ASHEVILLE —Asheville’s growth in the last two decades has made a direct impact on the evolution of the regional farming industry, with farm-to-table, small farms and agritourism leading the way.
And just like Asheville’s growth, there’s no end in sight for farming growth, a good thing, according to stakeholders.
“We’re very rich in agriculture in our area,” said Amy Ager, co-owner of Hickory Nut Gap Farm, which specializes in 100% grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork. “Asheville was growing and the interest of the customers and the people moving to Asheville around food and quality food was also growing so our business was kind of growing up alongside those people’s interests.”
“The (Asheville) Chamber had an initiative called ‘foodtopia’ where they were really drawing folks into Asheville and trying to make it a food destination. Restaurants were opening left and right,” Ager explained.
Since 2002, there has been significant increases in the number of Appalachian grown farms, restaurants sourcing locally, farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, farms with u-pick models and grocery stores selling local food in that span, according to the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), a non-profit that helps local farms to connect and build relationships with each other and consumers and receive resources and education so they may operate as sustainable farm businesses.
“The change in farms over the last 20 years has illustrated the farms in our region adapting and responding to that consumer demand to connect with folks directly,” said Molly Nicholie, executive director of ASAP.
According to the data compiled from ASAP’s annual surveys in 2002, ASAP had connected with 58 Appalachian grown farms compared to 827 this year. Of those farms, 103 reported selling products at farmer’s markets, 111 have CSAs and 85 operate u-pick farms.
In 2002, only 19 farms reported sourcing to restaurants and that number has increased to 215 in 2022. Also, the number of farms with supplies in grocery stores increased from 14 to 66.
The change is not just the number of farms in the region but the number of farms that are selling direct to the consumer, Nicholie said.
“Some of that big shift has been in the consumer demand to want to buy local,” Nicholie said. “Those farmers have been able to adapt their farm business to meet that demand.”
Western North Carolina agriculture industry’s shift to small, diversified farms comes after the state began to move away from tobacco as its dominant cash crop in the mid-1990s, according to ASAP. In 2000, a local food campaign was launched to provide farmers with alternatives to support the shift.
In 1999, Isaiah and Annie Louise Perkinson began with a half-acre of blueberries and has gradually grown to a nearly 20-acre farm that produces vegetables, fruits and flowers sold at local markets.
“What we’ve seen really change in the past 20 years is the enthusiasm and reception of the public for local food,” Annie Perkinson said. “I think people are really valuing preserving farmland and supporting local agriculture, not just for their own health but for the health of their community.”
Partnerships between farms and restaurants have worked in tandem to make stronger agriculture and culinary communities, Nicholie said.
“I don’t know how many people remember downtown Asheville 20 years ago, but let’s just say it was not the vibrant food scene we see today,” Nicholie said. “Part of the success of our region being now so well known as a culinary destination has been watching the growth of that restaurant industry really parallel and tied to the growth of a lot of these farms.”
Often, local restaurants will list the names of the farmers and purveyors sourcing the ingredients on their menus. It helps to introduce and connect those diners to the businesses, she said, then the consumer is more likely to visit and buy directly from the farm suppliers.
“It’s something that the restaurant and culinary scene in this region have grown along with the farming community, and I think that’s contributed to the success on a lot of levels,” Nicholie said.
The relationships lead to conversations about what the farms can grow and how the chefs can utilize those ingredients in their dishes, she said. Farmers’ innovative thinking has resulted in more selling opportunities.
“Small farmers have a lot more opportunity to adapt to changing market outlets than huge operations,” Nicholie said. “People are thinking and innovating not only how to extend the season and grow produce longer throughout the year, but how do we add value to these products by making sauces or dried products or pickles? All the different ways to preserve and diversify the product mix.”
Creasman Farms is a third-generation farm that has expanded from apples to other fruits and vegetables sold at tailgate markets and the u-pick orchard.
