WNC farmers featured in 2012 calendars

Proceeds benefit program that aids mountain region's diversifying farmers

ASHEVILLE — The photographs and stories of more than fifty Western North Carolina farms are featured in a 2012 wall calendar that can be purchased at select Asheville stores and some N.C. Cooperative Extension Centers in the region.

Each year, WNC Agricultural Options produces a calendar highlighting grant recipients who received support from the program, which assists farmers who are diversifying or expanding their operations. The calendars celebrate the diversity of mountain farms, build a sense of pride among recipients and educate other farmers about potential ventures.

"The calendar has been a great tradition of ours, and we always receive such a nice response from just about every person who looks at one," said Project Manager Jen Ferre. "It gives people an inside look at interesting farm projects in beautiful, hidden-away areas of our region."

This year, WNC AgOptions leaders are distributing the calendar widely to the public for the first time as a way to expand the number of people reached, as well as capture much-needed funds in a tight budget year. To continue to offer educational materials such as the calendar, the program is raising funds for production costs.

The calendars are currently available at the French Broad Food Co-op, The Fresh Quarter Produce in the Grove Arcade, and Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe. Call (828) 649-2411 for a list of Cooperative Extension Centers that are carrying the calendars.

The 2012 calendar features such unique projects as microgreens, canned bamboo shoots, goats used to clear invasive vegetation, and Black Perigord and Burgundy truffles. It also celebrates the mountain region's long-time traditional products such as Christmas trees, milk, berries, honey and beef. One Cherokee Indian Reservation grower expanded her crawfish pools and sold canned and frozen wild greens, all traditional Cherokee foods.

"The calendar is an important reference in our changing agricultural economy," Ferre said. "We are delighted to have a practical and attractive way to share the stories of innovative, creative, hard-working farmers."

The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has exclusively funded WNC AgOptions since 2003. In partnership with the West District of N.C. Cooperative Extension, the RAFI-USA Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund managed the farmer grants in 2011. WNC Communities will administer the program in 2012.

For more information about the program and partners, see the following: WNC Agricultural Options: www.wncagoptions.org; N.C. Cooperative Extension Centers: www.ces.ncsu.edu; N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission: www.tobaccotrustfund.org; WNC Communities: www.wnccommunities.org; Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, RAFI-USA: www.ncfarmgrants.org.

Studio Zahiya: A business that changes lives

Megan Riley, Owner of M R et cetera, shares her experience writing for dance instructor Lisa Zahiya.

Dancers can never really see themselves dance. Sure, they can look in the mirror or watch themselves on videotape. Some dancers can even feel energy exchanged between themselves and the audience so they are clued in to what the audience is feeling. But ultimately, dancers will never know what it's like to be in their own presence. A good dance performance involves a kinesthetic and emotional involvement that a videotape or a mirror cannot fully capture.

The same can be said for well-run mission-driven businesses. The owners are often standing too close to the mirror to be able to assess and articulate the multifold impacts they are making on the community. Furthermore, small business owners who are their own marketing directors can feel awkward bragging about themselves. Busy with the work of their businesses, they have limited time to fully articulate their contributions to people's lives.

I approached dance instructor and studio owner Lisa Zahiya to help her with her marketing, but not because she needed advertising assistance. She's a natural social networker with a circle of 2,000+ online followers and a talented graphic designer with beautiful promotional materials.

However, after a couple of years of taking Lisa's dance classes, I realized that so much more was happening in her classes than dance instruction. I recognized what a special person she is and what an impact she is making on many lives. As people become increasingly fed up with unscrupulous business practices, the base of customers who are attracted to such community-minded businesses is growing rapidly. I told her she might benefit by articulating the impacts of her business in her marketing materials.

Photo courtesy of A Portrait of You.

So she agreed to let me interview her dance students and write profiles about their experiences.  The dancer's stories confirmed that Studio Zahiya is a mission-driven business with numerous positive impacts. Lisa's commitment to a non-competitive class environment, her excellent teaching abilities and her sense of humor and thoughtfulness supported many women through powerful transformations. 

