Regional Growers' School - March 8th

Cooperative Extension, in partnership with Mayland Community College, will host a day-long growers school known as Blueprint for a Profitable Mountain Farm.  Area farmers, gardeners and homesteaders are cordially invited to join us for a day of educational sessions and networking. 

This year sessions will include information on local food systems development, broccoli and asparagus production, pests of fruits and vegetables and how to control them, parasite management for a variety of livestock, poultry carcass quality, and raising pigs on pasture.  Specialists from across the state will present throughout the day. 

The event will be hosted by Mayland Community College at the Spruce Pine Campus on Friday, March 8th, from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  There is a $10 registration fee, which will include a BBQ lunch and reference materials.  Registration forms are available online at:  http://mitchell.ces.ncsu.edu/.  Be sure to register by March 6th to guarantee yourself a meal. For questions please call either 688-4811 or 682-6186. 

Mills River Farm Market Looking for Vendors

The Mills River Farmers' Market is a great and friendly market.  I think that the new Ingles down the road will drive even more traffic to the market.

See message below from Mr. Jim Reed:

The Mills River Farmers' Market is looking for several growers of quality early, mid, and late season vegetables and/or fruit.   Affiliation/ experience with a regional tailgate market preferred but not required.

Our customers are looking for YOU!

The Mills River Farmers' Market is a grower only(no buying & re-selling) market located on Hwy 280, a 5 minute drive beyond the Asheville Regional Airport.  Hours are Saturdays, 8 AM 'til noon, May through October.

Please respond with name & contact info to: millsriverfarm@gmail.com

or contact Jim Reed (828-890-4105)

Beyond the Tailgate Market Workshop March 12

We will be holding a great workshop for growers who are thinking about scaling up beyond Tailgate markets to wholesale markets.  If you are considering this and have questions, please come to this great program.

What:  Beyond the Tailgate Market Workshop
When:  March 12, 2013  8 am - 4:30 pm
Where:  Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center
How much: $20, includes lunch and resource notebook

Topics:

• Food Safety, GAPS, Audits & Certification
  
• Post Harvest Handling
  
• Grades & Standards for
  Retail Markets
  
• Pricing and Building
  Relationships as buyers
  
• Selling to Grocery Stores,
  Food Hubs, & Distributors
  
• What to expect ondelivery:
  Farmers Panel 
  
  
  To learn more or to register click here.  

ANDI Scores for Produce

Some of you may find this useful or use it as a marketing piece for your customers...

This is from Whole Foods Market - Guide to Healthy Eating

Top Ten ANDI Scores

ANDI stands for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index." An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthy-eating/health-starts-here/resources-and-tools/top-ten-andi-scores

Fumigation Training

Another opportunity for training and testing for the new fumigant labels.  This training will be held on March 28th from 9 am - 3 pm at the WNC Regional Livestock Market in Canton.  This training is a collaboration between the NCDA&CS and Cooperative Extension to provide live 'in person' training and testing to get growers in compliance with the new fumigation labels.  To learn more about this opportunity click here.


As a reminder, you can take this training on-line on the EPA Soil Fumigation Toolbox.

Winter Vegetable Conference Next Week!

The premier vegetable conference for western NC is happening next week in Asheville.  The 45th Annual Meeting of the NC Tomato Growers Association and Winter Vegetable Conference and Trade Show will take place Feb 20 and 21st at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville. 

This conference is the largest gathering of vegetable growers in the area and attracts growers not only from WNC, but also TN, GA, SC and VA.  The trade show includes over 55 vendors. The educational program is chosen by the growers and highlights the research done by vegetable specialists in NC and throughout the Southeast.  You can view the educational program here.

As a special treat, Dr. Paul Shoemaker will give a talk "On the History of the Tomato Production in WNC".  Dr. Shoemaker is a professor emeritus in Plant Pathology at NCSU and owner of Holly Springs Farm in Henderson County.  

In addition, we will be live-streaming the  FDA Listening Session on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in Raleigh.

Finally, following the luncheon on Thursday, TriEst will be offering a training on the new fumigation regulations and on-line training site.  To learn more about these changes or to take the on-line training, visit the EPA's Soil Fumigation Toobox.

Don't miss out on this great event!

Pre-registration is no longer available, but you can register at the door.  All are welcome.

God Made a Farmer

Many of you heard the on the Super Bowl commercial, God Made a Farmer.  I decided to share the Paul Harvey speech with you anyway, though I am sparing you the truck commercial.  

This speech is true and I have seen many of "my farmers" do the things mentioned in this commercial and even more.  I am so proud of all the farmers that I work with, you continue to amaze me with your hard work and kindness.  I couldn't ask for better friends and I am so lucky to work with you everyday.  Thank you farmers for everything you do.