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Today’s Email Announcements

High Country Economic Kickoff Breakfast Jan. 24

2017 High Country

Economic Kickoff Breakfast

Please join the Blowing Rock and Boone Area Chambers of Commerce for the High Country Economic Kickoff Breakfast!

Dr. Harry Davis, Professor of Banking and Economist for the North Carolina Banking Association will provide the keynote address as he delivers his 2017 Economic Forecast.  

Dr. Harry Davis

When & Where?

Tuesday, January 24th

7:30 am – 9:00 am

Appalachian Ski Mountain

Snowcloud Room

940 Ski Mountain Road

Blowing Rock

Cost: $10 per person

Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Company

January 9, 2017-January 15, 2017

Short List

Tuesday, 1/10/17-Oyster Roast starting at 5pm. Steamed, Fried or Raw and served with all the fixins.

Wednesday, 1/11/17- Trivia at 7pm.

Thursday, 1/12/17-$3 Thirsty Thursday and College Night.

Friday, 1/13/17-Live Music: Good Vibes Jazz Trio with Lauren Hayworth at 7:30pm.

Saturday, 1/14/17- Live Music with Major Sevens Duo at 7:30pm.

Wednesday, 1/18/17-Trivia at 7pm.

Thursday, 1/19/17-$3 Thirsty Thursday and College Night.

Friday, 1/20/17-Live Music with Lucky Strikes at 7:30pm.

Saturday, 1/21/17- Live Music with Jacob Johnson Band at 7:30pm.

 

Monday January 9

Family Night-Buy any regularly priced pizza and receive one free kid’s meal.

 

Tuesday January 10

5pm-10pm. Oyster Roast. Steamed, Fried or Raw, Oyster Roasts are back at Lost Province! Join us the first Tuesday of each month for a you-shuck oyster roast. We’ve got $12 buckets with 12 oysters, house made saltine crackers and all the fixin’s!

 

Wednesday January 11

7pm-9pm Trivia Night: Beginning at 7pm, Lost Province will be hosting Trivia Night. Compete on your own or on a team! The competition gets started at 7pm so come a little early for a pizza and a pint and get your seat!

 

Thursday January 12

$3.00 Thursday-$3.00 pints on all Lost Province brewed beers (except high gravity).

 

Friday January 13

7:30pm-Closing Live Music: The Good Vibes Jazz Trio. The Good Vibes Jazz Trio offers an array of jazz, blues, swing, and bossa nova standards on vibraphone, acoustic bass, and vocals. The Good Vibes Jazz Trio features Rob Falvo on vibraphone, Kim France on bass and vocals, and Lauren Hayworth on vocals and percussion. They perform a sophisticated and eclectic blend of jazz, blues, and bossa nova standards, as well as original compositions.

 

Saturday January 14

7:30-Closing Live Music: Major Sevens Duo. The Major Sevens Duo has been playing a lot around western NC over the past year. Brooks Forsyth is a wonderful singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and together with Drayton Aldridge they put on a fun and musically satisfying show that mixes everything from Doc Watson-style folk tunes to bluegrass, delta blues, and ’30s swing. 

 

Sunday January 15

Lost Province Sunday: Residents of “The Lost Province” (Watauga, Ashe, Avery and Alleghany) receive 10% off food with verification of residency.

Winter Storm Furthers Severe Red Cross Blood Shortage

Blood and platelet donors needed now

 

GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 9, 2017) — The American Red Cross is urging eligible donors to give blood or platelets following the winter storm, which has compounded a severe winter blood shortage.  

 

Snow and icy roads forced 33 blood drives to cancel throughout the Carolinas, causing nearly 1,200 donations to go uncollected. Last month, nearly 100 blood drives were forced to cancel across the country due to severe weather, resulting in more than 3,100 blood donations going uncollected. Overall, hectic holiday schedules for many regular blood donors and weather contributed to about 37,000 fewer donations in November and December than what was needed.

 

“The need for blood doesn’t pause for severe weather – it’s constant,” said Nick Gehrig, communications director, Red Cross Blood Services. “Right now, blood and platelet donations are being distributed to hospitals faster than they are coming in. Eligible donors of all blood types are critically needed.”

 

How to help

Find a blood donation opportunity and schedule an appointment to donate by using the free Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). The Red Cross is extending hours at many donation sites for more donors to give blood or platelets. Overall, the Red Cross has added nearly 200 hours to blood donation centers and community blood drives across the country over the next few weeks. Donation appointments and completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire are encouraged to help speed up the donation process.