• Therapeutic Benefits of Dance
• Improvements in Body Image & Self Confidence
• A Fun Education – in Dance and Culture
• Community and Family Connections
• Inspiration

Applications available for 2012 WNC AgOptions farm diversification grants

Intent to apply deadline November 16; Application deadline December 1

MARSHALL — WNC Agricultural Options will award a total of $150,000 to approximately 35 farm businesses and farmer-led groups in 2012.  Funded exclusively by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, WNC AgOptions continues its eight-year history of advancing the mountain region's diverse agriculture system.

"Successful farming in today's environment requires taking on challenges," said Ross Young, Madison County Extension Director and WNC AgOptions steering committee leader. "New crops, new farming systems and new marketing strategies all increase the potential of a farm's success but also increases risk. The WNC AgOptions program helps this region's farmers balance that risk by providing financial assistance as well as hands-on guidance with a new venture. The goal of this program is to discover farming practices that are innovative and have the potential of helping other farmers in the future."

Grants of $3,000 and $6,000 will be awarded to individual farmers proposing diversification projects that boost economic viability of their businesses. Awards of $10,000 will go to three farmer-led groups working to solve processing, packaging, marketing and other distribution needs of the local agriculture system.

Applications for the two grant opportunities are available at www.wncagoptions.org and at the local Cooperative Extension Centers. Interested applicants must contact their local Extension Agents by November 16 to notify them that they intend to apply. The application postmark deadline is December 1.

Recent recipients of WNC AgOptions community grants created systems and undertook promotional campaigns to market produce and products directly to customers. Individual farm businesses responded to the growing demand for healthily raised poultry products, purchased equipment to receive Good Agricultural Practices certification, added crops to their vegetable operations to ensure steady income flow, built grade B inspected goat milk parlors, and expanded their vineyards and wineries. Several recipients used the grants to expand their businesses so they can become full-time farmers.

Read more at www.wncagoptions.org

Dance studio a positive force in community

Free dance classes at Studio Zahiya's grand opening September 17

ASHEVILLE — Dance is for everyone. That is the message of Studio Zahiya, which recently moved to North Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. The studio will have a grand opening celebration Saturday, September 17.

Photo courtesy of A Portrait of You.

"Everyone can get positive benefits from dance," said Lisa Zahiya, the owner of the studio. She has taught bellydance, Bollywood and hip hop in Asheville since 2008, and recently expanded her business from a small space on Carolina Lane. "Those benefits can be everything from, at the base level, the endorphins that you get from moving, to the positive feeling you have about your body and self."

Zahiya creates a safe, non-competitive atmosphere where students feel comfortable moving among others. They take the positive energy they feel at the studio and approach the rest of their lives more joyfully. "Having a joyful experience can change your day, and then change your life," Zahiya said.

Her philosophy is that dance evolves both self and community. Her students are encouraged after they first try something new, and then watch themselves transform, both physically and emotionally. That confidence boost transfers to the rest of their lives, and the students are motivated to try other life goals. "When their friends see that, they want to follow their lead," Zahiya said.

The instructors of Studio Zahiya will offer free classes at the grand opening at the new studio at 90 1/2 N. Lexington Ave. on September 17. In addition to touring the renovated 100-year old building, which has large windows overlooking Lexington Avenue, visitors are welcome to drop in on 30-minute sessions of yoga, pilates, and bhangra, a high-energy dance that originated in India.

The grand opening will culminate that evening at Dobra Tea, where dance students and professional bellydancers will perform and guests will be encouraged to join them.

Zahiya's team of teachers include: Mahsati Janan, Middle Eastern dance instructor; Alexis Miller, pilates instructor; Alex Moody, yoga instructor; Sparrow, bellydance instructor; and Leanna Joyner, Groove instructor. Groove is a group fitness class that draws on several dance styles to cater to a variety of body types and experience levels.

Area non-profit salutes employee's 20-year tenure

ASHEVILLE — Twenty years in the same position at the same organization. That's something to celebrate in the non-profit field, or really any profession in the today's transitioning economy.

Graphic courtesy of SAHC.

Kristy Urquhart of Asheville has dedicated 20 years of her life to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, primarily serving as the associate director. Her colleagues threw a bash that echoes the positive energy that she gives to land conservation work at Highland Brewery Company on August 31.

