Dear CEFS Supporter,
How do you invest in the future? How can we best prepare for the uncertainties that lie ahead? Here at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), it’s what we do every day. We are hard at work building strong, resilient food systems, and communities that will not only survive, but thrive, in our changing world. We plant the seeds – literally and figuratively – for tomorrow’s harvest, and we need your support to do it!
Please invest in the future by donating securely online at go.ncsu.edu/friendsofcefs. CEFS is a partnership of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina State University, and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Our fundraising initiatives operate under the auspices of the North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization (Tax ID# 56-6049304).
Investing in…Sustainable Agriculture Research
CEFS’ 2000-acre Field Research and Outreach Facility at Cherry Farm in Goldsboro, NC is “home base” for our sustainable agriculture research and demonstration projects. Our six field research units are developing solutions to some of our changing world’s most pressing challenges – including increasingly volatile weather, which we experienced firsthand this year in Tropical Storm Julia and Hurricane Matthew. Despite record flooding, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services personnel worked tirelessly to contain farm damage and keep livestock safe, including using helicopters and boats to deliver people and supplies! At the Farming Systems Research Unit, we were able to document huge greenhouse gas emissions following these storm events.
In July, CEFS and Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) co-hosted the first-ever Southern Cover Crop Conference. More than 350 researchers, farmers, extension agents, and natural resource personnel from across the Southern region came to tour our field research units and thirteen field demonstrations.
Cover crops are integral to how we manage our farm. And it’s not because of what they yield today, but rather what they will yield tomorrow – healthy, complex soils that will grow healthy plants. Cover crops are the ultimate investment in our future! It’s another example of how CEFS is a regional and national leader in agricultural sustainability.
Investing in….Training and Capacity-Building for North Carolina’s Small and Mid-Sized Farmers
The future of North Carolina’s rural communities depends on supporting small and mid-sized farmers. CEFS initiatives NC Growing Together, NC Choices, and Amazing Grazing deliver targeted, high-impact trainings and workshops on everything from postharvest handling to pastured poultry, season extension to Good Agricultural Practices, farm profitability to pasture management. These trainings – attended by nearly 1,000 farmers and extension agents in 2016 – are aimed at providing producers with cutting-edge information, tools, and resources to allow them to meet changing market demands and remain viable businesses in our changing world.
This year NC Choices’ Women Working in the Meat Business conference doubled in size to meet growing demand, and still sold out! The conference was the first of its kind in the nation to specifically focus on training, networking, and business development for women meat producers, butchers, processers, and business-owners. It has received media attention from Modern Farmer, Huffington Post, The News and Observer, National Public Radio, and more, and in 2016 National Farm Credit recognized it as one of the 100 top leadership programs in the country “changing rural communities and agriculture for the better.” The initiative partners with Amazing Grazing’s Leadership and Cattle Handling for Women Producers to offer women full “pasture to plate” capacity-building and educational opportunities.
Investing in…Building Local Food Economies
Developing Local Food Economies – where food is produced, distributed, and consumed within the same area – picks up where farmer training leaves off. It’s about building the systems, infrastructure, supply chains, and markets to ensure that farmers can make a living from what they produce. CEFS’ new initiative Local Food Economies engages local governments in the work of building local food systems by providing resources, tools, and information to planners, economic and business developers, and local government professionals.
Two new CEFS initiatives will leverage this work: University Food Systems (UFOODS) and NC Farm to Childcare (NCF2C). UFOODS is developing new market opportunities for farmers by building collaborative supply chain links from farms to six Historically Black or American Indian public university campuses in North Carolina. NC Farm to Childcare will assist in developing food procurement systems, connecting resources and people across food systems and early childhood education, and providing children with experiential ways to engage with food.
Investing in…Growing Consumer and Grassroots Support for Local Foods
Local food infrastructure, supply chains, and markets all ultimately depend on consumers, who vote for the kind of food system they want with their food dollars. CEFS’ NC 10% Campaign is building consumer support by encouraging all consumers to spend 10% of their existing food dollars on locally produced foods. The Campaign is tracking more than $70 million in local foods purchases since 2010, and counts nearly 8,000 individuals and over 1,000 businesses as members.