 

Who blood donations help

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all require blood to save their lives.

 

Upcoming blood donation opportunities:

 

Alleghany

 

Sparta

1/23/2017: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Sparta United Methodist Church, 190 N. Main St.

1/30/2017: 8:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m., Alleghany High School, 404 Trojan Ave

_______________

 

Ashe

 

Jefferson

1/19/2017: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Jefferson UMC, 115 East Main Street

_______________

 

Davidson

 

Lexington

1/10/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Davidson County Community College Rittling Conference Center, 297 DCCC Road

1/16/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., First Lutheran Church, 320 South State Street

1/17/2017: 3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Meadowview Presbyterian Church, 1 Grace Way Drive

 

Thomasville

1/18/2017: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center, 207 Old Lexington Road

1/19/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Memorial United Methodist Church, 101 Randolph Street

1/22/2017: 11:45 a.m. – 4:15 p.m., Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church, 6516 Old Greensboro Road

_______________

 

Davie

 

Mocksville

1/25/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Davie County Library, 371 North Main Street

1/31/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Pinebrook Elementary School, 477 Pinebrook School Road

_______________

 

Forsyth

 

Clemmons

1/11/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Clemmons Moravian Church, 3535 Spangenberg Ave

1/12/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Clemmons Presbyterian Church, 3930 Clemmons Road

 

Kernersville

1/27/2017: 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., East Forsyth High School, 2500 West Mountain Street

 

Lewisville

1/14/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Shallowford Presbyterian, 1200 Lewisville Clemmons Rd.

 

Winston Salem

1/9/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/10/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/11/2017: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, 575 N. Patterson Avenue

1/11/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/11/2017: 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., University North Carolina School of the Arts, 1533 S. Main St.

1/11/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, 575 N. Patterson Avenue

1/12/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/13/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/15/2017: 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/16/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/17/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/18/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/18/2017: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Friedberg Family Medicine, 5010 Peters Creek Parkway

1/19/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/20/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/22/2017: 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/23/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/24/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/25/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/26/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/27/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/29/2017: 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/30/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

1/30/2017: 3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Griffith Fire Department, 5190 Peters Creek Parkway

1/31/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Winston Salem Blood Donation Center, 650 Coliseum Drive

_______________

 

Guilford

 

Archdale

1/12/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Trindale Community Church, 5934 Surrett Drive

 

Greensboro

1/9/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/10/2017: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/10/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Lincoln Green Apartments, 2205 New Garden Road

1/10/2017: 3:30 p.m. – 8 p.m., Rehobeth United Methodist Church, 4475 Rehobeth Church Road

1/11/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/11/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Greek Orthodox Church, 800 Westridge Road

1/12/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/13/2017: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Human Resources Bldg., 1020 East Wendover Ave., Suite 101

1/13/2017: 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Human Resources Bldg., 1020 Wendover Ave., Suite 101

1/13/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/14/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/16/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/17/2017: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/17/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Lutheran Church of Our Father, 3304 Groometown Road

1/18/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/19/2017: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Sebastian Villages, 1402 E. Washington Street

1/19/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/20/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/20/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Linville Hall, 700 S Holden Rd

1/21/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/22/2017: 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, 410 Holden Road

1/23/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/24/2017: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/25/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/26/2017: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Duke Energy, 2500 Fairfax Road

1/26/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/26/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Guilford College United Methodist Church, 1205 Fleming Road

1/27/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/28/2017: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/30/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

1/31/2017: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Greensboro Blood Donation Center, 1501 Yanceyville Street

 

High Point

1/9/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Tabernacle Baptist Church, 3929 Johnson Street

1/13/2017: 7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., High Point Regional UNC Health Care, 601 N. Elm Street

1/13/2017: 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., High Point Regional UNC Health Care, 601 N. Elm Street

1/14/2017: 7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Williams Memorial CME Church, 3400 Triangle Lake Road

1/18/2017: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., High Point University, 833 Montlieu Ave

1/25/2017: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Wesleyan Christian Academy, 1971 N. Centennial Ave

1/28/2017: 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 918 N. Main Street

1/31/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Covenant Church United Methodist, 1526 Skeet Club Road

 