SAHC's Executive Director Carl Silverstein said he feels privileged to have Urquhart as a colleague and friend. "She is one of the most insightful, intuitive people I have ever known," he said. "She has a sixth sense for what people need in order to move forward, and she is genuinely kind. Kristy cares unwaveringly about conserving the Southern Appalachians for future generations."

Attorney Lynn Cox, the organization's first executive director, remembers well the day she interviewed Urquhart and realized she was perfect for the job. "And I was right," Cox said. "I don't see how the Conservancy could be where it is without her. The best professional decision I ever made, and the one that had the most positive, long-lasting effect, was hiring Kristy to come to SAHC."

Slow Food USA President: FEAST program 'inspirational'

FEAST program shares healthy food with families

Asheville, NC — The President of Slow Food USA made a special request during his recent trip to Western North Carolina. He wanted a glimpse of FEAST, an Asheville-based program that teaches families, many from low-income communities, how to cook with healthy, local food.

"It's so important that kids grow up knowing where food comes from, how to cook it, and how to experience it with others," said Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA since October 2008.

Viertel gives tips on homemade tortillas

He attended a FEAST class at Asheville Middle School in hopes he would glean ideas to use in national programming. "The best ideas come from volunteer leaders who work on the ground," Viertel said. "I find it inspirational."

About 20 sixth grade students in Sara Monson's Exploring Career Decisions class split up into teams and busily made hummus and baba ghanoush with fresh herbs from the school garden, tortillas, bruschetta, peach salsa, kale and salad with strawberries. Local growers supplied the greens and fruit.

M R Gardens: Healthy plants, healthy communities

Introducing M R Gardens, a division of M R et cetera, LLC

Note from Megan: Since entering the sustainable agriculture field in 2001, I have gained a great appreciation for all scales and methods of farming, including those of the backyard or apartment patio grower. It is in our backyards that we connect to our food and enjoy the taste of a fresh tomato with basil. It is here that we experience seasonality, life cycles and the natural pace of life. It is here that we connect to past generations and relearn our grandmothers' ways of food preparation.

We're at an important point in time when generations that did not grow up in the garden are regaining the extensive knowledge of growing food before older generations are gone. Plus, we're learning traditional methods of gardening pre-chemicals or even pre-tiller.

M R Gardens is my small contribution to this effort. M R Gardens' products and educational materials add to the reinvigoration of fresh eating that is fueling the small diverse farms in the WNC region. Meanwhile, all of us can have the experience of walking out our back doors and picking foods that were grown especially for us.


Read more.

Veils, fire, golden wings, oh my! A new flavor to non-profit fundraising.

Event raised well over $15,000 for Caring for Children.

Asheville non-profit organizations are using creative fundraising techniques during this era's transition to a new economy, and what better way to be creative than to hire dance instructor and performer Lisa Zahiya to choreograph the entertainment.

On Valentines 2011 weekend, Caring for Children gave its supporters a taste of the exotic at the Crowne Plaza for a fundraising gala. Bollywood and belly dance performers skipped and shimmied on top a stage before a heart-shaped backdrop and a lit-up border of the words "Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love." Veils, fire, golden wings, colorful costumes and energizing music entranced audience members, who wore their own bhindis, turbans and saris to participate in the gala's theme.

Caring for Children has provided shelter for 30 years for abused, abandoned, and neglected children in homes staffed by nurturing professionals who are trained to deal with the special needs of children in crisis. They help children and families deal with the present, put the past behind them, and look to the future.

"It is my mission to use dance to create positive change in the world," Zahiya said. "To be able to support an organization like Caring for Children, whose work creates immediate positive change for children here in Buncombe County, was a wonderful opportunity."

Zahiya also teaches dance to children in low-income or other challenged situations as well as to women in correctional institutes. She regularly performs for LEAF in Schools in Streets and recently formed a professional dance troupe, "The Ohm Girls," which will choreograph pieces with positive messages for the community.

Lauri Nichols, owner of Asheville Event Planning and Staffing, LLC, hired Zahiya for the Caring for Children gala to direct and choreograph 45 minutes of dance, which included two group performances by Bala! Bollywood and Bhangra.

