading resources and lessons is fundamental to promoting fresh food and direct farmer connections. With the exception of the Western North Carolina Farmers Market (which is a large wholesale commodity venue), all were producer-only with strict guidelines that help ensure the authenticity of the markets. Markets should be started for a good REASON. Primarily, this should be to put $$ into farmers

pockets, then the rest should follow. Investigate the demographics of the area - family type, age, income, ethnicity. This will help

target vendors, and to develop market programs Know who the target customers are. A producer-only farmers market is more likely to appeal

to local residents who will attend regularly. Tourists will be attracted by the advertising, but more likely to browse than buy.

Choose a 'model' on which to build the market, and then make a statement that reflects this. For example, "the primary aim of this market is to enhance the well-being of the seniors of this area". How the market runs should reflect this - seniors discounts, special programs that anyone can attend but that focus on seniors, etc.

Keep vendors happy - make it easy for them to access, communicate regularly to allay problems, promote the market.

Make it very accessible to customers (place, time, frequency, parking, financial transactions). Need to look at who ISN"T coming to the market - need to lure them. Don't "sell", but aim to make customer happy. Doesn't have to be about the market, but

looking to make real friends of our customers - proven greater response, builds trust. Use social media to talk about the markets and the vendors.

Problems of no cash - many markets ran a token system. Customer uses an EFTPOS facility but is given tokens instead of cash, to be spent at that market.

Partner with other community projects to attract more customers - particularly health-based issues, family projects, or seniors support projects. Offer incentives to these targets (free tokens, discounts, etc).

Aim for a large pool of producers with good quality, diversity Have 'section coordinators' who look after a particular type of vendor (fresh produce, bakery,

crafts, etc). They will be more familiar with particular requirements and can monitor competition, shortfalls and vendor satisfaction for that section.

Examples of market tokens, (exchangeable for food only within particular local markets).

Training/Education

The importance of ongoing training was acknowledged by all farmers. Most of the farms with interns were registered with the Organic Growers School and encouraged attendance at the farm visits, in addition to working through the handbook. Experienced farmers were generally keen to attend off-season conferences and workshops, for updating on new technologies and exchanging ideas. As a minimum, the following should be offered Annual weekend conference aimed at experienced growers, featuring 'known' and respected

presenters Regular workshops for new and beginning farmers - monthly farm visits good, perhaps also

with a specific training theme to discuss during the day/follow up at dinner time Publish and maintain a manual that can be updated and revised to principally include local

info.

Farm Business Incubators

The biggest obstacles for new farmers is the cost of entering farming and having access to training or mentoring in learning the production process. Farm incubators address these issues by providing land, equipment, support and resources to farm so that the participants don't have to incur significant debt to find out if farming will work for them.

Common highlights of the incubators visited included: Participants undergo a training

course prior to starting (usually 8 weeks) that covers Farm and Business Planning, Soils and Irrigation, Weed Control, Crop Production, Post-harvest Handling and Food Safety, and Marketing.

Participants are allocated a 1/4 to 1/2 acre plot on starting; which they are able to farm for at least 3 years, increasing plot size up to 1 acre.

Access to covered hoophouse space for seedling production and season extension.

Shared tools and equipment. Most of the incubators visited had small walk-behind tractors and hand-tools for first-year participants. They all had a larger tractor on site for initial preparation, but training was not provided for this until the second year.

Shared processing and storage

facilities. All incubators had a produce wash-down area, a

coolroom, ice-maker, and a packing bench with scales. Some also had a curing room for storage vegetables such as sweet potatoes.

Ongoing mentoring is provided either from the Co-operative Extension Service associated with the incubator or through a farm manager employed to assist new growers.

Consistent messaging and practical support.

Problems discussed: Ongoing maintenance of equipment is costly and often not well planned. It was suggested

that all trainees do a small motors/equipment maintenance course as part of training, and that maintenance is part of routine fortnightly/monthly get-together).

Most incubators have had difficulty in securing good on-site managers to assist the growers, and this task often falls on Co-operative Extension staff, who may not always be available. A possible solution is to offer land to more experienced farmers, who will act as mentors (4 hours/week?) as part of the agreement to lease land.