Jamestown

1/9/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Bales Wesleyan Church, 1001 Bales Chapel Road

1/18/2017: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Guilford Tech Community College Medlin Center, 601 East Main Street, PO Box 309

1/19/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Gate City Baptist Church, 5250 Hilltop Road

 

Stokesdale

1/10/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Stokesdale United Methodist Church, 8305 Loyola Dr

 

Summerfield

1/23/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Community Lutheran Church, 4960 US Hwy. 220 N

_______________

 

Rockingham

 

Eden

1/20/2017: 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 130 Main St

 

Madison

1/9/2017: 3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Madison United Methodist Church, 110 West Academy Street

 

Reidsville

1/17/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Holy Infant Catholic Church, 1042 Freeway Dr.

1/21/2017: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Woodmont United Methodist Church, 1926 Richardson Street

 

Stoneville

1/9/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Vera Holland Center, 203 East Main Street

 

Wentworth

1/31/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Wentworth School Wentworth, 8806 NC Hwy 87

_______________

 

Rowan

 

China Grove

1/30/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., Rite Aid, 508 Highway 29 N

 

Mount Ulla

1/29/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Millbridge Ruritan, 490 Sloan Road

 

Salisbury

1/13/2017: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Genesis Healthcare, 710 Julian Road

1/15/2017: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Christiana Lutheran Church, 6190 Hwy 52

1/15/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Bethel Lutheran Church-Salisbury, 355 East Ridge Road

1/27/2017: 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Rowan County Rescue Squad, 1140 Julian Road

1/31/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Stallings Memorial Baptist-Salisbury, 817 S. Main Street

_______________

 

Stokes

 

King

1/12/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., YMCA of Northwest North Carolina, 105 Moore Rd

 

Lawsonville

1/28/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Lawsonville Ruritan Club, 4589 NC 8 Hwy N

 

Walnut Cove

1/13/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Stokes Early College, 1165 Dodgetown Road

1/25/2017: 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., South Stokes High School, 1100 South Stokes High Drive

_______________

 

Surry

 

Dobson

1/26/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Dobson Elementary School, 400 West Atkins Street

 

Elkin

1/16/2017: 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Elkin Rescue Squad, 946 North Bridge Street

 

Lowgap

1/26/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Cedar Ridge Elementary School, 734 Flippin Road

 

Mount Airy

1/12/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Grace Moravian Church, 1401 North Main Street

1/15/2017: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 314 South Franklin Road

1/28/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., You Better Run, 958 North Main Street

1/30/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., White Plains Elementary, 710 Cadle Ford Rd

 

Pilot Mountain

1/23/2017: 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Pilot Mountain First United Methodist Church, 210 Marion Street

 

Pinnacle

1/19/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Shoals Elementary School, 1800 Shoals Road

_______________

 

Watauga

 

Blowing Rock

1/17/2017: 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Rumple Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1218 Main Street

 

Boone

1/10/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Blue Ridge EMC, 2491 US HWY 421 S

1/12/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 131 Big Valley Street

1/20/2017: 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Appalachian State University, 231 Plemmons Student Union, ASU

1/26/2017: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Caldwell Community College, CCC, 372 Community College Road

1/30/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Chili’s, 1934 Blowing Rock Rd.

1/30/2017: 2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., Boone UMC, 471 New Market Blvd

 

Sugar Grove

1/20/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Valle Crucis Elementary School, 2998 Broadstone Road

_______________

 

Wilkes

 

Hays

1/21/2017: 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Bethel Baptist Church Hays, 3656 Mountain View Road, PO Box 679

 

Ronda

1/12/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., East Wilkes Middle School, 2201 Macedonia Church Road

1/26/2017: 3 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., Temple Hill United Methodist Church, 1192 Somers Road

 

Wilkesboro

1/25/2017: 2:30 p.m. – 7 p.m., Sweet Frog – Wilkesboro, 1510-D Winkler Mill Road Ext.

_______________

 

Yadkin

 

Boonville

1/27/2017: 1 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Boonville Elementary School, 232 East Main Street

 

East Bend

1/10/2017: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Forbush Elementary School Gym, 1400 Bloomtown Rd

 

Yadkinville

1/13/2017: 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., Yadkinville UMC, 204 West Main Street

1/18/2017: 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Yadkin Center, 4649 Hwy 601

 

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

 

Organic Growers School Spring Conference in March

Organic Growers School Hosts the 24th Annual Spring Conference in March

The 24th Annual Spring Conference—for farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and sustainability seekers—is hosted by Organic Growers School (OGS), a local non-profit organization, and will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 11 & 12, 2017, at the University of North Carolina in Asheville.