"It was a pleasure working with Lisa from beginning to end," Nichols said. "She was professional and dedicated in making this event a huge success. Her troupe worked tirelessly on creative routines and with the other performers to come up with a truly amazing performance. I am impressed by all the positive feedback we have received from this event." The event raised well over $15,000 for the organization. Final numbers have not yet been calculated.

To learn how to book Lisa Zahiya to direct entertainment for events that benefit social causes and communities, click here. 

2011 WNC AgOptions awardees announced

Grants support diverse ventures, build local agriculture system

MARSHALL — The WNC Agricultural Options program recently awarded six community groups and 47 farmers grants totaling $326,000 to assist them in farm diversification and joint marketing and distribution efforts.

This year's community grant recipients are creating cohesion, infrastructure and marketing for local products. Individual recipients are improving such diverse operations as a 75-acre kale, turnips and collards farm in Cherokee County, a new dairy in Madison County, a micro-greens venture in Watauga County, and a canned bamboo shoots business in McDowell County.

Since 2003, N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has supported WNC AgOptions, a N.C. Cooperative Extension program that provides resources directly to farmers diversifying or expanding their operations. Read more.

What's next for M R et cetera?

As of January 2011, Megan is moving to the sidelines of WNC AgOptions, performing grant reporting, marketing and miscellaneous communications work for the program, while Jen Ferre conducts administration, facilitation and field work duties. Megan had the pleasure of working with Jen to ensure a smooth transition between managers.

WNC AgOptions program leaders comment that the program has come a long way since Megan first stepped into the coordination/management role in January 2008. During those three years, Megan worked with the steering committee, primarily composed of N.C. Cooperative Extension Agents, to:

·      Improve the scoring system and grant review process to better reflect the committee's intentions and the agricultural community's needs;

·      Enter a successful, on-going partnership with RAFI-USA Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund, which administered 2009-2011 WNC AgOptions grants;

·      Accept and distribute an additional $100,000 from Governor Beverly Purdue's Family Farm Innovation Fund, so that the program awarded a third of a million dollars in 2011;

·      Initiate a community grant program for groups of farmers to respond to the local agricultural system's needs for improved distribution, packaging, processing and marketing;

·      Undertake a research project into past recipient projects, which identified key areas for bettering the region's agricultural educational resources;

·      Evolve business planning training to best suit WNC AgOptions recipients' needs;

·      Improve the program's promotional, evaluation and reporting materials.

Now that Megan will not have a full-time contract with WNC AgOptions, her colleagues and clients are asking her, "What's next for you?" She returns, "What's next for you? What are your needs as you improve current programs or develop new ones, and how can I help?" Her philosophy and skills in management, program development, marketing and reporting, which contributed to the success of WNC AgOptions, can translate to a wide range of small or large projects, such as:

·      Marketing plans and materials for mission-driven businesses;

·      Plans and proposals for projects to improve the diversified agricultural systems;

·      Partnership development between private, public and non-profit entities.

Megan provides services not only in the fields of land conservation and sustainable agriculture but also alternative education, the arts, cultural dynamics and holistic medicine. She continues to create a network with other contractors so that she can partner with them to expand the scope of her services for her clients—and benefit her community to the best of her abilities.

Impressions of Clinton Global Initiative

Megan shares lessons from The Clinton Global Initiative, New York City, 2010 in hopes to inspire those in WNC undertaking big community building projects. This article is a must-read for organizations and public agencies open to creative fundraising.

On September 22, 2010, I was extremely lucky (and very humbled!) to receive a complimentary day pass to an exclusive and influential event in Manhattan: The Clinton Global Initiative. I found myself in the same room with some of the most famous and elite politicians, actors and corporate leaders making big differences in the world.

From the first moment of the opening session, when CGI Founding Chairman and, of course, 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton walked on stage, my mind teemed with possibilities and opportunities. How could I impart this once-in-a-lifetime experience as well as the knowledge, energies and connections gained at this event to my home in the mountains of North Carolina? How can this experience help M R et cetera clients?