Cooperatives, Food Hubs and Aggregation Centres

The size and complexity of these services varied greatly, from a small cooperative with 5 farmers through to larger organizations with up to 60 farms actively supplying at any one time. All had a manager, most had a book-keeper. All operated on the same principles of collectively marketing and distributing the produce of their member farms. Most of these organizations had a facility for the aggregating, packaging and distribution of the co-operatively produced orders, or at least access to a coolroom where orders could be left awaiting pick-up. Important points raised were: Have 24-hour keyed access to a common collection area Doesn't need to be big premises - a coolroom and dry storage area OK Common labeling system essential for coordinating orders and deliveries. Employing a manager, preferably a person with farming or food service experience. It is their

responsibility to regularly collect information on what is available, to advise buyers, to receive orders and prepare invoices, to advise growers of weekly requirements, to collate orders and to arrange delivery. The manager must be an excellent communicator.

Have regular meetings to discuss issues and ensure that standards maintained. Have good notes so that growers absolutely aware of quality standards - eliminates

double-handling Start-of-season round-table discussions (here, this would happen in January and June) Maintain professionalism! Maintain good buyer liaison. Arrange an annual meeting with buyers to ascertain demand and

discuss problems encountered, perhaps by having a meal featuring local produce. Use meeting as a showcase of products to promote the service.

Research existing distribution networks before making arrangements to buy own equipment or hire drivers

Must have solid record-keeping protocols. Manual recording is acceptable, but computer-based records make information-sharing more efficient.

Aim to develop long-term support from all stakeholders through professional attitudes, trust and reliability. Once solid relationships are established, then it is possible to introduce new concepts, or to try out some new ideas.

Bulk-buying of materials reduces costs, but also helps the group have a coordinated 'image'.

Food Processing Business Support Organizations

Most of the services visited were business incubators for processed or value-added items. Commonly, the service was established to help farmers value-add onto their produce, whether through the processing of excess produce into shelf-stable items, or to develop specific products as an additional sales line for their farm business. However, uptake by farmers has been slow, and the services have expanded to include entrepreneurs who purchase items from local farms to develop into new processed items.

The services provide approved shared-use kitchen facilities and associated equipment for the processing, packing, labeling and storage of processed food items. Hire costs vary, depending on the financial structure of the service, level of support provided, and type of equipment accessed. Main points noted were: Because of food safety requirements, these facilities are better suited to low-tech foods and

those that can be processed using a sugar-syrup or high-acid content (especially tomato products).

24-hour keyed access important - many farmers access service out of 'normal' hours. All intending producers must undergo equipment training before use - this reduces chances of

misuse/damage. Kitchens should have a good range of large equipment. However, users should provide their

own small equipment (e.g., knives, stirring spoons, jugs). All users must sign a condition-of-use contract which clearly states standard operating

procedures, licensing responsibilities, fee schedules, payment terms, etc. Offer storage facilities, for a fee (coolroom, freezer, dry pallet storage) Have bulk handling equipment - pallet jack, manual forklift, etc. Bulk buying of commonly used items reduces costs for individual producers. This is

particularly useful for packaging and ingredients such as sugar, flour. Before setting up a new facility, 'walk through' the floor layout before construction

commences, to check out logistics. This is especially important where water is involved, for drainage, storage areas, walkways, and for ease of access to all areas.

Cooperative packing facilities at Elma C Lomax business incubator

Other Support Organizations (marketing, promotion, co-ordination, etc)

There were numerous organizations visited that served the particular needs of smaller areas or distinct groups of producers, away from the areas serviced by the key organizations. Where ASAP and ASD served communities affected by the tobacco industry collapse, these other organizations were in areas that are supporting or encouraging increased numbers of small family farms. Often, ASAP has either been actively involved in the establishment or has provided assistance by consultation. Clusters have established near Durham and around Charlotte (North Carolina). Useful suggestions included: Investigate diverse sources of funding. Areas serviced by ASAP/ASD have been able to access

funding as part of an agreement when tobacco subsidy ceased (e.g., Golden Leaf Foundation, Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, WNC AgOptions Community Grant Program). In these other areas, some federal grant monies are received for special projects, but a common source of funding comes from "growth partners". These are sponsors who agree to committing to 3 years of funding (usually $1000 - $5000/year), and includes farm credit agencies, produce stores and private businesses, but also philanthropic organizations such as Business Alliance for Local Living, Slow Money, etc. Because these sources are generally secured through personal application, they have a closer relationship with the project and strong interest in the success of the venture.

