EARLY OPENING OF VACATIONER SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE
Local Produce Bag Pre-Orders Currently Open in Eight Realties
EmPOWERING Mountain Food Systems and NC State Extension have announced that the Vacationer Supported Agriculture (VSA) initiative has, for the fifth year in a row, opened new markets, extended its season, and diversified its product offerings.
We are excited to launch the VSA program expansion to include popular mountain destinations in Jackson and Haywood Counties. The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority and Haywood County Tourism Development Authorities are helping to recruit rental agencies to promote the program by delivering local farm products to vacationers in the region.
In 2022 deliveries in VSA markets will commence the first weekend in May and continue to the last weekend in September. This represents the addition of 8 more weeks to the regular 12-week summer season during which vacationers may purchase fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, and in some markets, a variety of meat bundles, and fresh floral bouquets, from farmers operating within a 50 mile radius of the vacation destinations.
The concept for VSA was developed by a team of specialists from NC State Extension and Tourism Extension as part of a 3-year USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant. Through its online partner, People First Provisions, VSA coordinates the sale of weekly produce bags to vacationers over the summer tourism season and now the month long shoulder season before and after the high season. NC State’s project team and county Extension partners coordinate groups of local farmers in the growing, packaging, and delivery of bags of local food to pick-up locations convenient to vacationers. This coordination is introduced to vacationers through local realty companies who partner in the VSA program.
VSA works with nonprofit groups, as well as select farms, to aggregate and distribute the VSA bags. In Jackson County, Lisa McBride at WNC Farm-to-Table manages the program and in Haywood County, farmers Mighty Gnome Market Garden and Outlaw Acres provide fresh fruit and vegetables to fill the signature red insulated bags. This market also offers meat, eggs and flowers as add-ons to the produce bag orders.
Eight regional rental agencies and communities are partnering with the The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority and Haywood County Tourism Development Authority to support local and regional agriculture.
The NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission supports the VSA program through grant funding for the aggregators serving each VSA market.
VSA has been both regionally and nationally recognized as an innovative approach to direct to consumer farm sales. For more information, please contact Laura Lauffer at lwlauffe@ncsu.edu, |919 444 1478 (cell) or 828 359 6926 (office).
Click here for the link to all NC VSA ordering sites, or see below for Haywood and Jackson county specific ordering.
HAYWOOD
VisitNC Smokies: https://www.p1provisions.com/visit-nc-smokies/
Premier Vacation Rentals: https://www.p1provisions.com/premier-vacation-rentals/
Magnolia Concierge: https://www.p1provisions.com/magnolia-concierge/
Smoky Mountain Retreat: https://www.p1provisions.com/smoky-mountain-retreat/
Maggie Mountain Vacations: https://www.p1provisions.com/maggie-mountain-vacations/
Landmark Vacations: https://www.p1provisions.com/landmark-vacations/
JACKSON
Discover Jackson NC: https://www.p1provisions.com/discover-jackson-nc/
Bear Lake Reserve: https://www.p1provisions.com/bear-lake-reserve/
Sundog Vacation Rentals: https://www.p1provisions.com/sundog-vacation-rentals/
