NC Growing Together News
Find news posts from 2013-2018 from our NC Growing Together Initiative. You can also find all these articles in our NCGT Newsletter archive.
Engaging Videos Highlight the Local Seafood Supply Chain, Local Foods as Economic Development
NC Growing Together has partnered with the NC 10% Campaign and Vittles Films to produce videos about local foods.
Whole Crop Harvest Brings Together Supply Chain Partners for Grade 2 Produce
Whole Crop Harvest (WCH) is bringing together partners from across the supply chain to reduce on-farm produce loss and increase farmer profitability.
NCGT Building Connections with Small Business Centers to Support Growth of Local Food Economy in North Carolina
NC Growing Together is catalyzing ties between food and farm businesses, educators, Cooperative Extension staff, and Small Business Centers (SBC) across the state to build business support and education for a thriving local food economy.
NC Farm to Early Care and Education Brings Together Children, Food, and Community
In collaboration with early educators, CEFS' Farm to Early Care and Education (NC Farm to ECE) Initiative created a series of eye-catching posters for young children that portray farmers and the vegetables they grow for their community - specifically highlighting women farmers and farmers of color.
Whole Crop Harvest Partners with Ashley Christensen’s AC Restaurants to Research Economics of Preserving Seasonal Local Tomatoes for Year-Round Use
The team found that purchasing 100% North Carolina tomatoes in season reduces the restaurant group's cost by nearly half, accomplishes the goal of sourcing exclusively local tomatoes, and will likely reduce on-farm food loss.
NC Choices Supports Whole Animal Purchasing Through Supply Chain Education and Capacity-Building
Whole animal purchasing benefits farmers in that they don't have to spend time marketing their meat, and is especially beneficial for rural farmers who don't have ready access to markets outside of urban centers.
New Resource Spotlight: How It Works Handbook
The How it Works Handbook: A Guide to University Food Systems and Local Food Programs explains the structure of the university dining system, steps for successful programs, and various pathways through which locally-grown food can reach campus community members.
New CEFS Initiative Tackles Farm-Level Food Loss
The goal of the Whole Crop Harvest initiative is to discover ways to recover and utilize produce that would otherwise not leave the field or packing shed.
UFOODS Supports Value Chain Collaboration to Bring Local Food to Campus at UNC-Pembroke
This past year, UFOODS worked with UNC-P Executive Chef Glenn Reynolds and produce wholesale/distributor FreshPoint to increase local sourcing for campus dining. The result of this collaboration? UNC-P more than doubled their year-over-year percentage of local produce (defined as sourced within 250 miles) purchased through FreshPoint, from 3.35% to 8.9%.
Students: Apply Now for the 2018 NCGT Local Food Supply Chain Apprenticeship
Gain experience related to local food systems and supply chains while working with the organizations that are making food systems change happen in North Carolina!
NCGT and NC State Extension Offer Resources and Workshops on Collaborative Farming in NC
NC Growing Together and NC State Extension are partnering to offer training and resources to farmers and extension agents who are interested in exploring various types of collaborative farming structures including cooperatives, limited liability companies, partnerships, corporations, and nonprofit associations.
NCGT Supply Chain Students Crunch the Numbers for Carolina Ground
When Jennifer Lapidus founded Carolina Ground in 2009 (as an initiative of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association), she had a vision. A former baker, she wanted to connect North Carolina's grain farmers, millers, and bakers - bringing together the grain supply chain to provide a consistent and sustainable market for southern-grown, organic grains.
Spotlight on New Resources
Two new resources from NC Growing Together: Hubs & Kitchens: Food Hubs, Commercial Community Kitchens, and Copackers in NC, and the Food Business Road Map.
Events for Local Government Officials Highlight Economic Development Potential of Local Food and Farm Businesses
In September, NCGT's Local Food Economies project and the NC 10% Campaign organized three Innovations in Economic Development through Local Foods gatherings to showcase investments that local and regional governments can make to support small and mid-scale food and farming businesses.
NCGT and Natural Capital Investment Fund Partner to Make On-Farm Cold Storage an Option for Small and Mid-Scale Farmers
NC Growing Together and the Natural Capital Investment Fund (NCIF) are working together to address a challenge for small and medium-scale farmers: lack of access to on-farm cold storage.
NCGT Apprentices Have Real World Impact at Seal the Seasons
When Claire McLendon accepted NC Growing Together's summer Local Food Supply Chain Apprenticeship in 2016, she had no idea it would actually lead to a two-summer apprenticeship and then a full-time job.
NCGT Support is Growing NC Small Business Centers’ “Agripreneurship” Programs at Community Colleges
September 2017 -- NC Growing Together support is increasing the capacity of North Carolina's Small Business Centers (SBCs) to advise clients on food- and farming-related businesses. NCGT scholarships brought nine Small Business Center directors and staff [...]
NCGT and CFSA Make Business Connections Happen at Grower-Buyer Meet-ups
September 2017 -- For the third year in a row, NC Growing Together and the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) will be hosting a Grower-Buyer Meet-up at CFSA's annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference. The Meet-up provides [...]
NC Growing Together Partners with Piedmont Triad Regional Council on GIS Update of NC Local Food Infrastructure Inventory
September 2017 -- NC Growing Together has partnered with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) to host a GIS update of the North Carolina Local Food Infrastructure Inventory. NC Growing Together originally established the [...]
NCGT Apprentice Katelyn Bailey, Small Business and Technology Development Center
August 2017 -- Katelyn Bailey is from Trinity, NC and is currently studying Horticulture at NC State University. Katelyn has brought her knowledge of the agriculture industry to her mentor organization, the Small Business and Technology [...]
NCGT Apprentice Ben Herndon, Foster-Caviness
August 2017 -- Ben Herndon grew up on his family's farm in Parkton, NC, and worked there until he started college at NC State. He is now a rising junior, majoring in Poultry Science and [...]
NCGT Apprentice Maria Vollmer, FreshPoint
August 2017 -- Maria Vollmer recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Environmental Policy and Planning. She is interested in the intersection of food and sustainability, and especially in food waste reduction. [...]
NCGT Apprentice Kate Ford, Polk County Agricultural Economic Development Center
August 2017 -- Kate is a rising senior at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, majoring in Environmental Science and Public Policy. She first became interested in agriculture while doing environmental conservation projects in [...]
NCGT Apprentice Chase McCurry, Onslow County Cooperative Extension
August 2017 -- Chase is a rising sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, studying business. He has lived most of his life in Jacksonville, NC, where both his parents retired from the military after being stationed [...]
NCGT Apprentice Casey Auch, Feast Down East
August 2017 -- Casey Auch is a rising senior at UNC-Wilmington, studying English and Professional Writing. Early in her college career Casey got involved in environmental activism, and soon turned her attention to local food [...]