“It’s evolved to keep our growing season going longer and have more income from the farm,” said co-owner Dawn Creasman.
Local food campaigns and organizations have made it easier for small farms to adapt and connect to consumers, she said.
“We’re very fortunate to live in this area because we do have a lot of hard-working people who want to produce locally grown produce and fruits,” Creasman said. “We have a lot of good organizations that help us promote that. ASAP has been a big part of our being able to get involved in markets and be able to sell our products and get the word out.”
Asheville’s revival and resurgence and tourism rebranding as a “foodtopia” has moved the industry forward, said Ager, who also is ASAP’s treasurer.
Hickory Nut Gap is a family farm established in 1916 that’s been passed down five generations. Its current owners are Jamie and Amy Ager. They have continued operations and added their own enterprises, such as selling at the farmer’s markets and to local restaurants, Amy Ager said.
Agrotourism is giving more opportunities for farms to connect and increase revenue and Asheville area farms are “ahead of the curve,” Ager said. The farms are responding to what people want.
“I think that because of the nature and size of the farms in Western North Carolina, diversifying and raising farm products has been helpful for folks to bring in new revenue streams to their farms,” Ager said. “A lot of farms have taken the agrotourism to do overnight stays and Airbnbs…and trying to leverage that fabulous asset of land and farming operation to connect people and bring them in and give them that experience.”
In 1999, Spinning Spider Creamery began with dairy goats and began selling products at farmer’s markets. The business grew and began getting high-end restaurant clients but scaled back to tailgate models before the pandemic. Spinning Spider ended their farm tours in the COVID-19 pandemic for the safety of the family of workers.
“If we get sick, there’s no one here to step in and keep this farm going,” said Owen.
The COVID-19 pandemic may have worked to show the importance of local farming, considering the supply chain issues. Local farms are offering more opportunities for direct consumer sales.
“When COVID happened and shipping got tricky, having a local economy, local food system, became more inherently important,” Perkinson said.
Many farms’ reported that their CSA programs grew in membership as residents sought no-contact food purchasing options.
“We are continuing to grow that business while at the farm, the pandemic shifted our business model. We shut down for a while and pivoted to grow our CSA – community supported agriculture,” Ager said. “We were doing 10 and 15 pounds of meat per month for our customers. That model has been amazing. We’re up to like 327 CSA members per month now and our store is open again for folks to come in and just buy individual cuts from our butcher.”
What will come next is unknown, but ASAP and the farmers have noticed a steady interest in local food access and education. Consumers’ ability to speak directly to the farmers and learn and see where their food is coming from has driven more individuals to buy local, Nicholie said.
“That transparency and being able to know and meet that person who’s growing that food on your plate it pretty unique,” Nicholie said. “You don’t have to depend on a label to tell you about that farm or how it was raised.”
People are becoming more conscious and aware of where their food comes from and hidden costs of food and other details that may not be available from products in a grocery store.
“People really do care about where their food comes from, how it was raised and how the animals are treated,” Ager said. “I think people are starting to recognize food as more than just an act of eating but also a sense of nourishment and connection to the world that’s larger than their personal experience.”
Farmer’s markets and tours are avenues to continue educating the consumers. Still, the industry and consumer trends are unpredictable, Creasman said.
“This year it could go this way, and next year it could totally change to something else. Ag is an ever-evolving animal,” Creasman said. “What might work this year and next year, we might have to tweak or change. You’re constantly trying to improve to figure out what your consumer wants; what you’re able to do to provide that because some things are cost-prohibitive, especially for a small farm. We try to listen to our customers to see what they want and try to evolve in that direction, within reason.”
Farmers’ perseverance and ability to make that food accessible could lead to an even stronger regional farm industry.
“The future is bright for agriculture, and it’s a built skillset,” Ager said. “It takes a while, and you go through a lot of trials and tribulations before you figure out how to make it work. I feel hopeful.”
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
Asheville's 'foodtopia' brand continues to shape growth of local farming community – Citizen Times
