In this issue:
* Farmers Fresh Market in Rockingham County
* 2010 Farmers Fresh Market Growers - Update
* SAVE THE DATE: Jock Brandis
* Foothills Connect Gets Permission to use BRWA Towers for Broadband
* Webinar: Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production: Taxes & Incentives
* Information Sessions on Strategy/Opportunity Grants
* Food Marketing in the Real World
* Hickory Nut Gap Farm - Free, Fun, Family Day
* Training Opportunities for Farmers Market Managers & Vendors
* In the News
Farmers Fresh Market in Rockingham County
The Farmers Fresh Market program has expanded into Rockingham, Stokes, Caswell, and Guilford Counties - a rural community about 3 hours north east of Rutherford County, on the border ofa the North Carolina and Virginia state line. The Rockingham County Business & Technology Center (a sister organization of Foothills Connect, and one of 7 BTC's in the state), the Rockingham Cooperative Extension and Piedmont Local Food have been working together for over a year to organize local farmers into a Local Food Coalition and adopt the Farmers Fresh Market model.
About 50 farmers in Rockingham, Stokes, Caswell and Guilford counties joined the coalition, and the online market made its very first sale last week to the Marisol restaurant in Greensboro. Brenda Sutton, Director of the county office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension, said the coalition expects the market to generate $60,000 in revenue this year and become self-sustaining by the third year.
The Rockingham County web site, www.piedmontlocalfood.com, already has a mouth-watering display of farm fresh items available for purchase by restuarants in Rockingham, Stokes, Guilford, Caswell, Forsyth, and Surry Counties. Gourmet cheeses, free range eggs, microgreens, fresh herbs, sweet potatoes, and sun-dried tomatoes are some of the tasty items up for sale.
Congratulations to Rockingham County for their hard work and dedication to building their own Farmers Fresh Market system. Please spread the word about this new, convenient way to buy fresh, local food in the Greensboro and Winston-Salem areas!
2010 Farmers Fresh Market Growers - Update
Calling all farmers! If you are planning to sell your local produce, meats, eggs, cheese, honey, or other food product through www.farmersfreshmarket.org online market, and have not already been activated on the new web site, you will need to register at www.farmersfreshmarket.org.
You will not be activated as a seller until you have been approved by the Market Manager. If you have sold through the web site in the past, you will be approved. If you are a new seller, however, you will need to contact Kirk Wilson at 828-288-1650 or kirk@foothillsconnect.com to get set up as a producer. Contact Anna Levitsky, Marketing & Education Coordinator, to schedule a one-on-one training if you have any problem understanding how the online market works from the vendor's side: anna@foothillsconnect.com.
SAVE THE DATE: Jock Brandis
On Monday, April 12, 2010, inventor, author, specialist in movie special effects and 2008 Purpose Prize winner, Jock Brandis, will be in Rutherford County to meet with students, farmers, and the public. He is the creator of the Full Belly project, aimed at easing hunger across the globe by designing and distributing income-generating agricultural devices to improve life in developing countries. Brandis will speak and give demonstrations of creative farm equipment he designed, including a hand-powered peanut sheller, and a rocking water pump. Details on locations and times will be announced soon. Contact Foothills Connect fore more information at 828-288-1650.
Foothills Connect Gets Permission to use BRWA Towers for Broadband
(Excerpt from "BRWA Drought Policies Shelved" article)
By Scott Baughman
The Daily Courier
3/24/2010
Rutherfordton - Broad River Water AUthority ended drought restrictions at their March meeting Tuesday night and agreed to hear a proposal from Foothills Connect on using their water towers for high speed Internet service.
Jim Brown of Foothills Connect Business & Technology Center came before the BRWA board to talk about the newly formed Foothills Connections - a point-to-point wireless Internet service that hopes to use the utility's water towers for their radion transmitters free of charge.
"It has been very clear to me for a long time that broadband access has become just as much a part of the infrastructure as water lines, roads, electricity, and all of those things we all help maintain," Brown said. "Foothills has been in existence since 2005 and one of our concerns has been not to compete with private business. We have waited five years and no one has stepped forward to offer broadband access to the rural areas of RUtherford County."
Foothills will be partnering with Skyrunner - a wireless provider out of Asheville. Brown said there were several areas of Rutherford County where residents were lucky to get dial-up access to the Internet. Foothills has worked on government grants to get 100 miles of high speed broadband fiber optic cable placed in the county for schools and public services.
"The students have great access at school now, but when they go home, they may not have access at all," Brown said. "Our role here is to provide access, not make money. We're offering an ultra-level access for $60 a month and if you choose that level you'll get the highest level of access we can offer and $10 each month will go toward a scholarship fund to help students get access at home."
The board voted unanimously to allow Brown to come back soon with a formal proposal for free use of the towers for one year.
Contact Savang Moua at 828-288-1650 or savang@foothillsconnect.com to learn more about Foothills Connections broadband services.
Webinar: Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production: Taxes & Incentives
On Thursday, April 8, ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service will host a FREE webinar titled Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production: Taxes and Financial Incentives. This free webinar is the third in a series on farm-scale biodiesel production.
Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production: Taxes and Financial Incentives will help you learn about federal and state fuel excise taxes that apply to biodiesel. The webinar will also cover excise tax refunds for off-road use, and exemptions and incentives that might apply to farm-scale biodiesel production. Finally, you will learn more about recordkeeping and resources that are helpful in properly paying fuel excise taxes or qualifying for refunds or incentives.