 

The Spring Conference offers practical, region-specific workshops on farming, gardening, permaculture, urban growing, and rural living and includes a trade show, seed exchange, silent auction, and children’s program. Three on-farm, pre-conference workshops are also available at an additional cost. There are more than 70 90-minute classes per day in 16 themed tracks: Community Food; Cooking; Earth Skills; Farmers: Beginning; Farmers: Intermediate to Advanced; Gardening; Herbs; Livestock; Mushrooms; Permaculture; Pollinators; Poultry; Soils; Sustainable Forestry; Sustainable Living; And More!

 

This one-of-a-kind event brings people of all walks of life together for a weekend of learning, inspiration, and networking and features a host of local and regional experts. The mission of the Spring Conference is to provide down-to-earth advice on growing and sustainable living, while remaining affordable and accessible. The OGS Spring Conference is the largest locally run sustainability conference in the Southeast.

 

The cost for the weekend is $99 before January 31st and $129 after. For Saturday only, the cost is $59 before January 31st, and $74 after. And the cost for Sunday is $49 before January 31st, and $64 after. Prices for the pre-conference workshops are:

  • Treating the Farm as an Ecosystem with Gabe Brown—$65 with weekend registration and $80 without.

  • Chickens & You: From Egg to Table with Pat Foreman—$65 with weekend registration and $80 without.

  • Beginning Forest Farming: Cultivating Crops Under the Canopy—$65 with weekend registration and $80 without.

 

Special guest speakers for the 2017 Spring Conference:

 

Gabe Brown, of Brown’s Ranch, is regenerating landscapes for a sustainable future. A conventional farmer in the ’90s, Gabe is now a cover-cropping and soil-building pioneer who speaks all over the world about the advantages of soil health. A North Dakota farmer with over 5,000 acres in production, Gabe teaches techniques that, when applied in concert, can achieve similar success anywhere. Field trials, scientific data, personal examples, and two decades of experience back up his productivity gains. Brown’s Ranch has eliminated the use of all synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides. They use minimal herbicide—and are striving to eliminate it—and they do not use GMOs or glyphosate. Their resulting increase in production, profit, and quality of life is the very definition of sustainability.

 

Matthew Raiford is the executive chef and owner of The Farmer and The Larder which was featured in January 2016’s Garden & Gun as one of the South’s most exciting new restaurants. A classically trained French chef, Matthew served as program coordinator and associate professor of Culinary Arts at the College of Coastal Georgia. He has a Bachelor’s of Professional Studies in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and a certificate in Ecological Horticulture from UC Santa Cruz and The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. Raiford is also the farmer at Gilliard Farms in Brunswick, GA where he is the sixth generation to farm land that has been in his family since 1874.

 

Althea Raiford is a farmer, electrician, teacher, and US military veteran. She caught the bug to farm on her Nana’s homestead in southern Georgia while gathering eggs, harvesting pears, picking pecans and greens and cotton, and hearing stories of how her family became part of the backbone of their community. In addition to life lessons learned, she draws continuous inspiration from the hard work and relentless spirit of those that came before her. Her passion to reclaim Gilliard Farms comes from her love and appreciation of her family’s legacy and future.

 

Pat Foreman is a poultry pioneer, local foods and sustainability fanatic, organic farmer, author, pharmacist, international consultant, and instructor extraordinaire. She is the founder of The Gossamer Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to global sustainability and local foods, and the developer and lead instructor of the Chickens and You Training Series which awards the Master Backyard Chicken Keeper Certification. She is the author of City Chicks, co-author of Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry, Backyard Market Gardening, and A Tiny Home to Call Your Own. Pat has kept poultry for about 25 years with experience ranging from a community farm to a commercial operation with free range, organic layers, broilers, and turkeys. Pat has been featured on NPR & BBC.

 

Forest Farming Experts:

  • Jeanine M. Davis, PhD, Horticulture Professor at NC State University since 1988 and author. NCHerb.org.

  • Jim Hamilton, PhD, the County Extension Director for the Watauga County Cooperative Extension.

  • Jeannie Dunn, owner of Red Moon Herbs.

