Do you have farming experience and a vision for your farm business?
Our Farmer Incubator Program could help make it a reality.
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is seeking up to TWO new farm businesses to join our program in 2018. We are especially interested in farm plans that include the production of eggs, meat birds, sheep and/or goats.
Our 100-acre site is comprised of mixed woodland, pasture, and a level row crop field. Currently, we have honeybee hives and two emergent farm businesses in our program: a seasonal market garden (vegetables and flowers) and beef cattle in rotational grazing.
We provide access to land, infrastructure, equipment, and technical support for a nominal monthly fee. We can help connect you with service providers, new markets, and promotional opportunities while you build a solid foundation for your farm business.
Resources available for farmers:
- 1/8 – 20+ acres of land per farm business, for up to five years/growing seasons
- Dry storage space
- Tractor and implements
- 1 large & 2 small barns with road access
- Over 2 miles new fencing and equipment
- Temporary/movable fencing and fence chargers
- New 4×4 55 HP tractor
- Livestock handling and loading area
- 6 new well-fed, frost free watering tanks
- Information sharing and technical assistance, connecting you to the farmer network in our community
- Ongoing training opportunities via The Organic Grower’s School (SAHC’s Farm Pathways partner) and our Farmer Education Workshop Series
- Hundreds of visitors to SAHC’s Community Farm annually = built-in marketing
- Coming soon in 2018: a certified Community Kitchen, where you can create ‘value-added’ products to sell at market!
Ready to launch your farm business?
Submit your application for SAHC’s Farmer Incubator Program online. We will review your plans/goals and contact you to discuss opportunities for farming with us. Have questions or need more info? Contact Community Farm Manager Chris Link at chris@appalachian.org or 828.253.0095 ext 203.
This work is supported by Farm Pathways: Integrating Farmer Training with Land Access grant no. 2016-70017-25341 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
