The Small Farm Unit completed the spring season of vegetable direct seeding and transplanting to the certified organic plot, is growing summer vegetable transplants in the greenhouse, and preparing for fall production as well.
The Farm to School Coalition of North Carolina (F2SCNC) and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) recently awarded $26,000 in farm to summer rapid response funding to Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and Community Organization Sponsors operating N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs to feed children in need.
We know that caregivers want to offer more fresh vegetables and fruits when it is feasible. We also know how challenging it can be to calculate how many pounds of vegetables or fruits to purchase for children in day care settings. It can also be difficult to know how much to serve participants of different age groups.
CEFS' Tropical Spiderwort eradication program is seeking a highly-motivated individual to help us scout and remove tropical spiderwort from CEFS’ Field Research, Education, and Outreach Facility at Cherry Research Farm in Goldsboro, NC.
Many CEFS staff and faculty collaborated on a recent publication in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development: “A collaborative approach to COVID-19 response: The Center for Environmental Farming Systems community-based food system initiatives."
The Farm to Senior Services project will create and connect three county-based teams including Extension agents, food councils, farmers, intermediary food businesses (e.g. food hubs or aggregators), and senior meal service institutional buyers. The project team aims to improve institutional procurement policy, address procurement challenges of county-based institutions, provide resources and technical assistance for farmers, and support increased availability of local foods for older adults in North Carolina.
The Small Farm Unit at the NCDA&CS Cherry Research Farm is collaborating with East Carolina University (ECU) to establish a vegetable-based clinic program in collaboration with Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, NC.
In collaboration with the Children’s Environmental Health Branch in the Division of Public Health, NC Department of Health and Human Services, the NC Farm to Preschool Network has released “Serving Local Foods in North Carolina Child Care Centers – Guidance on Food Preparation and Gardening.”
CEFS Co-Director Dr. Liang and Seasonal Technician Salina Brown at the Small Farm Unit harvested and donated produce during the pandemic. Have you tried bitter melon, fuzzy melon, or water spinach? These and many other specialty crops can be grown well in North Carolina and bring farmers a great price per pound. [...]
Dr. Alan J. Franzluebbers and Dr. Nancy Creamer recently contributed to a publication, "Focusing the Future of Farming on Agroecology" in Agricultural & Environmental Letters.