The importance of creating a demand for local food. As well as encouraging the support of consumers and catering services, seek support from local government. For instance, Cabarrus County (Charlotte, North Carolina) has instigated a policy that "Cabarrus County Government Employees shall locally source at least 10% of all food served at county catered events and small department-sponsored meetings from food producers within North Carolina".

When marketing, look for local features to create a "point of difference” related to local culture, sense of place or identity. Make sure it 'connects' with the target group of consumers.

Other stakeholders in the food supply network

Distributors Although some co-operatives and food hubs have their own delivery arrangements, others rely on engaging a distributor. There was one distributor singled out by most co-operatives, food service businesses and wholesalers for the exceptional service provided. 'Leading Green' services Virginia to South Carolina, far western North Carolina to central. They have 2 refrigerated trucks and two vans with coolers, and operate over an intricate network of pick-up and delivery points. For larger customers (such as supermarket distribution centres) they will coordinate orders from a few cooperatives. The routes are well-established and timetable of pick-up/delivery set and adhered to. Distributors are an essential part of the food supply network. A specialist role - they know

the most efficient routes, customer specifics (suitable times for deliveries, which door to use) and order details. Frequently, they know what the customer wants (quality, size of items, acceptable levels of markings, etc) and act as a secondary checkpoint in the process.

Look for existing services before creating a new service. Are there regular routes for refrigerated trucks that can take small orders? What are the pricing, packaging/labeling requirements? The best way is to do an inventory of freight carriers that leave the area empty or with ample space, looking at both refrigerated and non-refrigerated resources.

When establishing a distribution route, look for opportunities for multiple pick-up/drop-off arrangements along the routes, so that the supplier doesn't have as far to travel

There is not much flexibility in a set distribution route, so order coordinators have to ensure that items for delivery are at the collection point well ahead of time, and that all items are clearly labeled.

Ensure that packing, labeling and delivery instruction are coordinated for all items being sent by a cooperative group. Most groups had printed sticky labels, clearly identifying the

organization, on which would also be printed order and delivery specifics. This should then cross-check with the delivery docket.

Retail/restaurants: Buyer and consumer satisfaction is obviously the main focus of the food supply network. What helps achieve this is: Variety. Although many food service businesses seek more well-known types of fresh produce,

there is strong interest in trying 'something different', and being able to offer these to customers.

Attention to quality. Most buyers prefer high quality produce and are prepared to pay a premium. However, the grower can sell a great part of the harvest by catering to specific requirements. Using red capsicums, for example: one buyer will only take capsicums of a specific size and shape (10-12cm, round), another wants only smaller ones that can be stuffed, a third wants fruit for roasting (so can take 2nds fruit with cosmetic imperfections)

Ease of ordering/delivery/invoicing. Cooperatives serve an important role in being able to offer a wider range of produce from many growers, but with the advantage of a single ordering point and one delivery arrangement, plus a single invoice.

Partners in production. Many food service businesses are keen to know the growers, and to have input into crop production plans (particularly with regard to being able to plan menus ahead of time).

If a caterer/other food retailer wants to support local food, it has to be easy to access. This applies to ordering, delivery, product/grower knowledge, packaging/labeling, price)

Agricultural Extension Services

An important resource mentioned by all growers was the Co-operative Extension Service. The Cooperative Extension System is a USA-wide educational network that is a collaboration of federal, state and local governments and a state "land-grant" university. The mission of the Cooperative Extension System is to provide a way to connect research with the community through non-formal education programs on topics as varied as agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, small business and personal finance, maintaining viable communities, and healthy families. Each state Extension serves its residents through a network of local or regional offices staffed by professionals in their field. I was privileged to meet with several Cooperative Extension managers and to discuss the general service their unit can provide, as well as specific projects with which they are involved, as well as relationship with other organizations in their area and with whom I would be visiting. These initiatives include some of the farm incubators (Elma C Lomax, PLANT at Breeze Farm), food processing facilities (Marshall County), and food distribution cooperatives (TRACTOR) Cooperative Extension agencies provide essential services to both new and experienced

farmers. This may be specific crop information, whole farm planning, pest and disease management, business planning and support, training.

