 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2013 CONTACT: Amanda Taylor, Agriculture Agent NC Cooperative Extension Service (828) 757-1290; e-mail: amanda_jo_taylor@ncsu.edu Extension to Host Tomato Grafting Workshop LENOIR – The Caldwell Extension Service will host a tomato grafting workshop on Friday, December 6 from 12:30 to 4:30 pm at the Caldwell County Public Library in Lenoir. This workshop is designed for operators of small farms, greenhouse operators interested in a new market, and market gardeners who want to take their production to the next level. In this hands-on session, participants will learn the basics of grafting, including why grafting is important and how to graft successfully. Participants will have the opportunity to practice grafting under the direction of experienced personnel from the Department of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University. An update on grafting research at North Carolina State University will also be provided. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required, and the cost is $5 per person. For more information on this program, please contact Amanda Taylor by calling 828.757.1290 or e-mailing amanda_jo_taylor@ncsu.edu
Spring Renewal for Small Businesses : Free Agritourism Workshop
Register Here Tuesday, April 23, 2013 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM - There is no charge for this event. Spring is here and it’s time for renewal! Does your tourism-related business need a new approach to attract tourists and locals? Join us in this interactive, unique seminar and discover ways to get creative with your time, resources and services. Together, we will identify how to build retention and revenue for your business this Spring and beyond! Speaker: Cortina Caldwell, Owner, Visit&Venture Location: JE Broyhill Civic Center, Lenoir NC Registration is still open for the 2nd Annual Food Business Conference, to be held on Friday, April 19, at the Burnsville Town Center. We have a great line up of speakers covering everything from improving your chances of getting financing to using social media to promote your food business. Special emphasis is on food safety, one of the hottest food trends in 2013.
The registration form can be found here: http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/agribiz/food%20biz%20registration13.pdf The regitration fee includes breakfast, lunch, and materials. If you make and sell prepared food items, sauces, or baked goods, then come join us for a great opportunity to learn more about growing your food business and to network with other food entrepreneurs! Questions? Contact Annette Dunlap, Annette.dunlap@ncagr.gov or call 919.218.1049. 
NC CHOICES HOSTS WOMEN WORKING IN THE MEAT BUSINESS RETREAT: INTIMATE SETTING, HANDS-ON BUTCHERY, LADIES ONLY. Space is limited to 25 participants. Registration Information below
NC Choices is hosting aWomen Working in the Meat Business Retreat May 20th – 22nd in Chapel Hill, NC. The retreat, sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina, is in response to the emerging role of female professionals within meat businesses. “Women are increasingly playing a leadership role in the meat sector, whether it’s as livestock producers, meat butchers, chefs or business owners,” says NC Choices’ Program Coordinator, Sarah Blacklin. “We’ve developed a unique retreat designed to address the challenges female professionals face in a male-dominated arena. The two-day, two-night retreat will focus on hands-on meat cutting, marketing, and merchandising. Both sessions will be facilitated by Master Butcher Kari Underly, author ofThe Art of Beef Cutting: A Meat Professional’s Guide to Butchering and Merchandising. The Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina are providing scholarships for female producers, meat processors, and food professionals located in North Carolina. “This is an important need and we are thrilled to be supporting NC Choices’ program,” said Maggie Hamm, SVP of Marketing for Carolina Farm Credit in Statesville, NC. “This event will be a superb opportunity for women who work in local and niche meat business to learn more about the important role they are playing in advancing the local meat industry.” A number of local business are also sponsoring the event, including Lantern Restaurant, which will provide space for participants to learn how to breakdown a beef and hog carcass, fabricate specialty cuts and create and prepare value-added products. The Chapel Hilltop Lodge, a unique agri-tourism lodge located on 46 acres and eight miles outside of Chapel Hill, will provide retreat accommodations. “We look forward to bringing our female leaders together to network and increase their technical skills,” says NC Choice’s Blacklin. ALL MEDIA INQUIRIES: Contact Sarah Blacklin, sarah@ncchoices.com FOR REGISTRATION AND SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION AS WELL AS SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Contact Meredith McKissick at meredith@ncchoices.com Retreat Package: $400 per participant. Includes overnight accommodations at The Chapel Hilltop Lodge eight miles outside Chapel. Lodge sits on 46 acres and features an organic garden, saltwater pool, extensive balconies, patios, pool table, exercise room and expansive common space in a beautiful agricultural setting. Meals include complimentary breakfast, lunch at the Carolina Brewery, cocktail social hour, and a special dinner at Lantern Restaurant, recognized by Gourmet Magazine as one of "America's Top 50 Restaurants" and "best farm-to-table restaurants". Participants will gain hands-on whole hog and beef butchery training from Kari Underly, a third generation meat cutter, inventor of the flat iron steak, and James Beard Award nominee. Participants will improve their understanding of how to market and merchandise meat products with increased proficiency, communication, and confidence in an intimate environment with top industry professionals. Participants will learn how to make specialty sausages and leave the retreat with meat to take home for their families. Butchery classes will be located in “Lantern Table”, Lantern restaurant’s new community kitchen and private dining room on Franklin St. in downtown Chapel Hill. Space is Limited to 25 participants and registration occurs on a first come first serve basis. For more information on the Farm Credit Associations of North Carolina please visit: www.carolinafarmcredit.com www.agcarolina.com www.capefearfarmcredit.com
Agenda
10-minute break
Wrap up REGISTER HERE: http://2013piedmontgrownmtg.eventbrite.com/
For information about “Innovative Approaches to Local Foods Markets” (no fee) (agenda below), contact debbie.hamrick@ncfb.org Organized by the North Carolina Local Sustainable Foods Advisory Council Subcommittee on Economic Development & Infrastructure in cooperation with the NCSU Agricultural and Resource Economics Department and NCSU/NCA&T Cooperative Extension. There is no charge to attend “Innovative Approaches to Local Foods Markets.” Starting Tuesday, Feb. 5, The Ashe Campus of Wilkes Community College will offer beekeeping classes for both beginner and advanced beekeepers. The classes include
Registration is required, Call 336-846-3900 to pre-register. 
The upcoming Appalachian Heritage Annual Fiddlers Convention will again feature the Handmade Market, and they are calling for crafters to sell & display.
Come display and sell handmade crafts in the Plemmons Student Union February 9. The deadline to register is February 5. If you are interested in setting up a booth, please email Brittany Johnson at johnsonba1@appstate.edu for more information.
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