Local Food Ambassadors –organized by the NC 10% Campaign and NC Cooperative Extension – are a unique and diverse network of students who work to promote and support local foods at six Historically Black or American Indian public university campuses in North Carolina. They receive training and leadership opportunities to organize events, raise awareness, and generate excitement about local foods – helping to start a movement on college campuses where awareness about local foods is growing.
In 2016, Community Food Strategies organized six regional gatherings of food councils with support from regional partners and the Local Food Council of NC to support the growing network of nearly 35 food councils across North Carolina. More than 340 people representing 25 food councils and many more organizations attended these gatherings. This year the Community Food Strategies team worked closely with nine councils in organizational development and supported seven food councils in conducting baseline food assessments.
Investing in…..the Next Generation of Food System Leadership
Nothing that we do today will matter if we do not prepare the next generation to continue our work. CEFS’ Food Youth Initiative (FYI) supports and networks young food system leaders who are changing their communities – and the world. Twenty-two youth from all over the state participated in the 2016 FYI Summer Gathering, culminating in Reframing Food, a public photography exhibit where youth used their photographs as a guide to tell their stories. FYI’s good work was recognized by an Opal Mann Green award from the NC State Office of Outreach and Engagement.
FoodCorps NC, co-hosted by NC 4-H, is in its fifth year – and growing! In 2016, fourteen service members worked in nine communities across the state. In a FoodCorps survey, fully half of participating elementary school students reported trying new vegetables for the first time because of the program. FoodCorps NC has also been a leader in infusing racial equity into Farm to School work. After leading three regional Racial Equity in Farm to School trainings, 85% of participants reported the trainings were highly valuable and wanted more training and/or follow-up resources.
Investing in….The Vision of an Equitable Food System
The food system that CEFS envisions is one that has transformed the structural racism endemic to agriculture’s past and present into structures that promote equity for all. The Committee on Racial Equity (CORE) in Food Systems is leading CEFS as an organization – along with our community partners in some of the most disadvantaged and marginalized communities in the state – towards that goal. Through racial equity trainings, on-the-ground organizing with our community partners, and the development of shareable resources, guides and tools, CORE is pushing towards this vision of equity in food systems that we know we must achieve if true sustainability is our goal.
Investing in…Education and Agricultural Career Ladder Opportunities
CEFS helps build our movement by creating educational, academic, and agricultural career ladder opportunities across a wide span of food systems work. In 2016, twelve NC Growing Together Local Food Supply Chain Apprentices spent eight weeks working with local food hubs, businesses and organizations to gain hands-on training in local food systems and value chains work.
In 2016, CEFS also hosted seven Sustainable Agriculture Apprentices who gained in-depth farm experience at our Goldsboro Field Research and Outreach Facility and at the NC State Agroecology Education Farm. These programs offer real-world experiences in agriculture that are life-changing for many apprentices, helping them figure out where they fit in the world of food systems work.
And in 2016, the CEFS NC State Graduate Fellows Program was developed to provide financial support and recognition for future researchers, scholars, and leaders in sustainable agriculture and local food systems. Six graduate students were awarded fellowships in 2016.
At the end of the day, we must build widespread public support for our vision. At this year’s Farm to Fork Picnic Weekend we did just that, with more than 1,000 people attending our largest fundraising event of the year. All funds raised from this educational and delicious weekend go directly towards supporting our educational programs including the Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship and Internship programs. We were honored to welcome special guest Chef Sam Kass, former Assistant White House Chef under President Obama and the former Senior Policy Advisor for Michelle Obama’s Healthy Food Initiatives. And we were equally honored to present our very first Local Food Heroes Awards to youth and youth organizers who work in partnership with CEFS. With people like Kass and our Local Food Heroes at our side, we know we can accomplish anything.
As you can see, we’re serious about changing the food system. With your help, we can do more. Please join us in planting the seeds for tomorrow’s harvest through your investment in CEFS today. Make your gift at go.ncsu.edu/friendsofcefs.
With warm wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season,
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| Jennifer Zuckerman Chair, CEFS Board of Advisors |
Dr. Nancy Creamer Co-Director, CEFS |
Dr. Chyi Lyi (Kathleen) Liang Co-Director, CEFS |
