A crew of 60 men from Iredell County’s Union Grove Amish Church spent three days this week constructing a new workshop and equipment shed at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview. Click through to view a time-lapse video of the build.
Tag: agriculture
Showing 22-42 of 47 results
WNC AgOptions announces 2014 grant recipients
Amid the gentle hills and rolling pastures that surround the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River, local farmers left their work behind on Thursday, Feb. 27, to attend the WNC AgOptions 2014 Award Ceremony.
Business of Farming Conference examines realities of a career in agriculture
Last weekend more than 250 farmers and budding agricultural entrepreneurs gathered at Warren Wilson College for Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s 11th annual Business of Farming Conference. Photo by Josh O’Conner
Master Gardeners seek site for demonstration garden
The Buncombe County Master Gardener Volunteers’ are looking for property that belongs to the city or county and can be contracted to the Buncombe County Agricultural Extension Office for an extended period of time (10+ years) to be used to serve the public of Asheville and Buncombe County as the Master Gardeners’ Demonstration Garden & Learning Center.
Winter harvest: Local chefs and farmers strategize for ways to beat the cold
Miki Kilpatrick, co-owner of Homegrown Restaurant in Asheville, grew up canning tomatoes and pickles and freezing corn for winter. “Putting up,” as she calls it, was part of the seasonal routine back then.
Asheville City Council: more agriculture, a festival search, and downtown crime
At tonight’s meeting, Asheville City Council approved new rules allowing urban farming and produce sales throughout the city. Council also approved starting the search for a summer event to replace Bele Chere. On a less optimistic note, the public and city officials discussed increasing issues of crime, policing and homelessness in Asheville’s core.
Asheville City Council preview: Of food and festivals
Next Tuesday, Sept. 24, Asheville City Council will consider an overhaul of the city’s agricultural ordinances to allow for growing more food in more places. Council will also contemplate making official inquiries into partnering with private organizations to find an event to replace Bele Chere.
New crop: Young growers reinvent WNC traditions
The average age of Western North Carolina farmers is 57 and creeping higher every year. Where’s the next generation of agriculture entrepreneurs? Fortunately, a new breed of growers in their 20s and 30s are bridging the gap and applying innovative approaches to 21st century farming.
Lavender Festival’s Last Hurrah
The Lavender Festival near Burnsville will celebrate this classic herb with one last festival before Mountain Farm turns to dairy goats as its primary focus.
In the garden: Ladies’ night, twilight tailgate and wildflowers of WNC
Enjoy an evening farmers market, treat yourself to an night of herbal pampering and learn about our region’s wildflowers. Photo courtesy of ASAP.
Dispatches from the March Against Monsanto
More than 1,000 people gathered at Pack Square in downtown Asheville on May 26 to protest Monsanto, a multinational agriculture biotechnology corporation, and the world’s largest producer of genetically engineered seeds and pesticides. The rally and demonstration were part of an international “March Against Monsanto,” involving 36 countries worldwide. (Photos by Jordan Foltz)
Climate change, agriculture & Warren Wilson College scientist Laura Lengnick
Just 1 percent of headlines these days cover environmental news, despite findings that 80 percent of readers, listeners and viewers want to hear more, according to the nonprofit initiative, Project for Improved Environmental Coverage. Asheville’s fortunate to be near the center of environmental studies, activism and interest — in part due to the work of such experts as Warren Wilson College professor/scientist Laura Lengnick.
CalCast: Feb. 8-10
Learn how to keep bees naturally, expand your farm and gaze at the night sky this weekend with CalCast. Podcast hosted by Kim Roney. Photo by Kristina Mercedes Urquhart.
ASAP’s Business of Farming hits 10 years
Growers large and small will gather together to improve business skills and make contacts at Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Business of Farming conference, which will celebrate 10 years this spring.
Six WNC nonprofits receive economic development grants
Six western North Carolina nonprofits are among 28 state organizations that will share $5.85 million in grants from the N.C. Community Development Initiative over the next three years aiming to spark economic growth and job creation in some of the state’s most distressed areas.
Get your hands dirty
Full Spectrum Farms needs your help picking veggies on their 34-acre property designed to support adults with autism.
From woodlot to cash cow
Mountain BizWorks encourages novice and experienced farmers to turn their forests into money-making enterprises.
Asheville hosts forum on Growing the Appalachian Food Economy
With local-food sales predicted to reach $7 billion this year, it makes sense for cities, counties, states and regions to focus on the local food company. To that end, the Appalachian Regional Commission is hosting a forum on the issue today and tomorrow, April 4, at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel. As one participant noted via Twitter, “Sustainable farming only occurs when social responsibility, environmental stewardship and economic viability work together.”
Amy’s Kitchen S.C.-manufacturing facility looks to WNC farmers to supply organic produce
It was just a matter of time before WNC farmers and the folks at Amy’s East Coast production facility in Greenville, S.C., would start discussing supply and demand. The facility will need a lot of produce to supply when it goes online next summer.
WNC a bittersweet challenge for maple syrup production
Every year, there’s something interesting at the Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Conference, held Nov. 15-17 this year in Asheville. This time around, a local entrepreneur’s passion for harvesting maple syrup caught my attention.
Healthcare, goats and a sense of awe: Mission Manna wraps up its fall session in Haiti
Twice a year, a team from Asheville-based Mission Manna travels to Haiti to provide healthcare to children living in and around the town of Montrouis.