Aspiring farmers take root at county incubator farm

Cabarrus County Cooperative Extension Agent Carl Pless (left) shows Commissioners Larry Chapman (center) of Transylvania County and Dan Andrews of Harnett County what some of the Cabarrus County incubator program participants are growing in their plots. To view more photos from the rolling workshop tour of the incubator farm, visit the NCACC's Picasa page. (Photos by Jason King)

Prospective farmers who find the cost of land and equipment too prohibitive to start a farm may have help on the way. Leaders of a new collaboration spearheaded by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) at N.C. State will soon be seeking local government partners that are willing to transition vacant public lands to use as community-based, community-driven incubator farms.

Joanna Massey Lelekacs of CEFS discussed the Incubator Farm Project, which is part of a larger "Bringing New Farmers to the Table" initiative, during an Annual Conference rolling workshop to Cabarrus County's Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm on Aug. 18. Lomax is one of three existing incubator farms in the state; the others are PLANT @ Breeze Farm in Orange County and Raft Swamp Farms in Hoke County. Two others – Maverick Farm's (serving Ashe and Watauga) and 3 Eagles Sanctuary (serving Stanly) – are proposed.

Lelekacs said CEFS is developing a timeline for its selection process and will soon issue a call for applications. In exchange for use of the land, Lelekacs said the incubators could donate a small percentage of their production to those in need in the community.

Rolling workshop participants check out the high tunnel greenhouse at the Elma Lomax Incubator Farm. The high tunnel, added in late 2009, allows program participants to experiment with longer growing seasons and increased crop yields.

A larger benefit to the community, once incubator participants begin farming on their own, is the availability of more local foods. The "Bringing New Farmers" initiative is part of the Farm to Fork initiative, which seeks to build the state's local food economy. The N.C. 10% Campaign (www.nc10percent.com) is a part of that initiative, focusing on building consumer demand for local foods.

Incubator farms provide solutions to some of the top challenges facing new farmers (as identified in a 2010 survey of farmers and educators) by providing access to land and preparation and through teaching marketing, business planning and management, risk management and technical farming skills.

At the Cabarrus incubator, a 30.6-acre farm donated by resident Elma C. Lomax for use as a public park, Cooperative Extension staff members provide classroom instruction on the business of farming as well as hands-on experience on the farm. Participants in the program develop and manage their own agriculture business while receiving guidance from seasoned farmers. Transition strategies follow a three- to five-year participation period at the farm and aim to help new farmers find land of their own.