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.
North Carolina’s Community Colleges Fill Important Need: Business Training for Farmers
Tiffany Henry with Appalachian Business of Farming students. February 2017 -- North Carolina's community colleges are stepping in to fill a critical need in rural communities across the state: training farmers on the [...]
Upcoming Workshops: Season Extension with High Tunnels & Good Agricultural Practices
Season Extension with High Tunnels March 27, 2017 | Concord, NC | Info March 28, 2017 | Greensboro, NC | Info For more information on these season extension workshops, please visit the CEFS website. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) [...]
Supply Chain Collaboration Brings NC-Branded Shrimp Home for the Holidays
Photo courtesy of Mr. Big Seafood. January 2017 -- This past holiday season, shoppers were in for a special treat when they found frozen North Carolina shrimp at area Weaver Street Market [...]
NC Growing Together Supports Pastured Meat Business Development in North Carolina
January 2017 -- NC Growing Together partners with NC Choices to build pastured meat supply chains in North Carolina. The two CEFS initiatives conducted the 2013 and 2016 NC Niche Meat Producer Surveys to gather information to describe and measure the value of this growing industry; created user-friendly infographics that break down the total and per-pound cost of producing pastured poultry and pork; and are providing business and marketing assistance and workshops for livestock producers and meat retailers.
NCGT Partner FreshPoint to Host Information Sessions for Local Growers
January 2017 -- FreshPoint, the largest foodservice distributor of fresh produce in the country, has been an NC Growing Together partner since 2015. The distributor has hosted a NC Growing Together Summer Local Food Supply [...]
NCGT Offers Resources, Food Safety Training for Cheesemakers and Dairy Producers
Packaging chevre at Buffalo Creek Farm and Creamery October/November 2016 -- In October, NC Growing Together offered a day-long training for cheesemakers and dairy producers focusing on the basics of Hazard Analysis [...]
Season Extension Brings New Market Possibilities for North Carolina Farmers
NCGT-sponsored High Tunnel intensive at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association conference. October/November 2016 -- North Carolina has ample sunshine and rain, great soils, and - with season extension [...]
NC State Poole College of Management MBA Student Teams Investigate Business Opportunities in Local Food Supply Chains
Working Landscapes staff and MBA students in Warrenton, NC. October/November 2016 -- NC Growing Together has been sponsoring MBA student teams from NC State University's Poole College of Management to investigate food [...]
New Agricultural Infographics Provide Powerful Tool for Counties and Communities to Examine Their Own Local Food Economies
August/September 2016 -- The USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program funds valuable projects across the U.S. One of the outputs of a recent CEFS-led SARE grant is a set of NC Agricultural Infographics. The infographics [...]
A Government Guide on Building Local Food Economies
August/September 2016 -- NCGT's Local Food Economies initiative has released a new Government Guide on Building Local Food Economies. The guide's online format makes it easy for planners, economic developers, and local government administrators to quickly [...]
Statewide Success Stories Illustrate “What’s Working” in Local Food Economic Development
August/September 2016 -- From the Appalachian Farm School in Western North Carolina to non-profit Working Landscapes in Warren County, cities, towns, and rural areas are finding innovative ways to support economic and business development [...]
NCGT Launches Local Food Economies Initiative
August/September 2016 -- NC Growing Together has launched a new effort to engage local governments in the work of building local food systems. The goal of the Local Food Economies (LFE) initiative is to [...]
NCGT Apprentice Sandy Ramsey, Lowes Foods
July 2016 - This summer, Sandy Ramsey has been the apprentice for Lowes Foods,where she has been working with Krista Morgan, Lowes Foods' Locally Grown Accounts Representative and Liaison to NCGT. Her experiences working on [...]
NCGT Apprentice Enoch Sarku, Piedmont Grown
July 2016 - A graduate student studying Agribusiness and Food Industry Management at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Enoch Sarku has enjoyed being the NCGT Apprentice for Piedmont Grown. Having worked with N.C. [...]
NCGT Apprentice Natalie Markowitz, Richmond County Cooperative Extension
July 2016 - A rising senior at Duke University, Natalie Markowitz is interested in global food systems and what connects and disrupts food supply chains. Working with Paige Burns and Susan Kelly in the Richmond County [...]
NCGT Apprentice Gigi Lytton, NC Catch and NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
July 2016 - Gigi is no stranger to the NCGT summer apprenticeship, having worked as the Lowes Foods apprentice last year. This summer, she has been working with NC Catch and the North Carolina [...]
NCGT Apprentice Sebastian Irby, Feast Down East
July 2016 - Sebastian Irby grew up eating local, organic produce. Studying sustainability at Wake Forest University, Sebastian was particularly interested in a food and policy class that discussed local food systems. That interest led [...]
NCGT Apprentice Taylor Halso, Onslow County Cooperative Extension
July 2016 - Taylor Halso, a junior at the University of Mount Olive, has been working with Onslow County Cooperative Extension Director Peggie Garner. She hopes to go into social work on a military base [...]
NCGT Apprentice Rose Mayo, TRACTOR Food and Farms
July 2016 - Rose Mayo, the NCGT apprentice with TRACTOR Food and Farms, has been learning all about what makes a food hub function successfully. She has a passion for supporting local farming, which stems [...]
NCGT Apprentice Michelle McCallum, NC State University
July 2016 - Michelle McCallum is a rising junior, studying Animal Science and Agricultural Business at NC State University. As an NCGT apprentice this summer, she has continued the work she began in the spring [...]
NCGT Apprentice Laura Mindlin, Eastern Carolina Organics
July 2016 - For Laura Mindlin, working with Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO) has allowed her to not only learn about successful food hubs and wholesale produce distribution, but it also gave her the opportunity to move [...]
NCGT Apprentice Sarah Miller, Cumberland County Cooperative Extension
July 2016 - This summer, Sarah Miller has found that her work with Kenny Bailey in the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension office has allowed her to blend her studies in marketing with her interest and [...]
NCGT Apprentice Sarah Massey, FreshPoint
July 2016 - As the FreshPoint apprentice, Sarah Massey has been learning a great deal about wholesale marketing and food service. Studying food and nutrition at Meredith College, she found a particular interest in local and [...]
NCGT Apprentice Claire McLendon, Farmer Foodshare and Working Landscapes
July 2016 - This summer, Claire McLendon has had the opportunity to join her interests in local food and flow charts to help Karla Capacetti, of Farmer Foodshare in Durham, and Gabriel Cummings, of Working [...]
CEFS’ Supply Chain Scholars Bridge Business, Local Food Systems Work
Graham Givens May/June 2016 -- The Center for Environmental Farming Systems' Supply Chain Scholars are creating connections between business and local food systems work. Graham Givens and Kaitlyn Sutton are both MBA students [...]