I’m hunting the ghost of tobacco farming with Taylor Barnhill from the Appalachian Barn Alliance. As we drive around the tight curves and steep hillsides of Madison County, we see dozens of old barns teetering on the edge of the road. The wooden boards are worn and faded, vines climb up the sides, and many … Read more
ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talk with attorney Bill Durr of Ward and Smith, P.A., which is a sponsor of the 2020 Business of Farming Conference. Durr will co-lead a conference workshop, A Decade of Farming and the Legal Issues You’ll Face Along the Way.
If you drive through the hills and along the river in Madison County, North Carolina, you’ll see a community in transition. Some fields are fallow, others are filled with hay, and around the bend, farmers are growing fruits and vegetables while chickens, pigs, and sheep graze on open pasture. Just a few decades ago, Ross … Read more
The holiday season is in full swing here in Western North Carolina, and farmers markets are bustling with locals and visitors looking for holiday gifts. We ran into two customers at Asheville City Market who agreed to let us follow them around while they shopped. C.A. Carlson lives in Asheville and goes to Asheville City … Read more
ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month we talk with Cassandra Bare of Harvest Farm in Valle Crucis, NC, which has a host of fall activities for visitors.
The daily work of a farmer often involves a lot of physical labor, but farmers also do plenty of analyzing and strategizing. “We are constantly talking about, thinking about, planning, asking ourselves, ‘How do we market better? How do we sell this better? How do we grow this differently? What is the market wanting? What … Read more
ASAP likes to share the stories of people who help us fulfill our mission. This month, we talk with Amanda Clapp, a middle school science teacher at the Catamount School, a learning lab school operated by Western Carolina University in partnership with Jackson County Schools.
Mike and Rita Stepp are standing in their 70-acre farm and apple orchard in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The apples are almost ripe and soon people will come to pick them right off the trees. Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard is celebrating its 50th year as a u-pick farm and will kick off the season with popular varieties … Read more
The foods we eat as children often bring back the strongest memories. Even the humblest meals can be touchstones of culture and community. Sometimes these memories are even stronger for immigrants, for whom food is a powerful connection to the places they grew up. Suzy Phillips has a deep relationship with the food she ate … Read more
It’s a glorious morning at the North Asheville Tailgate Market. A jazz band serenades shoppers as sunlight filters through the trees. People wander through the tents, picking up fresh produce, cheese, and bread. The mood is languid and relaxed, but not for these farmers. “Market day is like an adrenaline rush,” says Krista Fayette, who … Read more