ASAP Connections

ASAP invites you to an exclusive, private tour of Biltmore’s agriculture and forestry operations. Biltmore’s west side farm is not normally open to the public.

The tour will take place October 26 and 27, 2018. Highlights will include a look at Biltmore’s biofuel production facility, field-to-table garden featuring hydroponics, vineyards, livestock, and original barns. Dr. Ted Katsigianis, VP of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Biltmore, will lead the tour.

Tickets for this exclusive opportunity are $30. Attendees will need to select either the October 26 tour at 5:30 pm OR the October 27 tour at 10:30 am. UPDATE: the October 27 tour is sold out.

In addition to the private tour, attendees will have free access to the estate grounds including Antler Hill Village & Winery. Guests who want to tour Biltmore House will need to purchase an additional ticket from Biltmore.

All proceeds support ASAP. Only a limited number of tickets are available, so buy yours today!

ASAP’s Local Food Research Center has a new report: The Growth and Transition of Sustainable Production Practices in WNC. The report explores changes in the growing practices of local farmers from 2008 to 2016. We find that over this time period more farmers produced food for local markets using sustainable production practices; non-certified organic was the most commonly used practice. Find out more by reading the full report.

A hands-on conference for practitioners, researchers, and influencers to empower the practice of healthcare to support healthy eating.

The 2018 Healthy Eating in Practice Conference will be held August 26-29, 2018, at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC, jointly provided by ASAP, Duke University World Food Policy Center, University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and MAHEC.

For more information, visit www.healthyeatinginpractice.org.

ASAP’s Local Food Research Center has a new report entitled “The End of Tobacco and the Rise of Local Food in Western North Carolina.” For nearly a century farming in Western North Carolina revolved around tobacco. Rows of burley tobacco were commonplace throughout the region, and for generations farmers relied on this cash crop each season. That all changed with the passage of the tobacco buyout in 2004. This report finds that the region has all but lost tobacco but local food has emerged as a promising new direction for mountain farmers.

ASAP is on the air! Growing Local is ASAP’s weekly radio series that airs on WNCW on Mondays during Morning Edition at 8:45 am. Growing Local Radio comes from ASAP’s Local Food Research Center, and features stories about local food and farms in the Southern Appalachians. We began the series in November 2015 and have almost 150 episodes to date.

If you miss an episode on the radio, or want to tune in to past episodes, you can follow our SoundCloud page, where they’ll be posted each week, or go to Growing Local on iTunes. All past episodes are also available on our website. Follow ASAP on Facebook and Twitter to receive weekly links to new episodes.