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Sustainable Agriculture
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Appalachian Harvest |
Appalachian Harvest is a network of certified
organic family farmers in southwest Virginia and
northeast Tennessee who have come together to
make locally grown, organic produce available in
area supermarkets. This season, Appalachian
Harvest produce can be found in most Food City
stores. In the Richmond, VA area, Appalachian
Harvest produce can be found in Ukrops stores
and the Elwood Thompson Market. We also supply
produce to Whole Foods stores in Philadelphia,
Washington D.C. and northern Virginia.
Appalachian Harvest is a healthy, delicious
alternative to the travel weary produce found on
most supermarket shelves. Your purchase of
Appalachian Harvest produce brings fresh, nutritious
food to your table and helps our local farmers keep
farming.
According to figures released by
the USDA in 2002, organic foods are the fastest growing
segment of the grocery industry today (growing
by more than 20% each year for each of the last
12 years). More and more, we are seeing
certified organic produce and products in local
supermarkets. Food City, for example, stocks
organic produce year-round in most of their
stores (including locally grown organic
vegetables in season).
For local farmers struggling to
find markets for their farm products or looking
for profitable ways to use land left fallow by
dropping tobacco allotments, this trend could be
a great opportunity. Well paying markets for
certified organic produce are growing in our
area and technical and marketing support for
farmers new to organics are in place as well.
Farmers who may not have land
available that fits the requirements for
certified organic produce can work towards their
certification and still harvest a marketable
crop through “transitional organic” sales.
Growing fresh produce is neither
easy or risk-free, but with the added value of
the certified organic label, it could well be an
important piece of the financial puzzle on your
farm.
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