NCGT Monthly Project Update

In This Issue

NCGT and Partners Host over 50 Participants at NC Food Hub Info Exchange

Lowes Foods Introduces New "Carolina Crate"

NCGT and Fayetteville State University Developing Farmer Network

About NCGT

GOAL | Bring more locally-grown foods - produce, meat, dairy, and seafood - into mainstream retail and food service supply chains, thus enhancing food security by increasing access to local foods and by strengthening the economics of small to mid-sized farm and fishing operations.

STRATEGY | Identify the most promising solutions by which local production and associated value-added activities can enter local retail and food service markets, pilot these solutions in North Carolina, and evaluate and report the results for the benefit of other states and regions.

June 2, 2014

Greetings all,

Thanks for reading our monthly project update and please let us know what you think!

Sincerely,

The NCGT Management Team

NC Growing Together and Partners Host over 50 Participants at NC Food Hub Info Exchange

NC Growing Together and project partners Cooperative Extension and NC Farm Bureau hosted over 50 participants at the NC Food Hub Info Exchange on May 6, 2014. (See the agenda.) The event was a draw for individuals and organizations considering the food hub model -- where a private or non-profit organization aggregates and distributes source-identified product with the intention of developing local food systems -- as a community economic development strategy.

NCGT Research Coordinator Rebecca Dunning facilitated the program and a Q&A session with a panel of eight North Carolina food hub managers representing Feast Down East, TRACTOR, Pilot Mountain Pride, Polk Farm Fresh, Madison Family Farms, Sandhills Farm to Table, Firsthand Foods, and Eastern Carolina Organics.

Independent consultant Smithson Mills gave a presentation on the Economics of Food Hubs, Steve Virgil of the Wake Forest Law School discussed the implications of adopting various legal structures for food hubs, and Roland McReynolds of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association discussed Food Safety and introduced a new food "Group GAPs" model under development.

Lowes Foods Introduces New "Carolina Crate"

NCGT partner Lowes Foods is introducing a new option for customers who wish to buy local this summer. Its "Carolina Crate" will be filled with 10-12 pounds of local produce and will be available at select stores on Saturday mornings. The "Carolina Crate" is similar to a CSA in that the stores have committed to purchasing a set amount of local farmers' produce prior to harvest, but customers do not have to "join" or pay up-front.

Produce boxes will also include recipe ideas and information about the participating farms. The Carolina Crate program will run from June 14 - September 13. Sandhills Farm-to-Table, The Local Table, Rhodesdale Farm, Triad Farm-to-Table and Feast Down East and their farm partners will be supplying the Carolina Crate produce to the select stores in their immediate areas.

For more information, please see the Lowes Foods website.

NCGT and Fayetteville State University Developing Farmer Network

FSU Logo NC Growing Together is partnering with the EDA Center at Fayetteville State University to grow a Farmer Network in the Fayetteville area. The Farmer Network will increase the area's local food supply and potentially supply NCGT partner Fort Bragg.

Interested growers must be GAPs certified, carry liability insurance, and participate in crop planning as a group. NCGT and partners including Carolina Farm Stewardship Association are teaming up to offer GAPs certification workshops, cost shares, and other resources to assist growers in meeting the network's requirements.

For more information please contact Trish Tripp, NCGT Wholesaler Liaison, at patriciatripp1@gmail.com or 336-458-6980.

Project Contact Information

Rebecca Dunning, NCGT Project and Research Coordinator, rebecca_dunning@ncsu.edu, 919-389-2220

Nancy Creamer, Co-Director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, NC State University; and Project Director, NC Growing Together, nancy_creamer@ncsu.edu, 919-515-9447

John O'Sullivan, Co-Director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, NC A&T State University; and Co-Principal Investigator, NC Growing Together, johno@ncat.edu , 336-285-4683

Michelle Schroeder-Moreno, NCGT Academic Coordinator, michelle_schroeder@ncsu.edu, 919-513-0085

Joanna Lelekacs, NCGT Extension and Training Coordinator, joanna_lelekacs@ncsu.edu, 919-244-5269

John Day, NCGT Military Partnership Coordinator, john_day@ncsu.edu, 704-785-6670

Ariel Fugate, Locally Grown Accounts Representative, Lowes Foods; and Lowes Foods Liaison, NC Growing Together, ariel.fugate@lowesfoods.com, 859-552-3467

Patricia Tripp, NCGT Wholesaler Liaison, patricia.tripp1@gmail.com, 336-458-6980.

JJ Richardson, NCGT Website and Communications Coordinator, jj_richardson@ncsu.edu, 919-527-9891

NC Growing Together is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, grant #2012-68004-20363.

� 2013-2014 NC Growing Together