Growing Local Radio Series

It’s a busy Wednesday afternoon and Shannon Barrett, human resource manager for the City of Asheville, is standing in the lobby of Asheville City Hall. Employees and visitors are rushing to appointments upstairs, but Shannon has a reason to slow […]Read More ▶▶

Walk into a grocery store during the height of summer and you’re bound to see a tower of tomatoes. If you are lucky, these tomatoes didn’t travel far. But even knowing the name of the local farm does not capture […]Read More ▶▶

When Andrea Vangunst from Grassroots Farm and Dairy was a child, she was eager to help her father raise cattle near their home in Virginia.  “My dad also worked full time so his farming hours were the shoulder times of […]Read More ▶▶

Going apple picking is a hallmark of fall. Plucking apples from a tree and drinking a cup of cider is a way to experience local agriculture and reconnect with nature as cool weather approaches. Although many autumn activities are on […]Read More ▶▶

Back-to-school season is usually a time when kids from Western North Carolina go on farm field trips and meet farmers in the classroom as part of ASAP’s Growing Minds program. This year, distanced learning has put many of these activities […]Read More ▶▶

Having access to fresh, nutritious food is even more essential during a pandemic. However, high unemployment rates have put a strain on many people’s food budgets, prompting more people to seek support from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also […]Read More ▶▶

ASAP’s Appalachian Farms Feeding Families program has been connecting farmers with people in need of nutritious food since May. The initiative has two goals: to provide fresh, healthy food to people and communities that are experiencing hardships during COVID-19, and […]Read More ▶▶

Sometimes a thoughtful gift can cause a chain reaction. A curiosity becomes a hobby that turns into a family business and eventually becomes a cornerstone of a community. When Aron and Jessica Wehr first moved from Pennsylvania to Robbinsville, North […]Read More ▶▶

Food sovereignty has been central to indigenous communities for thousands of years. Families worked together to grow gardens, prepare meals, and share or trade the bounty with each other. Growing traditional crops like corn, beans, and pumpkins was not only […]Read More ▶▶

Every year, farmers rely on a network of resource providers to help them navigate the challenges of farming. NC State Cooperative Extension is one of these critical resources, answering questions and helping farmers troubleshoot everything from pest management to food […]Read More ▶▶