Press Release Archive

  WNC AgOptions Announces 2010 Funding Cycle Mountain farmers eligible for funds to diversify operations Grants totaling $225,000 are available to western North Carolina farmers who are diversifying or expanding their operations in 2010. WNC Agricultural Options, which will award … View >>

  2009 WNC AgOptions Awardees Announced   Farmers diversify farms, try local markets to remain viable   MARSHALL — Nearly 50 farmers in the mountain region recently received funding totaling $225,000 from Western North Carolina Agricultural Options to demonstrate ways … View >>

Farmers Diversify Farms, Try Local Markets to Remain Viable MARSHALL — Nearly 50 farmers in the mountain region recently received funding totaling $225,000 from Western North Carolina Agricultural Options to demonstrate ways to enhance farm businesses. The $3,000, $6,000 and … View >>

“The goal of this program is to help farmers in Western North Carolina to diversify their operations, and to help agriculture continue to grow and thrive as a profitable, ecological, and market-driven industry in our new farming economy,” said Stanley … View >>

Through this partnership, WNC AgOptions, a program established in 2004 and managed by N. C. Cooperative Extension Centers in the West District, will continue assisting mountain farmers transitioning from tobacco and other crops through 2011. This grant was put in … View >>

For Cathy and Andy Bennett, owners of Doubletree Farm in Madison County, the AgOptions grant is helping them keep Appalachian traditions alive. They’re using the knowledge about molasses-making they’ve gained from their neighbors Peggy and Nathan Harmon, whose ancestors made … View >>

In addition to the added income, cattle on his farm give Paquin a sense of nostalgia. “We had cattle when I was real young — 8-years-old,” he said. “I always appreciate the type of energy animals give to a farm.” … View >>

In Haywood County, John and Lisa Leatherwood will add rhododendrons to their tomato and cattle farm. Rhodos are new to the Leatherwoods and can be an expensive operation to start. But vegetables do not always have as secure of a … View >>

WNC Whole-Farm Planning Workshop – February 2008 WNC AgOptions/USDA-RMA Community Outreach Program AgVenture Feasibility, Risky Business and Agribusiness Planning 101 What will your farm be like in 5 years? 10 years? 25 years? Attend educational agricultural-business workshop on February 15th, … View >>

WNC AgOptions/USDA-RMA Community Outreach Program AgVenture Feasibility, Risky Business and Agribusiness Planning 101 What will your farm be like in 5 years? 10 years? 25 years? If you have ever asked yourself these questions, then you know that farming is … View >>

2005 Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Workshops The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), in partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency, hosted the 2005 Marketing Opportunities for Farmers Conference. Workshops were for current farmers or those interested in farming who wanted … View >>