Leverage of Government support - Local, State and Federal. Because of the unique partnership this service has with all levels of government, farmers have access to a wide variety of programs. Additionally, the service also acts as a conduit of information when new policies are released or influence is sought in changing current policy.

Because of the connection with land grant colleges, there is a lot of opportunity to access research and new information on sustainable agriculture practices and new alternative technologies.

Partnership with County offices ensures that programs can be implemented that support the local community. Extension managers are involved in managing economic development programs for counties.

There is no longer any comparable government service for small farms in Australia.

Agritourism

Agritourism is seen as the best way to connect consumers with local foods and food production in a way which makes the experience enjoyable and memorable. The aim is to attract visitors to the area, who will attend specific events, and this will generate “spillover” economic development opportunities in the community when they shop, eat and lodge locally. If their experience was good, they will seek this again, thereby creating a demand (e.g., asking for shop to stock these items), they will promote via social media which will then reach other potential customers, and will arrange return visits. Innovation is important, as is developing a 'point of difference' (what is the one thing that

makes the experience stand out?) Farm meals are popular. These can be held at a single farm or be a collaboration of a

number of farms. For example, Trosly Farm (North Carolina) holds a 3-course feast each month May-October, featuring their own produce (vegetables, fruits, herbs, meats, breads) which is also available for purchase from the farm 'shop'. Appalachian Sustainable Development holds an annual Farm to Fork Gala at "Heartwood", a spectacular tourist centre in Abingdon that features southwest Virginia music, crafts and food in a series of galleries.

Locally sourced meals are prepared by acclaimed chefs, regional wines and beers are served, and live music provided by a local band. Those attending are also able to view the galleries, which hold an incredible array of crafts from the district.

Farm tour weekends are a great concept. ASAP has an annual Farm Tour which is a very successful event, with many car-loads of people travelling to visit a selection of more than 30 farms who open their gates for the weekend. To make is easier to navigate, ASAP provides self-drive maps/booklets which are available printed or online, and a smartphone app.

Seasonal events such as harvest festivals, Easter- or Halloween-themed activities and Winterfests are a unique way of attracting tourists to farms during specific months of the year. This option benefits farmers who don’t want to be open to the public year-round or who simply want to bring in income during a slower part of the season.

Offer to run a promotional activity to fit in with existing events. Abingdon Farmers Market runs an annual "Country Roads Cook-off", where 10 teams of amateur chefs (1-3 per team) use only local ingredients to produce a dish for judging. The event in 2012 was held at the Crooked Road Music Festival in early October - great cross-promotion!

Farmers Markets schedule programs to attract visitors who, it is hoped, enjoy the market experience and make return visits. Abingdon Market (VA) runs special events such as TomatoFest and SquashtoberFest, as well as weekly features in their Farm Fresh Kids Program and Seniors Nutritional Program. Asheville City Market (NC) hosts a weekly Kids Corner Market, which connects families with local food and farms, and gives children positive experiences with healthy foods. Columbia Market (SC) regularly invites a special-interest group to stage a production (such as a flash mob, rock 'n' roll dance group, childrens' choir) who not only attract tourists but also bring family and friends.

Other Conferences/Tours/Workshops/Webinars

There are many large conferences held within the region visited and in neighbouring states, usually in the 'off' season (October-March). All are held over at least 2 days and present a multi-stream program. The pool of available resources is such that there was little overlap between conferences with regard to topics and presenters. In addition to the conference attended in South Carolina, I also attended a variety of other programs to experience other modes of information delivery, including the ASAP Farm Tour, a Shiitake Mushroom growers workshop, and two webinars. The US National Good Food Network hosts these free monthly interactive Webinars on topics related to food and food systems. Transcripts are archived and accessible online. In general:

Farmer conferences are extremely popular and well-constructed. Attendance is typically very high.

