Applachian Farms: taking the tobacco road to sustainability - Blue Hill Organic Farm

New Life Journal, Dec, 2002 by Charlie Jackson

Editor's Note: Enjoy: this first of a series of profiles of local sustainable farmers sponsored by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture project.

For over a century; tobacco has been the lifeblood of the local agricultural economy. To survive in the Mils and hollows of western North Carolina, a farmer had to know how to grow burley tobacco. Times are changing for our farmers, and an old way of life that has shaped our rural communities is coming to an end. In order to survive, farmers are looking to new crops and new ways of farming. Wayne Uffelman began his farming life growing tobacco. Today, he and his wife, Ruth, and their daughters, Amelia and Julie Claire, are still growing tobacco ... organically. They also specialize in the organic production of mixed vegetables, three varieties of potatoes, and heirloom corn varieties on their fifty-acre Blue Hill Organoc Farm on Paw Paw Creek in Madison County. This year they decided to branch out to chicks and

Wayne and Ruth are looking creatively for new ways to make farming viable in western North Carolina. Wayne believes that there is more promise today towards building the local economy than in recent years ... but he is hesitant to paint too pretty a picture. He knows that our local organic produce has to compete with organic produce from thousands of miles away, but he senses that people are beginning to understand that when a local farm goes under, we all pay. Wayne also knows that people tend to concentrate on the price rather than on the value of locally grown food. We are in danger of losing the ability to grow food locally because we are losing farmland and experienced farmers. If we no longer have a local food system, control slips away from us all and we no longer have a voice. "You can't place a price on retaining control, preserving local farms, and strengthening our local economy," says Uffelman.

Farmers have to pay attention. Wayne and Ruth have been mulling over the new organic standards and what that means for the small family farm. Ruth knows that their loyal band of tailgate customers want to know if the produce is organic, not if it is organically certified. That's the beauty of a local economy--getting to know the people that grow your food and relying on them to maintain high standards. Wayne and Ruth sell their eggs, potatoes, and other produce at the North Asheville Tailgate Market. Tailgate markets are a wonderful place to meet people, and Ruth has many stories about her customers. The market is about relationships. "The tailgate market is very fulfilling for the farmers. There is a personal nature to the market. When we sell a beautiful bunch of beets to someone and they return the next week to tell you how good they were--it's just very satisfying."

Wayne was drawn to farming by the back-to,the-land movement; the self-reliance theme appealed to him and is what still keeps him farming. Wayne fears that we are losing that independence when we lose our family farms. Far away farms that have no contact with the community cannot respond to local needs. Ruth and Wayne farm organically and sell locally because they believe that it is the right thing to do; it protects our water and soil quality and produces fresh and healthy food and helps build the local economy. They build soil because soil makes food." Their chickens are raised free-range because it is healthier and it is more humane for the chickens. Their feed is grown locally and sustainably on Warren Wilson College Farm. They add flax seed and kelp to the feed to boost levels of Omega 3's. They also add calcium to raise the nutritional value of the eggs. They then harvest the eggs and rush them to market. All this adds up to freshness and great taste and is a response to the demands of their local customers. "There's nothing quite as delicious as a home-grown egg!" says Ruth.

Wayne became an organic farmer through his participation in the Transition Program of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP). In 1997, he joined the first group of farmers in our region to take part in a program to develop alternative crops to tobacco and to look at new ways of marketing. The Transition Program provided the farmers with mentoring and small grants that were used for soil improvement and to defray some of the cost of organic certification. This program was instrumental in opening up new markets for Blue Hill Organic Farm. You can now find quality Blue Hill Organic Farm certified organic produce and free-range eggs at the North Asheville Tailgate Market and at many local grocers and restaurants that support local farms. You can also call the farm at 828649-2792. For a complete listing of local farms and places to find locally grown food look for the ASAP Local Food Guide or visit www.BuyAppalachian.org. For more information on the ASAP Transition Program visit www.asapconnections.org or call 828-649-9452.

Charlie Jackson is the Projects Coordinator for the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. Contact him at charlie@asapconnections.org or 828-293-3262.