The program will be implemented in the following NETN and SWVA counties:
Tennessee: Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington, and Unicoi
Virginia: Buchannan, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe
Sustainable Farming with ASD
Strengthening Central Appalachia
We help family farmers stay on their farms by creating strong markets of different types and sizes and providing necessary training, tools, and resources for success. With programs that vary from helping small backyard producers to large wholesale market farming and gardening, GAP and organic certification, and agroforestry practices.
Winter Business Intensive and Summer Field School
Ready to start a new farm or expand your existing operation? The Field School Winter Business Intensive, a beginning farmer training program, is now accepting registrations with classes starting on Nov 8th.Sessions will include business planning, finances, and marketing all geared toward helping beginning farmers create sustainable and profitable small farms.
FARM Student Internships with Rural Resources
The FARM Student Internship allows high school and college students who are or have participated in Ag education programs to be connected with mentor farmers. From producing and harvesting to managing a small enterprise, students will have the opportunity to be mentored by experienced producers and establish long-term relationships to further develop their skills into permanent professional experiences.
200 hours of Hands-On Learning.
Beginning farmer interns will work closely with their mentors on-farm for a minimum of 200 hours during the growing season. Interns and Mentors will log their time and submit to the VA program coordinator, Jenni Roop.
Building Relationships in the Farming Community.
Participants have expressed interest in building relationships with others, believing that a strong network will increase their success while enabling them to work together to access infrastructure and services they need.
Individualized Learning Goals.
Mentors and Interns will work together to develop their individualized learning goals designed to guide lessons learned on the farm. These written goals will guide them through the growing season and likely change over time
2020 Forestry FARM Mentors
100 acre mostly forested land, Forest farm medicinal herbs, mushrooms, Food Forest fruit & nut tree guild’s with perennials & annuals.
The Appalachian Cove Forest Farm and Homestead is nestled in the foothills of Cove Mountain in far Southwest Virginia. We are botanists by profession and passion.
Diversified farm, including organic seed, produce production, wildcrafted and stewarded forest products. About 1/3 forest and 2/3 pasture.
Started growing ginseng 7 years ago and have increased to several other woodland medicinals. Currently certified organic through PCO and sustainable through UpS
2020 FARM Mentors & Interns
Southwest Virginia
TNT Farm N Greenhouse
Meadowview, VAMentors & Interns
Mikal Davis & Jennifer Dufresne
Tumbling Creek Cider Co.
Meadowview, VA/Abingdon, VAMentors & Interns
Tom McMullen, John Fowlkes and Alena Dubavaya
Valor Valley Farm
Pounding Mill, VAMentors & Interns
Darrell Wess, Grayson Smith & Autumn Meade
Kelly Ridge Farms
Meadowview, VAMentors & Interns
Justen Dick, John Fowlkes & Alena Dubavaya
Northeast Tennessee
Brown's Farm
Mountain City, TNMentors & Interns
Bob & Debbie Snyder, Kiely Roush & Nathaniel Summerow
A Bushel and a Peck Farm
Laurel Bloomery, TNMentors & Interns
Christine Junge & Alan Nywening
Gibson Berry Farm
Greeneville, TNMentors & Interns
Duane Gibson & Ethan Wegner
Blogs from the FARM
A Great Summer to FARM in Washington County, VA!
A Great Summer to FARM in Washington County, VA! Hop vines shooting up for the sky in June It's been a hot and humid summer in Washington County, Virginia, but we've made [...]
Harvest Time at A Bushel and a Peck Farm
Starting from Scratch at A Bushel and a Peck Farm In my first blog, I talked about all the planting we did, both into pots for later transplanting, and as the season progressed, direct [...]
Program Coordinators
Jenni Roop, FARM Coordinator, VA
Jenni has been ASD’s Regional Coalition Coordinator for 3 years. Prior to working at ASD, Jenni was a Dietary Manager/Corporate Chef for an Assisted Living Community chain following several years of training and employment in the Culinary Arts field. She was born and raised in Abingdon, VA and continues to bury her roots there with husband and best friend, Brad; her beautiful and crazy smart 7-year-old daughter, Annabel; and two amazing dogs, Zoey and Hank. When she is not working for ASD, Jenni enjoys running on the Creeper Trail or Kayaking on the South Holston Lake in the summer and curling up by the fire with her family (or hibernating) in the winter.
Lexy Close, FARM Coordinator, TN
Alexis has a Masters from Clark University. After a year and a half of working on organic farms in Europe and the U.S., Close returned to Central Appalachia and co-founded the community organization “Build It Up East Tennessee” in 2012. In 2015, BIU started a cooperative of 10 low-income “market gardeners” who collectively grew over 11,000 lbs of food and sold $8,000 worth of fresh produce in 2015. Sales in 2016 have topped $15,000. Close was responsible for much of this coordination. She was the USDA-funded Local Food Promotion Program Coordinator for the southwest VA and northeast TN region from 2014-2016. She is currently the Beginning Farmer Services Coordinator for the Appalachian RC&D Council, which includes arranging more than 12 workshops a year according to beginning farmer interest, consulting beginning farmers on farm resource inventories, and teaching market-garden crop planning, horticulture, harvesting, processing, local marketing.
Gerena, Student FARM Coordinator
Gerena is a single mother of one 4 year old little girl. As a young girl she helped her grandfather on a dairy farm, where he taught her many things from planting a garden to driving a tractor. In her spare time she is very active in her church and enjoys spending time with her daughter and family. She is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with the community.