Featured Resources

 Each month we do our best to highlight useful resources.  We hope you enjoy what we've dug up!

June 2013: Locally Sourced Food Movement: A Study of Brands, Opportunity and Trust

Picture
"First in a series of research studies dedicated to advancing knowledge on the issues and trends most important to our agriculture and food system clients"
 
"On a deeper level, we want to fundamentally understand how people behave, why they behave that way and what influences their behavior..."
-  www.charlestonorwig.com

May 2013: Characteristics of Women Farm Operators and Their Farms

Picture
The share of U.S. farms operated by women nearly tripled over the past three decades. Using Census of Agriculture data from 1978 through 2007, this report provides detailed information about women farmers and the types of farms they operate.

Published April 2013

 April 2013: The Fruit & Vegetable Program News

Picture

From the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. Winter/Spring 2013 Edition. Includes information about the SPecialty Crops Inspection Division, USDA Market News, and more. Click the picture to learn more. 

March 2013: How to Advocate Locally for Sustainable Food and Farms -  A Brief How-To Manual 

For the past three years, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) has been researching and testing a model of organizing at the local level. After a series of meetings with local food activists, farmers and organizers, CFSA has distilled key lessons for doing local food organizing in the Carolinas.  This web-based tutorial includes these key lessons, actions steps, inspirational success stories and resources.

February 2013: Barriers to the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: Working Farmer and Change Agent Perspectives from Southern SARE 

Barriers to Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Topics
File Size: 1541 kb
File Type: doc
Download File
 This research project was funded by the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SSARE), and sought to identify determinants of sustainable agriculture practices adoption by engaging in three activities: a comprehensive literature review, a survey of change agents, and interviews with farmers who had adopted sustainable practices.

January 2013: Seed Saving as a Farm Enterprise by Holly Whitesides

holly_seed_presentation.pdf
File Size: 112625 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Holly's passion for seed saving extends far beyond the economic benefits.  The presentation she gave on Jan 24th demonstrated this love and commitment to seed saving while highlighting the obvious, and not-so-obvious, benefits of this ancient art.
We were able to provide Holly with a small grant for this endeavor thanks to the generosity of the Appalachian Women's Fund. 

December 2012: USDA Farmer Claims