BFRDP Projects

The goal of this one-year project was to scale-up the Patterson School Incubator Farm program (PSIF) and increase its capacity to provide agricultural education and foster environmental stewardship among new and beginning farmers and ranchers in Caldwell County, North Carolina and six surrounding Appalachian counties. PSIF was established in 2017 on the 1,400-acre campus of the former Patterson School to provide novice or under-resourced agricultural producers with affordable access to the site’s farmland, woodland, pastures, greenhouses, tools, equipment, and rental housing, as well as mentorship and instruction from PSIF staff, with the assistance of workshop facilitators from regional institutions, including Appalachian State University, and local agricultural experts. In the past seven years, PSIF has served 11 incubator farmers and hosted one apprentice through Boots on the Ground, a Registered Apprenticeship for military veterans at NC State University. PSIF also conducted workshops for the general public, attracting 10-25 participants per workshop.

Between January and September 2024, PSIF conducted six workshops that served a total of 112 participants including new and beginning farmers and ranchers from the seven-county target area. An additional four workshops are scheduled for October through mid-December. Most workshops provided materials that participants could take home to implement or replicate what they had learned. While 11% of attendees were currently farming, 48% of attendees expressed an interest in becoming farmers in the future. Partnerships with Appalachian State University and NC Cooperative Extension were strengthened and workshop attendees were introduced to the agricultural and environmental resources available on the Patterson campus.