June 19, 2019: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: JJ Richardson, CEFS Communications Manager, 919-889-8219 or jblevinr@ncsu.edu

Raleigh, NC:  Twenty-five years ago in North Carolina, amid rising concern about the impact of agriculture on the environment, a groundbreaking partnership was established.  North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services founded the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) at Cherry Research Farm in Goldsboro on Feb. 1, 1994.

The Center was dedicated to long-term, large-scale sustainable agriculture research and demonstration, the first such site in the state of North Carolina, and one of only a handful in the country.  Then-NC Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham presided over the Center’s launch.  At the time, he said, “He or she who plants thorns can never get roses.  We’re planting roses today.”

Non-profit organizations including NC Farm Bureau Federation, Land Loss Prevention Project, Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA and Carolina Farm Stewardship Association joined with farmers and citizens to advise the process.  Bringing together such diverse stakeholders to sit at the table and find common interests was a significant accomplishment, says CEFS Founding Director Dr. Nancy Creamer. “CEFS was a bridge-builder then, and we pride ourselves on being a bridge-builder now,” she says.

CEFS soon became recognized not only for its unique founding partnership, but also for its contributions to large-scale and long-term field research.  Over the years CEFS expanded its focus to include the entire food system, becoming a statewide program with community, non-profit, county government, state agency, and small and large business partners.  It is now one of the nation’s most important centers for research, extension, and education in sustainable agriculture and local food systems.

In honor of its 25^th Anniversary, CEFS will release a series of videos that highlight the impact the organization has had in North Carolina and beyond.  Today, CEFS released the first video in the series, “Chapter 1: Founding Story”.  Watch the video and learn more about CEFS’ 25th Anniversary at: https://cefs.ncsu.edu/25th-anniversary/

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems is a partnership of NC State University, NC Agricultural and Technical State University and the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. CEFS develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities, improve health outcomes, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. For more information, please visit www.cefs.ncsu.edu.

Download this press release as a printable PDF.

By Dr. Nancy Creamer, Founding Director, Center for Environmental Farming Systems

When the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) was founded at Cherry Research Farm in 1994, Bill Clinton was president of the United States, a stamp cost .29 cents, and The Lion King was the highest-grossing film of the year.  I came to NC State University as an Assistant Professor of Horticulture and soon became engaged with other faculty who had been working hard to develop CEFS.  In 1998 I became the Coordinator of CEFS’ Organic Production Systems Unit, and in 2000 I was asked to be CEFS’ Founding Director.

Stepping into CEFS’ early days, it was clear right away what made this new initiative different: it was an innovative, interdisciplinary, collaborative effort between different departments at multiple universities, and included voices from non-profit organizations, farmers, and the general public.  People came from widely different perspectives, but they all had the same goal: enhancing agriculture in North Carolina.  I immediately saw the potential of what CEFS could become and I wanted to be part of it.

Everything about CEFS was novel.  The founding partnership of North Carolina’s two land-grant universities, along with the state Department of Agriculture, was unique in the country –and still is.  From the beginning CEFS was a convener, bringing diverse stakeholders to the table, forging unlikely alliances to work through differences and find common ground.  CEFS was a bridge-builder then, and we pride ourselves on being a bridge-builder now.

One of our first tasks was setting up the field research and education units, including the Farming Systems Research Unit.  The unit was established with a unique purpose: a large-scale, interdisciplinary, 100+ year trial comparing different farm management systems’ effects on soil health, sustainability, and other factors that can only be evaluated over the long term.

The 200-acre experiment is now in its twentieth year.   Research findings from this experiment and the other CEFS research units – Pasture-Based Dairy, Pasture-Based Beef, Alternative Swine Production, Organic Research, Agroforestry, and the Small Farm Unit – have increased our understanding of different management approaches and led to important recommendations for farmers.

CEFS has always taken a systems approach, recognizing that agricultural and food systems are complex and interconnected.  We embrace that complexity and realize that only by working on the entire system can real change be achieved.

CEFS was founded as a way to address the impacts of agriculture on the environment.  As the national conversation around food and agriculture has evolved, so has our perspective.  We now have a broader understanding of the kinds of issues that food systems work can address: diet-related health impacts, food security, rural economic development, equity, and climate change, to name a few.

This broader understanding has fueled CEFS’ growth as CEFS has transformed from a purely field research-based program to a more comprehensive statewide program with community, non-profit, county government, state agency, and small and large business partners.

CEFS is addressing inequities in the food system; working to create a system in which fresh, healthy food is accessible to all.  No one wants a food system in which only wealthy people have access to fresh, healthy food from our local farms.

Our challenge now is to have an even bigger systems approach: thinking about how to get healthy food to all people in North Carolina in a way that revitalizes our rural economy, supports our farmers, and is rooted in local communities.

I’m proud of what CEFS has accomplished in its first 25 years, and I’m excited to see what CEFS will do in its next quarter century.  We hope you’ll be right there with us.

Learn more!  Visit our 25th Anniversary homepage.