Major conferences are usually held in the off-season (for crop production) Not all are large, multi-day events, but need to have a couple of recognized experts

presenting, to give credibility to the overall program. Problems experienced an expressed by others regarding the major conferences include: Too many interesting sessions at once. Although the programs are generally divided into

streams there is often overlap of interest. To reduce the number of concurrent sessions, the conference would need to be held over more days, offer more workshops in a day, or run a smaller program. At some conferences, popular sessions are scheduled to present at least twice, to counter overlap problems.

Information overload. Conference sessions are typically detailed, with many visual presentations. Mobile phone and android tablet technology addresses this problem to some extent, as does the posting of conference notes on dedicated websites, either open-source or viewable by registered attendees. It would be possible for all conference sessions to be recorded or live-streamed and then archived for later access, using these newer technologies. This may be trialed at a major farmers conference in 2013.

(The transcripts of the US National Good Food Network Webinars attended are available online.

1. If you build it, will they come?- Consumer behaviour concepts for effective marketing of healthy food. http://ngfn.org/resources/ngfn-cluster-calls/consumer-behavior-concepts-for-effective-marketing-of-healthy-food

2. Food System Networks That Work

http://ngfn.org/resources/ngfn-cluster-calls/food-systems-networks-that-work/webinar

An example of a local shared facility supported by a partnership between local farmers, government and the wider business community

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A principal finding was that successful, economically viable small farms can't operate in isolation. "The more tangled the web, the stronger the organism" Emile DeFelice, Manager of Columbia Market, South Carolina (at Sustainable Agriculture Conference)

General An effective local food supply network increases farmers capacity to grow. It gives them time,

which was also identified as a major constraint noted by growers in the Mary Valley in a previous study completed by me in 2011.

It has taken more than a decade for many of the successful support services (ASAP, ASD, Organic Growers School, CFSA) to reach their current level of effectiveness. When developing a food supply network, don't expect change to happen immediately. Eventually, critical mass comes into play.

Professional approaches at all levels are needed for success to happen.

Farms and food production For a small farm to remain viable, it needs to develop strategies for resilience: Develop resilience through diversity (of products and markets) Smooth out variability of income (multiple crop lines, season extension, storage, sales of

non-food items, off-farm work) Smooth out continuity of supply (production planning, storage, value-adding) Adopt state of the art record-keeping and analysis of operations Continually look for and adopt efficiencies in farm operations Farm business planning is essential, but developing a financial assessment tool for the farm

business is critical. The main points are

Keep good records and information and, more importantly, know how and when to act.

Understand and manage the risks, and maintain buffers.

Take a flexible approach to avoiding risk.

Prepare to have stop-gap off-income if necessary.

Get insurance - health insurance as a minimum, income protection also good

Protect your credit rating (in case you need to discuss with a bank).

Get all agreements in writing.

Plan an exit strategy. A shared food processing facility is an efficient use of resources. It doesn't have to be big or

fully equipped, but has to have good set of rules and all new users complete a standard training course before using. It may be possible for individual growers or a co-operative to access under-utilised facilities in their communities (such as Meals on Wheels kitchens, etc) at times when they are not required for other purposes.

Encouraging new farmers Most young people enter farming via internships or following tertiary studies. Many land-grant

colleges offer courses in sustainable agriculture, which gives the student exposure to research into varied farming practices and to alternative technologies, but they start their farming career with an education debt and often no available start-up funding. Internships give the new farmer solid practical experience and the chance that they may have accumulated funds from their weekly stipend.

Within the economic and educational context of the Appalachian region internships provide a viable career path. An intern typically spends March/April to November at a farm, receiving a small stipend (averaging US$100 - $125/week) and board in return for working up to 6 days per week across all farm duties, including the markets. For some, it sparks an interest in

different pathways, such as floristry or food preparation. A small percentage go on to choose farming as a career, and will often work at a range of different farms for between 3-8 years to get the experience and finance they need to run their own enterprise.

Beginning farmers often lease a plot and borrow equipment to get them started. For many, a CSA program is an essential part of their plan, because it gives funds up front to purchase seeds, hire equipment and have a small amount on hand until sales start coming in. Here, too, is where a longer time getting experience is valuable - for a customer to pay $500-$650 up front for a season of produce, they have to have some confidence that the grower can deliver on their promise.

