The Farmer Incubator Program is a program of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy's Farm and Food Project. In collaboration with the Organic Growers School and WNC FarmLink, the Farmer Incubator Program provides land, equipment, infrastructure, education, and support to limited resource, socially disadvantaged, and/or beginning farmers and ranchers.

General About the Organization/Mission

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) is one of the oldest land trusts in the county. SAHC works toward protecting the world's oldest mountains and conserving unique plant and animal habitat, clean water, local farmland, and the scenic beauty of the mountains of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee for present and future generations. In efforts to expand their farmland protection program and seeing the importance of supporting beginning farmers, SAHC transformed a 100-acre farm in Leicester, NC into an incubator site and working farm. The farm is now known as SAHC's Community Farm and is the home of the Farmer Incubator Program and two restoration projects. 

Farmers and ranchers participating in the program have access to resources and learning opportunities as they begin their farming or ranching operations and business initiatives. Located just 10 miles outside of downtown Asheville, the Community Farm has 40 acres of pasture and 60 acres of forest. There are half acre and quarter acre garden plots available in addition to a Quonset barn, equipment sheds, livestock shelter, produce wash and processing station, permanent and portable fencing and a new well and water system. Clinics and workshops are also offered to Incubator participants as well as other farmers and ranchers in the area. The Farm has the potential to support small-scale, pasture-raised livestock, vegetable production, cut flowers, herbs, some perennial fruits (a few apples and cherries have already been planted), nursery plants, beekeeping, and mushroom and forest herbs. After completing up to five years, farmers and ranchers will also have assistance locating land and other resources to continue their operations. 

Basic Info

Issues of Focus

• The Community Farm and Farmer Incubator Program address the rising concern as older generations of farmers retire and/or are forced to give up their farmland. In efforts to expand SAHC’s Farmland Access Service and to address the importance of conserving farmland in WNC, the Farmer Incubator Program works to eliminate the number of obstacles and barriers for young and beginning farmers.
• Across the country and particularly in WNC, generations of farmers and farmland are being pushed out of the business, forced to retire because of money or old age, or their next of kin aren’t interested in continuing the farming operation. SAHC has based their Farmer Incubator Program off of other successful programs across the country to foster new farm businesses throughout the region.
• Many young and beginning famers, especially those who don’t come from farming families, have limited access to financial support, equipment, local knowledge, infrastructure, and most importantly, land. The Farmer Incubator Program assists with the initial start-up years, hopefully building up a successful farming or ranching operation. 

History of Organization

The formation of SAHC came from a shared desire to protect the rare ecosystems and stunning vistas of the Highlands of Roan in Mitchell and Avery Counties, North Carolina and Carter County in Tennessee. With the Appalachian Trail crossing about 20 miles of the Roan Massif, a group of people in East Tennessee got together to ensure the Highlands of Roan would be protected from development forever. Since it’s founding in 1974, SAHC has protected over 68,000 acres throughout WNC and East TN. For over forty years, SAHC has been protecting unique plant and animal habitat, scenic viewsheds, and conserving clean water and local farmland in the Highlands of Roan, the Appalachian Trail countryside, the Black Mountains, the Smoky Mountains, the French Broad River Valley, and the Balsam Mountains.

 Before the Community Farm was under SAHC’s ownership, the previous family ran a successful Angus beef operation with one of the first conservation plans in Buncombe County. The farm was donated to the Conservancy in 2010, to ensure the land would remain farmland forever. Over the past five years, the farm has seen a lot of changes. In effort to continue to conservation and farming legacy of the land, SAHC began two restoration projects to increase the health of the land and built a 1.5-mile Discovery Trail, providing opportunities for education and exploration. The Farmer Incubator Program was the final touch of improvement on the farm, to support and encourage conservation minded farming and ranching operations.

Programs and Projects 

Farmer Incubator Program: The Farmer Incubator Program is one of the most unique projects happening at the Community Farm. Acting as a start-up for farming and ranching business ventures, the Incubator Program stands out as a leader in the region for supporting beginning farmers.

 Applications to the program are selected on a rolling basis and are selected based off specific criteria:

• Farming or ranching experience
• Strength of business idea and business plan
• Type of operation proposed and how it would fit in with the Community Farm as a whole
• Ability of applicant to commit to his/her/their business
• Ability of applicant to commit to the program and the full requirements 

For the full list of requirements and/or to apply visit http://www.appalachian.org/communityfarm/incubator.html or contact Chris Link at [email protected] or call 828.253.0095 ext. 203

 The first two farmers to join the Farmer Incubator Program began their operations in 2014. Second Spring Market Garden offers Asheville first 52-week CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and is the Community Farm’s first vegetable producers. Using organic methods, intensive plant spacing, growing and harvesting all food by hand, and growing a variety of vegetables year round with two heated greenhouses, Second Spring has created a unique and affordable gardening operation. Second Spring minimizes fossil fuel consumption in both their growing techniques and their personal lifestyles.

Interested in becoming a Second Spring CSA member? Join here (payment plans are available, if the full amount can’t be paid upfront). You can find Second Spring at the Asheville City Market and the Wednesday Tailgate Market at the French Broad River Co-op.

 The second farmer to join the Farmer Incubator Program is Gina Raicovich and her herd of Pinewoods cattle. Pineywoods are a rare and resilient heritage breed of cattle. Originally from Spain, Pineywood cattle have been most predominantly used in Mississippi because of their ability to graze just about anywhere. In particular Pineywoods are just as happy to graze in a big open pasture as they are in a forest, which makes them perfect for North Carolina ranching. While Raicovich’s herd is small right, she plans on breeding the herd to sell grass-fed beef and yearling heifers. 

Stream Restoration Project: The Community Farm has two streams on the property that meet up and eventually flow into the French Broad River watershed. Heavy logging and agricultural use heavily affected the streams in the early 1900s, which had caused unstable banks and serious erosion issues. The streams were filled sediment and had formed steep channels, in many places full of invasive plant species. SAHC began work to restore the streams in 2013 by repairing the eroded stream channels and banks with log and rock structures. The placement of log and rock structures help regulate water flow and created pools in the stream for native creatures to thrive. The project restored over 3,000 linear feet of streams, created a 150 ft. livestock buffer, and planted over 25,000 native trees and shrubs.

For more information about the Stream Restoration Project, visit http://www.appalachian.org/communityfarm/stream.html

Short Leaf Pine Reforestation: While under the Farm’s original ownership, part of the property was logged. During SAHC’s initial evaluation of the property, they discovered shortleaf pine sprouts growing. In efforts to revitalize the declining population of shortleaf pine in North Carolina, SAHC decided to begin a Shortleaf pine reforestation project.

The project began by removing competing plant species and mowing to clear away invasive plant species. Once the hillside was prepped, 2,500 shortleaf pine seedlings were planted. Within just a couple of years, the population of shortleaf pines has made a significant come back on the farm. Many of the native grass species have started growing again and the farm has a high potential for the return of a shortleaf pine forest.

For more information about the Shortleaf Pine Reforestation Project, visit http://www.appalachian.org/communityfarm/shortleaf.html

Discovery Trail: Visitors to SAHC’s Community Farm have the opportunity to explore the 1.5-mile Discovery Trail across the 100-acre farm. Along the way, hikers can enjoy reading interpretive signs to learn more about the history of the farm, local wildlife, agricultural best management practices, and the stream restoration and shortleaf pine reforestation. Throughout the year, guided hikes along the Discovery Trail and tours are given – check out SAHC's events calendar to find out when. 

Partners and Frequent Collaborators

• NC Cooperative Extension
• Organic Growers School
• Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project
• WNC FarmLink