A summer

of agriculture
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

With farmers’ markets in full swing and local produce showing up in the garden and on the dinner table, agricultural officials are hosting a number of upcoming events to ensure the banquet remains lush and healthy. The following events take place this month:

June 10: BRWIA Meeting and Panel on Local Meats
Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture’s potluck and presentation relating to local food issues will be held on Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center.
Bring a dish to share, your own beverage, and join BRWIA in hearing from a panel of local producers of meat products including beef, pork and poultry.
The farmers will describe how they raise their animals and will discuss the pros and cons involved in raising animals on a small scale.
There will also be a general discussion about the advantages of purchasing locally produced meats. More information about the groups events are at www.brwia.org.

June 14: Leola Street Community Garden Workday
and Summer Planting Workshop
The Leola Street Community Garden in Boone is a communal learning and growing experience.
The garden group has monthly workdays scheduled through the rest of the season, and Saturday’s event will feature a free workshop by the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.
Topics include ideal harvesting conditions for vegetable crops, planting later-season crops into those areas freed-up by harvests, and mulching for water conservation.
For more information about the Leola Street Community Garden, visit www.leolastreetgarden.org.

June 19: Local Foods Buyer
and Grower Networking Event
In 2006, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture embarked on a project that surveyed schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions about their food-purchasing practices. BRWIA will release results of the survey and introduce producers and consumers to each other to foster a sustainable local food system in the community. Farmers, institutional leaders and local chefs will gather to share information.
Snacks and live music will be featured from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Apple Barn in Valle Crucis. Space is limited. Please RSVP to Angie Pate at brwia@yahoo.com or (828) 406-2533 by June 13.

June 21-22: Appalachian Harvest
Organic Farm Tours on Insect Control
Regional tours are sponsored regularly by Appalachian Sustainable Development.The first tour will be June 21 at the farm of Gary and Cindy Laws in Stickleyville, Va. The second tour will be in Abingdon, Va. on June 22 at Abingdon Organics Farm. For more information, call Appalachian Sustainable Development at (276) 623-1121 or email tpeterson@asdevelop.org.

June 25: Specialty Crops Field Day in Laurel Springs
The Upper Mountain Research Station, located in the eastern Ashe County, hosts a number of research and demonstration efforts geared toward improving the productivity and profitability of agriculture. The 450-acre research station will be open to visitors and showcasing its several research projects on Specialty Crops Production.
Programs begin at 9:30 a.m., and will include presentations by leaders from N.C. State University, N.C. Cooperative Extension and the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Tips on plant health, organic production and soils will be offered. The event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required. To register, call the Upper Mountain Research Station at (336)982-2501. A lunch sponsored by Dole Foods will be served.

Aug. 1: Deadline for 2008 Tobacco
Trust Fund Commission grants
The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission is accepting grant applications for the 2008 grant cycle. Completed applications (one original plus four copies) are to be postmarked no later than Friday, Aug. 1. The commission expects to announce its awards by the end of October.

During the 2008 cycle, the commission will consider applications for projects that indirectly compensate groups that demonstrate economic losses resulting in benefits to the state as well as to the affected groups, and Qualified Agricultural Programs that enhance the vitality of the tobacco-related section of the agricultural economy. More information about this year’s TTF grant cycle can be found at www.tobaccotrustfund.org/grants/index.htm.