In her former life, Gretchen Hurley worked in corporate sales. Retired now, she’s traded in her business suits for work boots and a wide-brimmed sun hat. Thanks to the “PLANT @ Breeze” program, Hurley is taking a crack at market farming, a venture she hopes will reap benefits for her family as well as the community.

Hurley is one of about 50 people who participated in the inaugural “PLANT @ Breeze” program, offered by Orange County Cooperative Extension and the Orange County Economic Development Commission, at Breeze Farm, given to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences by Col. William H. Breeze and his family. The acronym stands for “People Learning Agriculture Now for Tomorrow.”

“Given the fact that the cost of food is high, people are interested in buying from local farms,” Hurley says. Having done extensive market research, Hurley sees opportunity in catering to Asian and Hispanic food markets. She’s growing all sorts of Japanese mustards and beans, as well as chiles and other peppers.

“Once you find your niche, you’ll have a loyal following forever,” she says. “I’m also doing this for myself, to share organically raised produce with neighbors as well as my family. I like to know where my food comes from.”

The PLANT workshop series “helped people learn from start to finish how to grow and market vegetables,” says Orange County Extension agent Karen McAdams. Participants – or apprentices, as they’re called in the program – were required to take eight classes and write a business plan to be eligible for land at Breeze Farm.  

“The participants who chose to lease and tend land out at Breeze Farm will receive technical support in production and marketing throughout the growing season,” McAdams says. “There is no better way of learning skills than by actually doing them.”

McAdams serves on a team that is developing the program and training participants. Other members are Dr. Fletcher Barber, Orange County Cooperative Extension director; Dr. Nancy Creamer, director of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems; Annette Dunlap, Extension associate with N.C. State University; Mike Lanier, Extension area agribusiness agent with N.C. A&T State University; Mac McNeil, director of University Field Laboratories; Dr. David Monks, assistant director of the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service; and Dr. Noah Ranells, Orange County agricultural economic development coordinator.

Ranells, who earned advanced degrees in soil and crop science from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, says the team designed “PLANT @ Breeze” to appeal to new farmers and underrepresented communities in farming, as well as long-time farm families looking to diversify.

“We didn’t anticipate the retiring and mid-life folks looking to try farming — some interested in meaningful income, and others who just want to learn about farming,” he says. “People liked the training because it was fast-paced, and every time we met there were a farmer and university specialist present to share expertise.”

Four training sessions focused on agronomy, including lessons on soils and crop rotation. The other four sessions covered the business component, from marketing to business plan development.

“This program also gives people an opportunity to get their business plan reviewed before submitting it for a bank loan, to receive feedback on how valid their enterprises appeared to be,” Ranells adds.

Those who complete the program are eligible to rent a quarter-acre of land at Breeze Farm for about $125, and they’re supplied with the resources and equipment to grow and market their crops.

Barber says the program is all about sustainability — of the community and the local food system.

“‘PLANT @ Breeze’ is not the first farmer incubator, but it may be the first one administered by Cooperative Extension,” he says. “It is a model that allows Extension to do what it does best with a sizable student population in one location.

“The program gives student farmers a chance to get their feet wet without a large investment in their own operation,” Barber adds.

To enhance consumer interest in local foods, Breeze Farm also provides a place where specialists can develop varieties that are better suited for the local market.

“There is a growing interest in local food production due to the fact that many consumers in this area want food produced differently than what they are able to buy in conventional stores,” Barber says. “They want food with more taste, but they also want food that will enhance their health.

“Local farmers have seen that they can serve this market and make a good profit even though the scale is much smaller than we have become accustomed to,” he says. “There is also a growing recognition that shipping food long distances is not sustainable and that local production is a way of ensuring community self-reliance.”



What’s next for “PLANT @ Breeze”? With a one-time $10,000 allocation to Cooperative Extension from the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the team is actively pursuing grants and other sources of support to expand the program.

“Fletcher (Barber) deserves a lot of credit,” Ranells says. “He saw our enthusiasm and the willingness of the staff and just said ‘go.’”

With future funding, the team hopes to develop customized workshops that will meet the needs of different types of farmers.

“What we did was just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of the opportunity to reach out more and cater future trainings to specific communities, as well as different skill and knowledge levels,” Ranells says.

With a number of farmers expected to retire in Orange County over the next few years, Barber anticipates that Breeze Farm and the “PLANT @ Breeze” program will produce a new crop of farmers and a new source for a local, sustainable food supply.

“If this happens,” he says, “the farm and the incubator program will rejuvenate agriculture in this region.”

—Suzanne Stanard