Clinton initiated CGI because he was tired of sitting in meetings and hearing great ideas but little action. The whole point of CGI is to facilitate action.  Corporate sponsors partner with non-profit and governmental organizations to pull off community-building projects that address some of the world's most pressing issues – including energy efficiency, land conservation and sustainable agriculture. I especially enjoyed hearing actor Jim Carrey talk about his Better U Foundation's project to improve the techniques for growing rice in Africa – quadrupling the yield while lowering water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite this global scope, several of the commitments do involve North Carolina.  Here's a few NC projects introduced at CGI this year. Participants commit to bring back big results to CGI in one year.

I have no doubt that land conservation, sustainable agriculture and local foods initiatives in Western North Carolina could be future CGI commitments. See this explanation of how to become a CGI member and apply for a commitment.

Don't have $20,000 to become a member? Does the membership process feel a little daunting? Well, we can still implement some of the lessons learned at CGI in our community – starting now.

• Expanding scope and self-sufficiency through partnerships;
• Undertaking community projects through existing public structures;
• Taking risks, tapping into the potential of all financial levels, and changing the model of development;
• Recognizing modern-day motivations in advocacy.

CGI Projects in North Carolina

Here's a few Clinton Global Initiative Projects in North Carolina.

Land donation ensures 100-acre working farm protected forever

Property to be an educational resource for agricultural community

ALEXANDER — A 100-acre farm in Alexander is now permanently protected from development, thanks to a recent land donation to Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. The property's rolling cattle pastures, stands of hardwood trees, and headwater streams, which are tributaries to the French Broad River, will continue to be a resource for future generations.

The land trust is drafting a conservation agreement for the property, and anticipates reselling it to a conservation-minded buyer. The intent is for it to remain productive farmland that offers educational opportunities to the agricultural community. The organization is exploring ways to enhance the quality of the streams and woodlands of the property.

"A donation of a tract of land is doubly beneficial," said Carl Silverstein, Executive Director of Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy. "We will place a conservation easement on the deed, which will guarantee the qualities of the property will be protected forever. Then, reselling the property will generate extra revenue for the organization, which we can recycle back into conservation work."

WNC AgOptions year-end dinner presentation

To wrap up each AgOptions grant cycle and growing season, the recipients join together at a mountain farm to hear the results of each other's projects and share a dinner, spotlighting food produced at the past and present AgOptions recipients' farms. At the November 2009 dinner, Megan started the night with a story and slide show of how the food traveled to everyone's plate. Here's a glimpse...

2010 WNC farm diversification projects

The WNC Agricultural Options Program awarded 42 farmers seed grants totaling $225,000 last month to assist them in completing farm diversification projects. This year's grantees are selling Appalachian Grown meats at the WNC Farmers Market at Asheville; creating alternative markets for established strawberry, trout and edible landscaping enterprises; and introducing innovative crops to the region such as milkweed for sale to butterfly farmers and mosses for landscapers. Read more.

Project Facilitation

Western North Carolina Agricultural Options had its own wheels when Megan stepped into the contract project manager/coordinator role in 2008. Several N.C. Extension county offices, the N.C. Department of Agriculture, and Handmade in America established the program in 2003 through a grant with the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The aim of the program, which has provided 300+ small grants to farmers since 2004, is to provide financial incentive to producers who are diversifying their operations and offset the risk of crop transition. WNC AgOptions has attracted national attention and is a model for similar farm diversification programs.

A diverse bag of skills is needed to facilitate the program, including event coordination, meeting facilitation, and relationship-building. At the core of the program is the commitment of 18 N.C. Cooperative Extension Centers and their Agricultural Agents. As the main contact for the grant program from 2008-2010, Megan provided for the Agents information about grant requirements, outreach materials and impacts data so that they could lead the program in each of their counties.

Many of the Agents have expressed the importance of WNC AgOptions to their work and their clients' lives. "AgOptions has been one of the best programs that I have been associated with," says Jeremy DeLisle, Agricultural Agent, Mitchell County.

In the future, Megan foresees herself initiating community improvement programs, especially those involving mission-driven businesses. The facilitation skills gained during her term with WNC AgOptions will help her serve her community in a variety of arenas.