  • Jennifer Flynn, C.O.O of Accelerating Appalachia and Brand Manager for the North Carolina Natural Products Association’s Blue Ridge Naturally program.

  • Jennifer Gerrity, the Executive Director of Operations of Mountain Rose Herbs in Eugene, OR.

  • Margaret Bloomquist, Research Assistant with Alternative Crops and Organics Program of NC State.

 

Weekend classes include Spring & Summer Hoophouses, Creative Farmland Access, Creating Monarch Habitats, Permaculture, 5 Keys to Building Healthy Soils, Sustainable Seafood, Fire Building, Strategies for Pastured Livestock, Knots, Ropes & Strings, Powerhouse Breakfasts, What’s That Mushroom?, Dairy Goats, Rainwater Harvesting, and many more. The pre-conference workshops, a full weekend schedule, and class descriptions can be seen online at organicgrowersschool.org. Additional long-standing traditions at the OGS Spring Conference weekend include the following:

 

  • Forest Floor Wilderness Program has teamed up with OGS to run this year’s Annual Children’s Program. Forest Floor staff will mentor children through stories, games, and earth skills. On the agenda is a nature museum, outdoor safety and awareness, bird language, plant identification, tracking skills, and ancient crafts. This program will coincide with the adult class schedule and will serve two age groups: 5–7 & 8–12. Registration is $40 per day, per child, and the program is limited to 40 children per day.

  • The Trade Show will showcase a wide array of exhibitors and products: local farms, gardening suppliers, and cottage industries that specialize in organic products, books and resources for organic growers and permaculture practitioners, and several non-profit organizations with information on related topics. (A full list of exhibitors is on the OGS website and is updated regularly.)

  • The Seed and Plant Exchange booth is open throughout the weekend and offers the opportunity to preserve genetic diversity and protect regionally adapted varieties. Attendees may bring excess seeds and small plants to share, barter, or trade. Seed saving supplies and recommended readings will be provided.

 

Three full-day, on-farm pre-conference workshops are offered on Friday, March 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at various locations around WNC. They are as follows:

 

Treating the Farm as an Ecosystem with Special Guest, Gabe Brown takes place at Living Web Farms in Mills River, NC. Workshop description: Soil, water, and sunlight. It is from these resources that all life develops. It is also from these resources that farmers make their living.  To ensure both our current success and the sustainability of future generations, we must regenerate our landscapes. Learn how Brown’s Ranch, located near Bismarck, ND, uses cover crops, zero-till, crop and livestock diversity, pasture recovery, and high-density grazing as key tools for increasing yield, profit, and efficiency. Their ever evolving strategies have significantly improved the mineral and water cycles, allowed for nine or more months of grazing, and increased the topsoil and, consequently, the health of the entire farm.

 

Chickens & You: From Egg to Table with Special Guest, Pat Foreman takes place at Franny’s Farm in Leicester, NC. Workshop description: There is a back-to-the-land movement and it’s happening in backyards and on small parcels across the world. Raising chickens is fun, empowering, and assures that your food is grown with clean soils, heritage breeds, and proper, high-quality food inputs. Some people are finding they can’t eat commercial poultry because of food allergies and sensitives to the grain that the birds eat. With pastured production methods and heritage birds, you can raise birds that you couldn’t otherwise source or afford. Learn everything you need to know from egg to table for a small-scale backyard chicken operation, including how to minimize work, maximize production, and have fun doing it. Keep you and your family in good health—occupy your backyard with chickens!

 

Beginning Forest Farming: Cultivating Crops Under the Canopy with team of experts takes place at Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center in Mills River, NC. Workshop description: Most farms and homesteads in Western NC and the Southern Appalachians contain forested land. Forest farming is a practice of cultivating medicinal, edible, decorative, and handicraft crops under a forest canopy—a unique habitat for producing non-timber forest products. The Appalachian region contains native habitat for more than 15 forest farmable plants. Due to an ever-growing market (one billion dollars annually in the US and rising), forest-based production can contribute to the financial success of regional farmers.

As the largest grassroots conference of its kind in the region, the Spring Conference has allowed Organic Growers School to reinforce WNC’s role as a regional leader in sustainable food and farming. Attendees come from 18 states and Canada and have described the event as a ritualistic kick-start to the growing season. The value placed on local wisdom and mountain-specific growing information—as well as accessible, practical, and hands-on education—makes the event a regional and much-loved tradition in the WNC mountains.

