North Carolina Specialty Crops Program

Specialty Crops Photos

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North Carolina Specialty Crops Program
	Specialty Crops are new crops that have not been commerically grown in a particular region. Ranging from exotic purple potatoes, to more commonly known crops like lettuce, producing specialty crops generally introduces farmers to a new way of growing. The North Carolina Specialty Crops Program provides crop production information, marketing reports and links to articles published online. We are a resource for farmers, entrepreneurs and consumers within the specialty crops market.

EVENTS CALENDAR Statewide and National Events for Alternative Crops Herbs Organics Specialty Crops Vegetables HOT CROPS Belgian Endive Bob Radcliffe worked closely with Will Strader, Franklin County Horticultural Extension Agent, to develop a 2008 Agent Specialty Crops Proposal to "Grow and Market Belgian Endive Chicons to the Restaurant Trade" that was awarded monies from a statewide pool of $300,000. The goal of this project is to adapt the production of this product to a small-scale farm environment, while evaluating its market potential and profitability. Read more.. Sunnyridge Berry Farms Looking Forward to New North Carolina Opportunities SunnyRidge Farm in Florida is interested in buying fresh-market blackberries and raspberries from western North Carolina. They are talking about a market for an estimated 400 acres of blackberries. Click to review the presentation. Sunnyridge Farms gave this presentation to prospective NC berry growers. (Powerpoint, 17.7K, may take a few minutes to load...please be patient) Click to review the meeting notes. Sunny Ridge Farm Informational Meeting on Berry Production Opportunity March 15, 2006 (MS Word, 32K) There is a "Berry Team of Specialists" working with growers and Sunny Ridge Farms to facilitate the new production. People interested in learning more about this opportunity or how to grow blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries for Sunny Ridge Farm should call one of these contacts. Click for more berry production info...	Eastern NC Lettuce Production Tour The Eastern NC Lettuce Field Tour was hosted by Mark Seitz, Area Specialized Agent, North Carolina Cooperative Extension on April 30, 2008. About thirty growers, industry, consultants and technical people attended the tour. The tour featured commercial production and an on-farm Romaine lettuce variety trial at Tull Hill Farm, Hugo, NC. The on-farm Romaine lettuce demonstration was supported by a NC Specialty Crops Program grant. The lettuce research at the Cunningham research station in Kinston was supported by a NC Golden Leaf Foundation grant. The field day began with Mark Seitz giving an informative presentation about “The Variety Trial and Production Challenges”. Dr. Mark Abney of the Department of Entomology, NCSU gave a presentation on Insect Management in Romaine Lettuce. Read the report...	HIGHLIGHTS 2008 Vegetable Crop Handbook for the Southeastern US Available online! Research-based crop production guidelines for the southeastern region Farm Prosperity Project Dr. Jeanine Davis has recently received a 3 year grant from the new USDA National Research Initiative on small farms and rural communities to study farmland preservation techniques and new crop/new agricultural enterprises as a way to enhance small-farm prosperity. This is a cooperative project with Land of Sky Regional Council, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, American Farmland Trust, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and Warren Wilson College. The Medicinal Herbs for Commerce project aims to provide North Carolina farmers an opportunity to explore the economic feasibility of medicinal herb production.
	SPECIALTY CROPS RESEARCH PROJECTS Each year, research projects and educational programs are held throughout North Carolina. Many of these are open to the public, use the interactive map to discover what's happening in a county near you.
	OPPORTUNITIES SARE Grants Posted Southern region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education grants provides Grants and Information to Improve Profitability, Stewardship and Quality of Life. Free Grant Writing Assistance Working on a SARE, Golden Leaf or other grant opportunity? If this opportunity is in value-added or alternative agriculture and in some way assists North Carolina tobacco farm families transition to or add new enterprises, then assistance in writing and putting together the grant package is available to you. To obtain assistance, contact Blake Brown, blake_brown@ncsu.edu, (919) 515-4536. To find additional information and to check out current grant opportunities in the value-added and alternative agriculture area go to www.cals.ncsu.edu/value-added
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The Specialty Crops Program is funded in part by: Golden Leaf Foundation \| NC Rural Economic Development Center \| USDA Home \| About the Program \| Current Projects \| Research & Publicatons \|Marketing \| Links \| Calendar \| Contact Updated June 17, 2008