Dear Farmer,
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, sponsored, and exhibited at this year's Sustainable Agriculture Conference! The overwhelming turnout and support is a testament to the strength and dedication our sustainable farming community has here in the Carolinas. While this year's conference looked vastly different than years past, we were all still able to come together to learn, network, and share a few laughs.
Another way we can all support our farming community is by filling our Thanksgiving tables with food locally grown and raised. If you still haven't bought your turkey, you can still Find Your 2020 Pasture-Raised Thanksgiving Turkey from a Local Farm. I can't wait to enjoy my locally-raised turkey and am thankful to the farmers, ranchers, and their workers who have overcome immense obstacles this year to provide the food for which my family will celebrate and give thanks. Happy Thanksgiving!
 Cheers,
Karen McSwain, CFSA Associate Executive Director for Programs
PS - Don't miss our section below on small farms getting COVID relief. Small, organic farms in our community are getting checks through CFAP 2, and you may be able to, too!
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What is traceability, why is it important in our food systems, and how does it work?
Traceability on the farm involves a solid plan to ensure that if something goes wrong with your commodity, you have the ability to quickly trace that product back one step to the field or growing area where it was harvested and one step forward to the buyer who has purchased it.
Why is this so important?
Time is of the essence in the event of a food recall. We want to prevent foodborne illness; the quicker we get the product in question off the shelves and out of the hands of the consumer, the greater chance we have to prevent someone from getting sick—or worse. It seems that every time we see a food safety headline, it mentions yet another foodborne outbreak. The likely suspects are quite often leafy greens, fresh herbs, fruit, and most recently, onions, which touched every variety. The threat is real. The importance is significant and many farms are not prepared. Keep reading.
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Direct market and organic produce farms in the Carolinas are already receiving relief compensation from the USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2). You owe it to yourself to find out if this program could work for your farm.
CFAP 2 provides payments to many farms based on actual 2019 farm revenue, and not commodity prices or production volume. For example, a farm that grew flowers, fruits, and vegetables for farmers markets and CSA in 2019 would be able to apply for a relief payment of as much as 10% of its 2019 sales of those crops. That makes for a nice end-of-2020 income bump!
CFSA wants every eligible small farm to benefit from this valuable program, and so we’ve created a CFAP 2 resource page to help you with your application. Take a look to see how much of a difference CFAP 2 can make for your farm.
The deadline for applications is Dec. 11, 2020. Don’t miss this chance to benefit from the most small-farm-friendly disaster program USDA has ever offered.
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Nov. 7 - Q&A with Direct-Market Farmers Who Received CFAP Payments
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Thursday, Dec. 10 | Virtual | Free
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