Networking is particularly important to young farmers - sharing information, working together, socialising. Older beginning farmers generally have a different set of requirements, although networking remains the most important conduit of information.

Farm incubators are a great way to start out for someone without much capital and without having to make a full-time commitment in the early stages. Incubators typically provide shared equipment and processing areas, storage facilities, and access to mentoring and training.

Consumer education A very strong local food culture is being maintained through the persistent efforts of support

organizations such as ASAP and ASD, CFSA and many others. There is coordination between programs so that the message is continuous, and collaboration between organizations to ensure that a consistent message is being delivered.

Farm to school programs serve multiple purposes. Though mainly designed to connect children to food production, parents also become involved and more aware of local food issues.

Consumers have respect for where their food comes from, and for the people who grow and process it, to a much greater extent than in Australia.

Direct sales The CSA model is very important to many farmers and can account for a large proportion of a

farm's annual income. More than half the farms interviewed had a number of CSA subscribers, ranging from 5 (for a new farmer) to more than 120.

CSAs offer a positive solution to the disproportionate amount of risk borne by farmers. However, it is a model based on debt.

Multi-farm CSAs are becoming more prevalent. These are generally operated through a cooperative as part of that group's marketing mix and are less risky, from the consumers' viewpoint. The advantage for the grower is that ordering, packing and delivery arrangements are usually the same as for other co-operative arrangements. The disadvantage is that upfront payment is not usually available to the grower at the start of the season. However, it is beneficial for the co-op as a whole because these banked funds can be used to smooth out payments to growers over the remainder of the season.

CSAs are mainly aimed at family groups, but tend to neglect singles and seniors. More than half the farms interviewed had an arrangement for direct sale to a small number of

retail outlets or food service businesses.

Farmers Markets All the markets visited were producer-only venues (no resellers). Although the number of stalls varied (10-50), all had the same 'mix' of vendors - about half would be fresh produce, and the remainder equally baked goods, meats/poultry/fish, cheeses and crafts. Nearly every vendor was easily identifiable by signage, all stalls well-presented with abundance of produce. The vendors themselves were notably well-dressed. The following aspects contribute to successful farmers markets:

Clear guidelines for market vendors protect the interests of vendors and customers. Standards are set for the appearance of stalls and quality and provenance of items offered for sale. A vendor selling at a "farmers market" must be able to provide proof of having grown, baked or made all items on their stall.

Markets should provide abundance of choice. The number of vendors attending is not as important as the amount and variety of produce available. Customers should be able to get most of fresh food requirements for the week.

Markets should be accessible - weekday afternoon markets are popular, especially if co-located with a busy centre e.g., where there are many workers (office block car park, hospital, school, etc)

Encouraging children to attend develops a better understanding of where their food comes from.

EFTPOS point/tokens increase sales. Customers without ready cash can use credit or debit cards (or food stamps) to purchase wooden tokens of $1 or $5 value to use at any of the stalls. According to some vendors, at least a third of their trading is done in tokens.

Cooperatives The main benefits of membership include delivering critical economic, time and labour

efficiencies through cooperative marketing, product handling and distribution The co-ops visited typically had a paid manager, and some also had paid employees,

volunteers or a combination. While start-up grant funding was received, the co-ops and hubs have business plans that are not dependent on grants or donated labor, with most aiming to 'break-even' within 3 years of commencing.

Training/education OGS and CRAFT are highly valued by the farming community, not just for the information they

provide, but also as a conduit for social interaction and exchange of ideas between farmers and their trainees.

Marketing/promotion The success of local branding was highly evident throughout the study area. ASAP's 'Appalachian Grown' is a highly recognisable brand throughout western North Carolina, as is ASD's 'Appalachian Harvest' in Virginia. Research by ASAP has noted the willingness of consumers to pay more for local food and the significance of information labels to identify locally produced products. Direct marketing promotes stronger relationships between food producers and consumers. Persistent effort is needed to maintain and increase the consumer demand for locally

produced food.

