This session is for existing farm businesses seeking to add an on-property farmstand to their operations Tuesday, September 23, 6:00-7:00pm Have you thought of starting a farm stand? This family added a serve yourself farm stand in 2023 and have a great story to tell about adding this market channel to their income mix from [...]
Are you looking to start or grow your food business in North Carolina? Join us for a comprehensive symposium designed to guide local entrepreneurs through the essential steps of building a successful food business. Whether you're making jams, bread, salsa, or pet food from home, this event is packed with expert-led sessions on food regulations, [...]
***Please note this event has been cancelled.*** Learn how aspects of post-harvest handling veggies and see a cool bot in action at our workshop on April 2nd at 9:00 AM! The activities you take during harvest and postharvest handling of your vegetables can have a big impact on the shelf-life, quality and safety of your [...]
***Please note this event has been cancelled.*** This Workshop will include a post-harvest lecture, hands-on grading exercise and a pack and cool demonstration. The activities you take during harvest and postharvest handling of your vegetables can have a big impact on the shelf-life, quality and safety of your produce. In this workshop, not only will [...]
CEFS' Supply Chain Internship supports local food hubs in increasing their capacity to connect farmers with institutional markets. The Farm to Senior Services (F2SS) program is based in three pilot counties across North Carolina and aims to increase local food procurement in county-based senior food services. During summer 2021, three supply chain interns were based at different food hubs where they improved their professional skills while moving the goals of the pilot program forward.
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.
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.”
Why measure crops you’ve already decided aren’t worth harvesting? We can give you one good reason. Our team learned several leftover crops on North Carolina farms were of high enough quality to sell profitably. On the flip side, we also learned some crops wouldn’t justify the cost of sending the harvest crews back in.