The webinar will be presented by NCAT biodiesel specialist Al Kurki and National Agriculture Law Center staff attorneys Shannon Mirus and Rusty Rumley.
This free webinar will be held Thursday, April 8 at 11 a.m. MST. Please register in advance at www.attra.ncat.org/webinars2009/biodiesel3.
To see the previous webinars in this series, DIY Biodiesel: Keeping It Safe, Keeping It Legal and Getting Started in Farm-Scale Biodiesel Production, visit http://attra.ncat.org/video/.
ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
Information Sessions on Strategy & Opportunity Grants
Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public agencies serving the 18-county mountain region are invited to attend a free workshop offered by The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina in April. Come learn about the updated Strategy and Opportunity grant guidelines and the application process. Participants will also have an opportunity to ask general questions of Foundation Program Staff about the updated guidelines and the common grant approach.
To learn more about all of the Foundation grant programs, please visit www.cfwnc.org and then click on the grants tab. The updated Strategy and Opportunity grant materials will be available online by March 26.
Registration is required. Please e-mail or call Virginia Dollar to register (dollar@cfwnc.org or 828-254-4960 x123).
April 1 (10 a.m. – noon) AB Tech Enka Campus - Room 128 Haynes Building,
1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC 28715
April 12 (1 – 3 p.m.) Southwestern Community College – Swain Center,
60 Almond School Road, Bryson City, NC 28713
April 12 (1 – 3 p.m.) Burnsville Town Center,
Town Center Square, Burnsville, NC 28714
April 14 (1 – 3 p.m.) Community Foundation Conference Room – Suite 1600
The BB&T Bldg., 1 West Pack Square, Suite 1600 Asheville, NC 28801
April 15 (10 a.m. – noon) Isothermal Community College - Library Auditorium
286 ICC Loop Road, Spindale, NC 28160
Food Marketing in the Real World
Food Marketing in the Real World - A Training and Networking Opportunity for Food Entrepreneurs Sponsored by the division of Marketing North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Date: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Location: Virginia Boone Building, WNC Ag Center, Fletcher, NC
Cost: $30, includes lunch, snacks and materials
Registration Deadline: April 13, 2010
Space is limited to 40 attendees.
If you are already a small food producer, here is why you should attend:
* Learn about new opportunities for expanding your food business
* Hear from successful food professionals
* Learn how to reach new markets
* Network with other food entrepreneurs
* Understand how your financial situation tells you if you are ready for expansion
* Receive helpful resource material.
For more information and to register, contact: Annette Dunlap, Agribusiness Developer NCDA&CS, Division of Marketing, annette.dunlap@ncagr.gov ; (919) 733.7887 x257.
Sign-Up for Organic Initiative Until March 12
Hickory Nut Gap Farm - Free, Fun, Family Day
10TH ANNIVERSARY Celebration!
In honor of 10 years of raising grassfed and the people who have made it possible, we are having a party! Join us SATURDAY, APRIL 3RD 1-5PM for a FREE, FUN, FAMILY DAY at the farm. Local food producers will be sampling and local artists will guide children in fun craft activities. Bratwurst and Hamburgers will be available to purchase. Kick back and listen to the talent of local musicians. Please join us, YOU have made this celebration possible!
Location: Hickory Nut Gap Meats - 57 Sugar Hollow Road, Fairview, North Carolina 28730
**Hickory Nut Gap Farm is a supplier for the Farmers Fresh Market, www.farmersfreshmarket.org.*
Training Opportunity for Farmres Market Managers & Vendors
A Successful Season: A Training Opportunity for Farmers Market Managers & Vendors
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 9:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Virginia Boone Building, WNC Ag Center, Fletcher, NC
Cost: $25, covers food and materials
Registration Deadline: April 13, 2010
Who Should Attend
* Vendors and managers of existing community and municipal farmers markets
* Growers interested in participating in one or more area farmers markets
* Community leaders considering starting a farmers market
What You Will Learn
* Tips on how to merchandise your stall to sell more product
* Tips on providing excellent customer service
* Ideas on driving more traffic to your farmers market
* Ways to maintain good relations among vendors and managers
* Updates on regulations that affect vendors and managers
AGENDA
9:45 - 10:00 Registration & Networking
10:00 - 10:45 "Is Everybody Happy"? - How to maintain good vendor relationships
10:45 - 11:00 Break & Networking (Bring your business cards so that you can network with managers and vendors from other markets)
11:00 - 12:00 "Taking Care of Business" - updates on GAP as good business, sales tax collections for value-added products, liability insurance and regulations on home-make products
12:00 - 1:00 Lunch & Networking
1:00 - 1:45 "Selling with Style" - Customer service, product presentation and point-of-sale merchandising
1:45 - 2:00 Break & Networking
2:00 - 2:45 "Setting the Rules" - Creating and maintaining market by-laws
2:45 - 3:00 Feedback and Wrap-Up
For more information and to register, contact:
Annette Dunlap, Agribusiness Developer
NCDA&CS, Division of Marketing
annette.dunlap@ncagr.gov
(919) 733.7887 x257
In the News
Bees in more trouble than ever after bad winter
Monsanto Draws Anti-Trust Scrutiny
Developers Bet the Organic Farm
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