Differences between the Appalachians and Australia The regions I visited had: A well supported Co-operative Extension Service working directly with small-scale farmers. More opportunities to study sustainable agriculture. A different labour structure that allows individual farms to take on interns, compared to

constraints in our welfare system that are a barrier to participation in such schemes. Greater acceptance of CSAs A more positive social image of farming among young people.

Recommendations For Local Food Systems In Australia Increase the supply of locally grown produce by encouraging more growers and building the

capacity of existing growers. The first step in empowering' small farmers to increase production and distribution of local produce is to start community conversations about the food supply network and the possible role of collaboration, and enterprises such as cooperative food hubs, and education/training programs.

Develop and promote a distinctive local food culture throughout all levels of the food supply network. This needs to involve very close collaboration between all actors in the food supply network, start small and then continually grow and consolidate on a stable base.

Continually look for opportunities to develop strategic partnerships between businesses and organizations which support a local food culture and small farmers. These could assist by improving any aspect of the food supply network, such as educational outcomes, product handling and logistics, machinery access, marketing, finance, and farm labour. The more tangled the web, the more resilient is the network.

Continually increase the awareness of consumers of the importance of sustaining viable local food production systems. This can be done at all levels, from person to person conversations through to coordinated media campaigns. Encouraging small farmers and local food advocates to participate in policy discussions concerning local food systems is also important (at all levels of government).

Promote a positive image of sustainable farming practices and small scale agriculture. Look for innovative ways to overcome or work around the social, financial and bureaucratic

barriers which make it difficult or unattractive for creative and energetic young people to enter farming in Australia. These barriers include difficult access to start-up capital, insecurity of income, poor access to training and information, constraints in the social security, education and employment system, and perceived social stigma.

Regularly research, adopt and adapt examples of best practice small scale agricultural production systems from areas throughout the world where they have been successful.

Dissemination and application In 2013 I intend to pursue opportunities to apply a proven model that has been successfully

implemented in the Appalachians to a similar region in Australia. ASAP is willing to collaborate with Mary Valley organizations to assist them develop a local food culture in the region (similar to the way they assist communities in North Carolina such as the Durham/Pittsboro 'Piedmont Grown' project). This collaboration could commence in early 2013, with representatives chosen from local and state government, industry, business, growers and consumers.

I have formed a strategic partnership with "Finding Common Ground", a local company, to produce training materials in small-scale farm production methods for prospective new farmers on the Sunshine Coast hinterland (southeast Queensland).

The collation of technical and training materials collected during my fellowship is published on my Churchill Fellowship website at www.elainedagun.wordpress.com

I have accepted invitations to present findings of my studies locally and interstate, and will continue to do so, where there is interest.

APPENDICES

Appendix A - Glossary ASAP Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Program ASD Appalachian Sustainable Development CRAFT Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training CSA Consumer Supported Agriculture CSFA Carolina Farm Stewardship Association NC North Carolina OGS Organic Growers School SC South Carolina TN Tennessee TRACTOR Toe River Aggregation Center and Training Organization Regional VA Virginia WNC Western North Carolina

Appendix B - Itinerary Sep 19 Charlottesville VA Meade Park Markets

20 National Good Food Network Webinar - 20th Century Food Systems 22 Jonesborough Markets

Aubrey Raper, Rogue Harvest Farm 22-23 ASAP Farm Tour Mountain Harvest Organics

Flying Cloud Farm Imladris Farm New Sprout Farms

25 ASAP Meeting (Charlie, Allison Perrett) 26 WNC Farmers Market

South Asheville Tailgate Market Chimney Rock Rd Farms (roadside stalls)

27 Hendersonville Curbside Markets Flat Rock Market

28 Flying Cloud Farm (Fairview) Hickory Nut Organic Farm

29 North Asheville Markets Ivy Creek Farm

29-30 Organic Growers School Farm visit, Balsam Gardens Farm Oct 2 ASAP meeting

West Asheville Market 3 ASAP farm visit (Randall Glen Farm), Chop Shop Butchery (Bridget)

French Broad Market, Asheville Town Market 4 School to farm visit, Flying Cloud Farm

WNC Community Foundation dinner 5 Thatchmore Farm ,CRAFT, Carolina Organic Growers Co-op, (Leicester)