Marketing Materials

M R et cetera produces brochures, rack cards and online advertising materials for organizations and mission-driven businesses. Megan has a history of working with programs when they are at a critical stage of growth. The programs are beyond the initial two-year formation stage, their messaging is fairly established, but they need the touch of a professional writer and designer to help raise their profiles. Such is the case with FEAST, a program of Slow Food Asheville, which provides hands-on cooking experiences with food that is fresh, easy, affordable, sustainable and tasty. Working with graphic designer Cindy Wheeler, Megan created promotional materials for this budding program to display at fundraising and outreach events.
 
WNC AgOptions also benefited from this increased exposure through professional marketing materials. The program produces a yearly calendar to educate the public about farm diversification projects completed with funding from N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The calendar is a helpful tool in public relations for the programs' partners, and it aids in community-building and networking among farmers. Megan coordinated the production, drafted the text and took the photographs for this 2011 calendar featuring 2010 WNC AgOptions projects.

Prior to forming M R et cetera, Megan helped create Blue Ridge Forever's first case statement booklet that kicked off the campaign to protect 50,000 acres. As the coalition's first coordinator, she assisted the 13 partners to establish the coalition's messaging and initial marketing materials.

Media Relations

Since Megan first started performing public relations for non-profit organizations in 2004 and small businesses in 2011, nearly all of the 75+ press releases she has drafted have been picked up by local, regional & state newspapers. She has also fed editorial boards information that led to the publication of editorials, which can influence public policy. What are the keys to this success rate?

1) Understanding the reporter. Megan knows what it's like to sift through a pile of press releases, drawing on her training at the Elkin Tribune, The Cary News, Greensboro's News & Record, and North American Congress on Latin America's Report on the Americas. She also has a B.A. in English, Writing & Editing from North Carolina State University.

2) Understanding the reader. Readers are drawn to stories involving local points of interest, familiar faces, and uplifting anecdotes. Megan is particularly familiar with the viewpoints, passions and concerns of those in the Western North Carolina mountains, as her work has taken her to the nooks and crannies of the region since 2000.

3) Understanding the background of the client. The non-profit sector is like all specializations: the ins-and-outs can be complicated, and jargon is prevalent. Megan's job is to pull out the critical pieces, translating the organization's work so that the public not only digests it, but also digs it. She draws from her internal "encyclopedia of sustainable agriculture and conservation," which she's developed since entering the field in 2001. She also has interest and knowledge in holistic medicine, alternative education and the arts, especially dance and other forms of movement.

Megan also submits articles to magazines, and directs youtube videos for her clients.

Philosophy on Partnerships

Non-profit organizations and mission-driven businesses exist in a system, just like everything else in the world. At the center of the wheel are the community's needs: the reason to exist. The spokes of the wheel are staff, trustees, funders, members, and similar organizations and businesses.

We have a choice: We can view others who are working on similar projects as entities competing for limited resources. Or we can view them as partners who have strengths that can help to fulfill our needs, and vice versa.

Trust, open communication, commitment to a shared vision, and clearly identified roles go a long way in forming effective partnerships. Jumping in blindly into partnerships is certainly not advisable, but, with practice, they become second nature and a crucial part of fulfilling the mission of organizations.

Experience with Partnerships
WNC AgOptions is a unique partnership between N.C. State University and non-profit organizations such as Handmade in America, RAFI-USA and WNC Communities with the goal of building sustainable farming communities by providing resources for transitioning farmers. As the project manager 2008-2010, Megan worked closely with 18 Cooperative Extension Centers and a multi-partner steering committee, facilitating quarterly meetings alongside the committee leader.

Blue Ridge Forever is a collective campaign led by 13 land conservation organizations to engage the public and raise financial resources to safeguard land and water in the Southern Blue Ridge for present and future generations. As the coalition's first coordinator from 2005 to 2007, Megan assisted the partners in establishing the foundation of the partnership, including the initial marketing materials. Asheville Citizen-Times recognized the importance of Blue Ridge Forever's conservation vision, which Megan helped create, in a September 9, 2008 editorial.

At the core of Lesley University's Masters in Environmental Education program is collaboration. Students form collective decisions, resolve group conflicts and direct their own group learning experience. While completing her M.S. in Environmental Education, Megan learned a great deal about effective facilitation techniques and the value of partnerships.