It’s been a few months since you’ve last heard from us. Like you growers, over at CFSA, we’ve had a busy summer. We’ve been putting our energy into hosting tons of food safety, building wholesale capacity, and conservation workshops all over North and South Carolina. We’ve also been gearing up for the 2019 Sustainable Agriculture Conference, which is only six weeks away!

There is a lot of conference news we could share, but it’s likely that you’re already following the conference blog or emails, so we’ll keep it short and sweet in case you’ve seen some of this on our other channels. Here are the highlights:

Climate adaptation and mitigation is a central theme.

Pre-conference intensives and workshops specifically for advanced growers and livestock farmers. With over 130 speakers representing 100 different farms, organizations, and institutions in the Southeast you are bound to find a workshop that fits your needs!

The first-ever Southeast Organic Seed Summit is bringing together the region’s leading seed experts, researchers, and breeders in an effort to broaden the network of organic seed stakeholders in the Carolinas.

New opportunities to learn about industrial hemp from researchers, policymakers, and farmers in the Carolinas, including a bus tour with hands-on demonstrations.

CFSA’s 40th Birthday Party! Help us celebrate with live music and birthday cake during the Saturday night reception.

Nominations for our Annual Awards are open until Oct. 15 to recognize leaders in sustainable agriculture in North and South Carolina. Anyone can nominate – will you help us?

Beyond that, this edition includes news on:

• Cost-share programs in NC & SC are accepting applications to reimburse organic certification costs last year.
• CFSA’s 2019 Grower-Buyer Meetup in November
• Extension on an exemption for NC farmers to process poultry for others
• Updated CFSA organic enterprise budgets to help you budget 10 crops
• Meet our newest hire: Dylan Alexander, Lomax Farm Coordinator
• A new grant through SSARE
• USDA resources for farmers affected by 2018-2019 disasters

Cheers,

Karen McSwain, CFSA’s Associate Executive Director for Programs