Tomm Ellemore. 6 Asheville City Market 8 Full Sun Farm (Leicester) 9 Organic Growers School (discussion), Cameron

French Broad Co-operative 10 Weaverville Market 11 Mountain Products Wholesale (distributor)

Blue Ridge Food Ventures 12 ASAP Growing Minds Program 13 Madison County Markets

Highgate Farm (Marshall) 14 Mountain Harvest Organics (Hot Springs) 15 B & L Farm (Mars Hill)

Madison County Extension Offices - Jenn Beck (Extension Specialist), Aubrey Raper (Manager, Madison Farms Co-operative)

16 Trosley Farm (Elk Park) 17 Tres Magner, Co-operative Extension Director Yancey County

TRACTOR 18 Maverick Farms Co-operative (Banner Elk)

FIG Farm - Incubator (Valle Crucis) National Good Food Network Webinar - “If you build it – will they come?

Consumer behaviour concepts for effective marketing of healthy food.” 20 Watauga Market (Boone County) 21 Shiitake Workshop, Emory-Henry College Abingdon VA

22 New River Organic Growers Co-operative NC Appalachian Sustainable Development (Tom Peterson, Training and production

co-ordinator) 23 ASD farm visit (including Harvest Table farm restaurant)

Abingdon Farmers Market 24 Appalachian Harvest distribution centre, Kathlyn Terry, (Executive Director of ASD)

Scott Jerrell, (Extension Manager), Farm tours 25 ASAP - Local food culture discussion and planning meeting (Allison Perrett) 26 Carolina Farm Stewardship Association - farm visit for extension agents - Patient

Wait Farm, Split Creek farm, Clemson College Student Farm 27-28 CFSA Conference - Small Farms and Beginning Farmers 29 Elma C Lomax Incubator Farm (Charlotte) 30 Piedmont Grown (Pittsboro) 31 Debbie Roos, Co-operative Extension Officer, Chatham County (Small Farms

coordinator), Breeze Farm Incubator Project (Orange County)

Nov 1 Local Food Hub (Charlottesville VA) 3 Lynchburg Farmers Market (VA)

Appendix C – Organizational Contacts In addition to the farmers and staff I spoke with at the farms listed in Table 3 (main report), I would like to thank the following people and organizations for the time they spent with me, and the contribution they have made to my Fellowship: Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project: Charlie Jackson (Executive Director), Allison Perrett (Administrator, Researcher), Bridget Kennedy (Program Director, Local Food Campaigns), Emily Jackson and Brittany Wager (Program Director and Co- ordinator, Growing Minds), Maggie Cramer (Communications Manager) Appalachian Sustainable Development: Tom Peterson (Training and Production Manager), Kathlyn Terry (Executive Director), Deni Peterson (Education Co-ordinator) Organic Growers School: Cameron Farlow (Farms Program Coordinator), Tom Elmore (organization founder and farmer) Farm Incubators: J. Michael Lanier (Breeze Farm at Hillsborough), Hilary Wilson (FIG Farm at Valle Crucis), Don Boekelheide (beginning farmer at Elma C.Lomax Farm Incubator and writer for 'Organic Grower' magazine), Joanna Massey Lelekacs (State Coordinator, Incubator Farm Project) Co-operative Extension Service Managers: Debbie Roos (Chapel Hill/Carberras), James E.(Tres) Magner III (Yancey/Mitchell counties), J. Michael Lanier (Orange County), Jenn Beck (Madison county), Scott Jerrell (Virginia) Cooperatives and Food Hubs: Trace Ramsey (Production Manager, Eastern Carolina Organics), Tom Elmore (Carolina Organic Growers Co-op), Aubrey Raper (Madison Family Farms), Hilary Wilson (Maverick Farms), Caleb Rowell (Manager, New River Organic Growers) Farm Business Support organizations: Mary Lou Surgi (Executive Director, Blue Ridge Food Ventures), Amy Armbruster (Carolina Farm Stewardship Association) Other stakeholders: Philip Newton (Executive Chef, Harvest Table Restaurant), Kathryn Beattie (Leading Green, distributor), Anne Lancaster (Mountain Food Products)