Growing Local

Farmer Daniel Wall and business partner Jon Mercer come from different backgrounds, but together with their young families, they’ve started a livestock farm that promotes their shared commitment to sustainable agriculture.

Learn more about Highlands Family Farm in Burke County, North Carolina at www.highlandsfamilyfarm.com

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)lets community members agree upfront to a season’s worth of food, and receive a box of produce, meat, or flowers from a local farm each week in return.

Find out some of the factors to consider when choosing a CSA in this podcast, and learn more about what farmers have to offer at ASAP's CSA Fair.

It be held Thursday, March 16 at Jubilee! in downtown Asheville, North Carolina. Details at www.asapconnections.org

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is an easy and exciting way to add more farm-fresh food to your diet. Customers agree upfront to a season's worth of vegetables, meat, or flowers and receive a box of food each week in return.

Learn more about how Community Supported Agriculture works and meet farmers who offer CSA shares in the Asheville area at ASAP's CSA Fair on March 16. More info: http://asapconnections.org/events/csa-fair/

There's more to farming than planting and harvesting; a thriving farm needs a strong business plan.

Paige Witherington and Justin Dansby from Pitch Pine Farm in Penrose, North Carolina focus on business during the winter months, including preparing documents for organic certification and developing a five-year plan for the farm.

There are several resources for local farmers, including ASAP's Business of Farming conference on Saturday, Feb. 25. Find out more at: www.asapconnections.org

Winter farmers markets are expanding in Western North Carolina. ASAP tracks venues for local food (including farmers markets) in its Local Food Guide. In 2003 there was one year-round market, but today there are eight winter markets throughout the region, including Spruce Pine, Franklin, and Columbus.

Why are there more winter markets here than ever before? Innovative farmers are finding new ways to extend the growing season.

Western North Carolina was the home of a local honey advocate. The late Laurey Masterton was a beekeeper who shared her love of honey with students through ASAP's Growing Minds Farm to School program.

She also hosted the early years of the International Black Jar Honey Contest at her cafe. The Center for Honeybee Research will present the 2017 contest in Asheville this weekend. More info: www.chbr.org

Farm to School activities about honeybees can be found at www.growing-minds.org

JB Farm in Caldwell County, North Carolina has changed dramatically over the past five years. Farmers Paula and Dale Boles were contract chicken producers raising broilers for one of the biggest poultry companies in the country.

It was exhausting work and they knew they needed a change. So they broke their contract, repurposed their chicken houses, and found independence through produce.

Winter is a time when farmers look back on the growing season and plan ahead for the coming year. Mountain Harvest Organics, a vegetable farm near Hot Springs, asked themselves and the community three questions over Instagram to inspire their planning process. Click play to hear their answers.

Want to hear more from farmers during the quiet months? Search for #appalachiangrown on Instagram and Twitter and go to the ASAP Facebook page to learn what farmers are up to this winter.

A Granny Smith apple can travel over 8,000 miles to get from New Zealand to North Carolina. Yet a Gold Rush apple grown in Henderson County might only travel a dozen miles between orchard and lunch box. Why make a local choice? Fresher produce that strengthens the local food system.

Find local orchards, farmers markets, and more at www.AppalachianGrown.org — ASAP’s online Local Food Guide.

The beauty of the Western North Carolina landscape is inspiring, and small farms are helping protect it. From diversified vegetable farms in Buncombe County to Christmas tree farms in the High Country, working farms are preserving the rural landscape and building an economy that supports farm businesses.