Despite the unique set of challenges it presents, WNC women are increasingly looking to agriculture as a business option.
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Despite the unique set of challenges it presents, WNC women are increasingly looking to agriculture as a business option.
From the rancher with the cowboy hat and lasso to the grower on the tractor gazing out over the cornfield, our idea of a farmer is most often of a male — specifically an older, white male. In many ways, statistically speaking, that image isn’t wrong — but it may be changing. Diversity in agriculture is growing in WNC. Who are these new farmers? What challenges are they facing? And what new perspectives will they bring to agriculture in WNC?
From the Get It! Guide: Tried of the barriers facing new female farmers, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture joined together to form connections and overcome the learning curve.
In anticipation of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s annual farm tour on June 28 and 29, interns from BRWIA will guide us through independent farms in the High Country. Here, Laura Johnson visits Apple Hill Farm in Banner Creek.
In anticipation of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s annual farm tour on June 28 and 29, interns from BRWIA will guide us through independent farms in the High Country. Here, Laura Johnson visits the alpacas at Landmark Farms in Grassy Creek.
In anticipation of Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s annual farm tour on June 28 and 29, interns from BRWIA will guide us through independent farms in the High Country. Here, Leah Jalfon stops in for a farm dinner at Trosly Farm, where Kaci and Amos Niddifer have transformed a historic 1900s property into a sustainable homestead.
Blue Ridge Woman in Agriculture profiles women who work in agriculture throughout Western North Carolina, including farmers, homesteaders, and activists. BRWIA seeks to spotlight women who exemplify the multitude of ways women are working to connect with and change our food system. This series is presented through a partnership with BRWIA and Xpress.
As Western North Carolina growers gear up for our region’s farm tour, the High Country Farm Tour is winding down from a weekend of produce, livestock and brews.