Connect with exhibitors from a variety of regional agricultural and business services at the 2024 Business of Farming Conference.
A-B Tech Small Business Center offers no-cost services, including confidential counseling, seminars, and workshops for business owners and entrepreneurs at all levels.
AgSouth Farm Credit is an agricultural lending cooperative owned by its member-borrowers and is part of the nationwide Farm Credit system. AgSouth provides loans for land, production agriculture, farm equipment, crop insurance, leasing, and home mortgages, serving 147 counties across Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Biltmore values environmental stewardship and views it as natural extension of George Vanderbilt’s original vision for his estate. We seek to use resources wisely and encourage consideration of how to maintain farming operations long into the future. Local agriculture products are one of the biggest assets to our sustainability mission.
Carolina Common Enterprise focuses on co-ops that address unemployment, poverty, and other issues affecting small, rural, and urban communities face across the Southeast.
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is committed to creating a sustainable and equitable regional food system that benefits all consumers, farmers, farmworkers, and ecosystems. We achieve this by bringing together farmers, consumers, businesses, nonprofits, and governments to make the Carolinas a model for a better, cleaner, and healthier food system.
Clean Water Lab is a local water and food safety testing laboratory. Our services range from Escherichia coli and total coliform testing in drinking or surface waters to food pathogen testing in food and environmental swab samples. We specialize in microbial analysis for GAP certification and help farms prepare for new FSMA water testing requirements.
Dirtcraft Living Soils is a local manufacturer of organic and peat-free potting soils for farmers.
Eagle Solar and Light installs commercial and residential solar and battery storage.
Farm Service Agency, USDA, administers federal farm programs, including farm ownership/operating loans; microloans ($50K and less); youth loans; conservation work; emergency and disaster assistance; Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, Farm Storage Facility Loans; and others.
GA Farm Link is a farm linking service across GA, with emphasis on underserved communities, succession planning, and beginner farmers and ranchers.
Good Agriculture is a people-first, tech-enabled company that does the back office support for farmers to help their business thrive. We help farmers find funding through our free grants tool, manage bookkeeping, and reach more customers through marketing.
MarketLink is a program of the National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs. In partnership with the USDA and Novo Dia Group, MarketLink assists farmers markets and direct marketing farmers with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Retailer Application and connects them with free app-based SNAP Electronic Benefit Transfer processing equipment as well as an online eCommerce platform.
Mountain BizWorks is a U.S. Treasury–certified nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI). For over 30 years, Mountain BizWorks has been making business loans ranging from $1,000 to $500,000 to small businesses in Western North Carolina who may find it difficult to secure funding from banks and other traditional sources.
NC FarmLink is a program of NC State Extension that connects farmers, landowners, and service providers to farm transition resources. We will help guide farm seekers and landowners through considerations and assist you in locating resources you will need when negotiating a land tenure arrangement. We also offer no-cost farm succession consultations.
North Carolina Agricultural Mediation Program provides grant-funded free services for producers such as mediation for covered disputes, farm succession facilitations, and credit counseling.
Organic Growers School is the premier provider of practical and affordable organic education in the Southern Appalachians, building a vibrant food and farming community by boosting the success of organic home growers and farmers.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) is a USDA-funded program that provides grant opportunities to farmers, researchers, and ag community leaders to conduct research and education projects in areas of sustainable agriculture.
Ward and Smith, P.A., is a law firm deeply invested in the local food and farm scene. Our legal services extend across Western North Carolina and beyond, offering both specialized farming expertise and broader business, HR, and estate planning support. We also extend our support to the businesses that champion local produce. In essence, we’re woven into the fabric of the local food movement, helping it thrive from farm to fork.
The Western Women’s Business Center meets the needs of women entrepreneurs through one-on-one business coaching, workshops, and access to capital. Our team of experts offers support on a range of topics small businesses need to start and grow. We are a program of Carolina Small Business Development Fund, a statewide nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with a mission to foster economic development in the state of North Carolina.
WNC Energy Conservation Assistance Program provides farmers and rural small business owners of Western North Carolina with free technical guidance, educational resources, and connection to cost-share assistance to fund energy efficiency measures and renewable energy systems for their operations. Incentives are at an all time high due to the Inflation Reduction Act, making energy savings accessible, affordable, and a good business decision.
WNC Farmers Market is the premier destination for buying and selling the region’s best agriculture products directly from farmers and food producers to household and wholesale customers in an environment that celebrates the region’s diverse culture, food, and heritage.