HomeGrown Directory

The Alternative Agriculture Advisory Committee for Ashe and Watauga counties met with representatives from different groups across the area for a planning session.

The Independent Small Animal Meat Processors of WNC has been formed as an advocacy organization to provide training and education to those wishing to professionalize their businesses, and to advocate for the development of an inspected slaughter and processing facility in the region.

Last month the organization received a small grant from USDA to help organize the group. Thomas Beckett, a lawyer and friend of agriculture in Henderson County, assisted in filing articles of incorporation for the association as a nonprofit focused on training and education.

The NCA&T State University Mycology program is again operating its shiitake mushroom mycelium (aka – spawn) distribution program. The purpose of this program is to encourage the growth of an NC-based mushroom production network. In order to receive shiitake spawn, growers must agree to cut 200 or more oak logs this season (between now and 3/15/07), and purchase the other mushroom inoculation supplies themselves, including drills, bits, spawn plungers, etc. Spawn for log inoculation will be available from January 22 through March 31 2007. All shiitake mushroom farmers, old and new, should contact their county agents as to their interest in participating in this year’s program.

The Save Our Seed project is addressing one of the most daunting problems among organic producers with our free Organic Seed Sourcing Service. By making readily available our access to comprehensive seed dealer databases, we are able to quickly and easily provide lists of available organic seeds to growers with specific requests. We are now more accessible on the web at www.organicseedsourcing.com, and this year we are also offering, when available to us, lists of equivalent cultivars in the case that the requested seed is, to our knowledge, not available organically. These lists will be provided to us by seed dealers if they feel they offer a seed comparable to one being sought by the grower.

Cultivating the New Wellness-Driven Economy in North Carolina
November 17-18, 2006
Friday 12 pm – 8 pm
Saturday 8 am – 6 pm

At the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC

For more information please visit the Blue Ridge Gazette.

Local Heritage Farm - Turtle Island Preserve, is selling several baby goats from our dairy herd. Milking and stud goats, excellent breeding, high quality milk! Inquire by phone. 828. 265. 2267 Ask for Eustace

Some farmers in our area have already used the large NCA&T State University shared-use mulch layer that requires a large (>40 HP at the PTO) tractor to use successfully. If you have the right machine to pull it, it's a great tool. It remains available for use, and if you are interested in borrowing it to put in a late crop of tomatoes, squash, melons, etc., please contact me (Richard Boylan: 828-264-3061 or 336-219-2650).
This year, NCA&T State University has also purchased a shared-use mulch layer that can be mounted on a Category 1 Hitch, and can be pulled with the smaller tractors that are common in our region (>20 HP at the PTO). The attachment can be pulled across any well-prepared field (rototilled or extensively disc'ed) and in one pass it lays drip-tape, creates a raised-bed, and lays plastic mulch down. It's a nice unit that can handle 36" wide rolls of plastic, making a bed that is approximately 18" across at the top. On Wednesday, 5/31, Ashe County Farmer Joe Martin volunteered to haul this unit from Burnsville to Piney Creek (thanks Joe!), and we tried it out at Rocking S Farm, with good results. The unit is booked to be used at Joe's (in Grassy Creek), then Charles Church's (in Valle Crucis). If you want your farm to be next, please contact me (Richard Boylan: 828-264-3061 or 336-219-2650). Because this is a shared piece of equipment, and will need to go to other counties soon, it is important that you do all field prep ahead of time.

Boone's efforts toward natural pest control found national recognition in an article in Pest Control Magazine. The focus was on four bat houses installed to help control mosquitos, with a promise of more if these are successful. The story was originally reported in the Mountain Times.