 

This event has grown exponentially, from a small gathering of 100 growing enthusiasts in 1993 to a regionally recognized conference drawing over 2,000 attendees, exhibitors and speakers.  “The OGS Spring Conference is a gathering place, a source of inspiration, and a reminder of the richness of our community. The number one thing people come away with is an immersion in the human web, much like the soil web, of like-minded folks. To be connected, even for a weekend, as allies for land stewardship, sustainable food systems, and local farming goes a long way to creating an infusion of delight and momentum,” says Lee Warren, Executive Director of OGS.

 

The 150+ class schedule that makes up the Spring Conference program is created by track leaders, volunteers who are experts in their respective fields, and community leaders. Track leaders for the 24th Annual Spring Conference include Chris Smith of Sow True Seeds; Bre O’Connor of the Asheville Mushroom Club; Mark Dempsey of CFSA, Meredith Leigh and Richard Freudenberger of Living Web Farms; Nicole DelCogliano of OGS; Elizabeth Ayers of NC Cooperative Extension; Shane Maxson, Pearson King, and Dylan Ryals Hamilton from the Permaculture community; Amah Mitchell, herbalist; Shawn Swartz, Forester at Warren Wilson College; Anne Knoflicek, Local Chef; Kelly Gaskill of NC State; Franny Tacy, Local Farmer; and Phyllis Stile and Nancy Adamson of the Bee City and Pollinator Activist communities. “Our focus on local education and community-based leadership makes this conference a real grassroots event,” says Rodney Bowling, the Conference Director. “And if we want change in our food systems, creating education for the people by the people is what will create this change.”

 

An additional day of programming is being offered in 2017, with two co-sponsored events planned for Thursday, March 9, 2017. The National Young Farmers Coalition is hosting a workshop titled “Accessing Land to Farm: Strategies & Partners to Help You Succeed,” from 10am-4pm and a networking and mixer event from 4-6pm at the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Incubator Farm, 180 Mag Sluder Rd, Alexander, NC 28701. This free, full-day training is designed to provide beginning farmers with an overview of the partners, resources, and strategies involved in finding secure access to farmland. For registration, visit www.youngfarmers.org/landaccess. Additionally, in partnership with Living Web Farms, a lecture entitled, “Nutrient-Dense Foods” with Dan Kittredge will happen, also on Thursday, March 9th, from 5-7pm, upstairs at the French Broad Food Coop, 90 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801. Learn about ‘Quality Food,’ how to get it, and why it is important, with Dan Kittredge of the Bionutrient Food Association. No Registration required.

 

The major sponsors of the 24th Annual Spring Conference are Carolina Farm Credit, French Broad Food Co-op, Mountain Rose Herbs, Living Web Farms, Earth Tools, Biltmore, Red Moon Herbs, Fedco Seeds, Central Carolina Community College, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Wild Abundance Firefly Gathering, Sow True Seeds, Edible Asheville, WNC Woman, Laurel of Asheville, Hendersonville Community Coop, IWANNA, Mountain Xpress, Mother Earth News Fair, Reems Creek Nursery, Thyme in the Garden, Sheville, Home Garden & Green Living Show, and Lenoir-Rhyne University.

 

The Spring Conference is organized annually by the Organic Growers School, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire, educate, and support people to farm, garden, and live organically. Organic Growers School is the premier provider of practical organic education in the Southern Appalachians. OGS envisions a mutually supportive network of prosperous farmers, productive gardeners, and informed consumers engaged in creating healthy communities.

 

OGS is proud to offer over 150 opportunities for individuals to attend the conference by means of a work-exchange program. Persons interested in applying for work exchange/volunteer status should visit the OGS website and fill out an application. Shifts are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

Interested participants may register online at www.organicgrowersschool.org or request a mailed registration form from Rod Bowling at rod@organicgrowersschool.org or (828) 680.0661.  Registration forms are also available at area retail stores and Cooperative Extension offices.

 

 

 

Are you coming to breakfast?

LOCATION

Snowcloud Room at Appalachian Ski Mountain

 

DATE AND TIME

01/24/17 7:30am – 01/24/17 9:00am

 

Dr. Harry Davis will provide the keynote address. Breakfast buffet begins at 7:30 am. $10 per person (must RSVP & pay in advance).