Support CEFS With Your End-of-Year Gift!
Dear CEFS Supporter,

What feeds your growth? There are so many ways to interpret, and answer, that question. Here at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, it's one that we are examining for ourselves, our programs, and our organization. After celebrating our twentieth anniversary last year, we are now planning for our next twenty years of growth.

Critical to sustaining our growth is having the resources to expand confidently, knowing that we will be able support our programs well into the future. You can support our growth by donating securely online at go.ncsu.edu/friendsofcefs. CEFS is a partnership of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Our fundraising initiatives operate under the auspices of the NC Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization (Tax ID# 56-6049304). 


Supporting Growth...of Farm-Based Research and Education

From groundbreaking research on organic farming practices' potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to pioneering humane and economical ways to manage livestock on pasture, the CEFS' Field Research and Outreach Facility at Cherry Research Farm in Goldsboro has grown into a role of national and international importance. From March to September 2015, the outstanding NCDA&CS farm staff gave tours to over 600 visitors, including groups from Brazil, China, and New Zealand; an NC Farm Bureau young farmers group; Natural Resource Conservation Service specialists from across the US; a Minority Farmers and Landowners Conference; and dozens of farmers and extension agents who came to workshops on organic strawberry production, field tunnels, agroforestry, and more. 


Supporting Growth...of Agricultural Career Ladder Internship and Apprenticeship Programs

CEFS' Sustainable Agriculture Internship and Small Farm Unit Apprenticeship programs both had banner years, with interns and apprentices fully engaged in farm production work, educational opportunities, on-farm research, and the Goldsboro community. This was also the first year of the NC Growing Together Local Food Supply Chain Summer Apprenticeship Program. The seven participants spent eight weeks learning about local food supply chains at NCGT partner businesses and organizations.


Supporting Growth...of New Markets and Opportunities for 
North Carolina Producers

In 2015,  NC Choices organized the hugely successful  Carolina Meat Conference, hosting over 400 livestock producers, commercial meat processors, butchers, chefs, and allied professionals for two days of hands-on learning and networking in Winston-Salem, NC. With a focus on bringing the  entire local meat supply chain together, NC Choices is helping to build the niche meat industry in North Carolina.
 

NC Growing Together is building capacity for small and mid-sized farmers to sell into "mainstream" supply chains serving retail grocery and institutional food service markets. With project support, smaller-scale farmers have accessed new markets for their produce, on-farm bottled milk, and eggs, increasing local purchases by project partner Lowes Foods five-fold since 2012. 


Supporting Growth...of Consumer Awareness and Demand for Local Foods

The  NC 10% Campaign continues to grow, and now includes over 7760 individuals and 1058 businesses who spend 10% of their food budget on locally grown and produced foods - nearly $70 million in the last five years! Through a grant to  N.C. A&T, student Local Food Ambassadors are now promoting local foods at six minority-serving universities across the state, raising awareness and creating local food-to-institution pathways for small and limited resource farmers.


Supporting Growth... of the Next Generation of Food System Leaders

This year, CEFS created a full-time youth organizer position for the Food Youth Initiative (FYI). The statewide network of grassroots youth organizations supports youth working together to advance food justice in their local communities. FYI hosted its fourth annual week-long summer training at NC Central University, featuring guest LaDonna Redmond and culminating in a performance of the Soul Food Monologues at the Durham Arts Council.
 

FoodCorps North Carolina, co-hosted by CEFS and NC 4-H, has now grown to 14 service members at 10 sites across the state. In a survey conducted by the national FoodCorps office,  98% of school and community partners describe the work of FoodCorps as "highly valued", while 81% of school principals and administrators say their students have increased knowledge about what healthy food is.


Supporting Growth...in Advocating for Food System Equity

Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Food System CORE (Committee on Racial Equity) is a new CEFS initiative based in the Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T that seeks to understand how barriers operate to prohibit equity in the food system. The project will work with grassroots groups in three counties to evaluate root causes of food system inequities and
build collective solutions to address them. 


Supporting Growth...of Statewide Action Planning for Food System Change

Through the Community Food Strategies initiative, CEFS and its partners are working to strengthen community-based food systems through development and coordination of local food councils across the state. The CFS team is currently working with 38 councils in varying stages of maturity. CFS also connects these local councils with the State Food Council for maximum impact and coordination.


Supporting Growth...of Engagement Opportunities for the Public

CEFS' Outreach Programs - including our  
Seasons of Sustainable Agriculture Workshop SeriesAnnual Sustainable Agriculture Lecture, and Farm to Fork Picnic - all grew significantly this past year. The expanded Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend welcomed a record-breaking number of people over three days, raising key funds for 
beginner farmer programs at CEFS and Breeze Farm. James Beard award-winner and The New York Times best-selling author Paul Greenberg delivered our Annual Sustainable Agriculture Lecture, properly placing the state of American seafood squarely in the middle of the local food conversation

Will you be part of sustaining our growth? We will all share in the fruits of the harvest.  

Please support CEFS with your end-of-year gift by donating securely online at go.ncsu.edu/friendsofcefs.

With warm wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season, 







Dr. Nancy Creamer
Director, Center for Environmental Farming Systems









Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker
Interim Dean, School of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, N.C. A&T







Cheryl Queen
Chair, CEFS Board of Advisors