Accelerating Appalachia

The answer is D! Did you get it right? Cotton is Tennessee’s top agricultural export, with most of the crop grown in the state’s Western and Delta regions. We’re proud to serve Tennessee as one of eight states in our Building Soil, Building Equity program, working alongside local farms to strengthen regenerative practices. 🌾 Interested in more Tennessee farm facts? Read more: https://lnkd.in/gN_mUPB4 #regenerativeag #cottonharvest #tennessee

Are you a farmer who was impacted by the recent hurricanes? Check out our Disaster Assistance for Farmers page, which includes financial aid, state and regional programs, and federal support to help you rebuild after the storm. Learn more: https://bit.ly/48rcWqC #disasterrelief #disasterassistance #farmers

Yesterday was a great day getting out with our Accelerating Appalachia team to take our USDA national program officer on a tour of a couple of our Kentucky Building Soil, Building Equity projects. Thanks to funding from USDA Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities we are realizing a dream of 12+ years - to meaningfully fund small to medium size mostly underserved farms across our southeastern region rebuilding/building soil health while sequestering carbon. We’re paying 600 farmers for implementation and measurement of 12 NRCS approved practices including silvopasture, riparian buffers, habitat management, pastured grazing, cover crops and more. These good soil health practices have various names - regenerative agriculture, climate smart agriculture, conservation practices - but the practices are the same and make the difference in improved food nutrition, water retention, carbon sequestration, keeping small farmers on the land and more. Featuring silvopasture in Madison County, KY with a variety of new tree establishment and alpaca, River Hill Ranch (a graduate of our 2016 ag business accelerator) Alvina Maynard is producing Alpaca wool products with their own natural dyes and is located just into eastern Kentucky just south of Lexington, KY. They boast a wonderful on farm shop of their wool scarves, sweaters, gloves, socks. Joining us from just across the KY river bridge from Riverhill are Jane and Anna Harrod from their 200 year Snyder-Early family farm who are building out a diversified farm and farming hub just off of interstate 75 at Clays Ferry. With 75+ years of combined expertise, these women’s deep knowledge of native plant species, animal husbandry, diversified farm operations and good land use is extensive and we are Kentucky proud to support them! 🦙 🌱 🫛 👩🏽🌾🌿🌾🍄🟫 We are especially grateful to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities funding enabling us to realize this long held hope to support many hundreds of farmers across Central Appalachia and our southeastern region. #acceleratingappalachia #acceleratingagriculture #kentuckyfarmers #usdapcsc #climatesmartfunding #regenerativeagriculture #conservationagriculture #womenfarmers #climatesmartwool #appalachia #buildingsoilbuildingequity

Our journey towards extending the Pineywoods Cattle foraging to include an additional 65 acres of forest is taking another step. With the help of funding provided in part by the USDA's Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities and Accelerating Appalachia, culvert and surge stone installation in a few of the steepest sections of the forest fenceline begins this week! This work will help reduce erosion and reduce the likelihood of the fence being washed out during heavy rains. I bush hogged the fenceline for the first time yesterday, the grass that was seeded last November has come up nicely in most places and will act double as a pasture and a firebreak. Despite the steep terrain and a few instances where I felt a bit unsure about the stability of the tractor, I can say without a doubt that it was the most enjoyable and spiritual bush hog. I got back to the farmhouse feeling refreshed and calm from all the forest healing. #forestlife #farmlife #officelife #silvopasture

Happy World Food Day! Accelerating Appalachia is dedicated to helping local farmers adopt regenerative farming practices that protect the environment while boosting their yield. Visit our website at https://lnkd.in/dqQcc8ME to discover why sowing a regenerative system is the key to growing a resilient Appalachia and rural Southeast. #worldfoodday #regenerativefarming #farmers

It's National Farmer's Day! THANK YOU to all of the hardworking farmers and ranchers who care for the land and provide us with food and fiber. ❤️ #nationalfarmersday #thankafarmer

#ThrowbackThursday to our team's viewing of "World Without Cows" (pictured here with one of the film's directors, Brandon Whitworth). This documentary explores the multifaceted impact of cows on our world, from climate to economics. We were thrilled to hear regenerative agriculture highlighted as a solution to some of our biggest environmental challenges. Learn more about World Without Cows here: https://lnkd.in/gPfucJKm. #cows #regenerativeagriculture #soilhealth

We're proud to support farms like Kaluna Farm Retreat in our Building Soil, Building Equity initiative! This Oct. 26th, they're hosting a Fall Harvest Dinner with multiple courses featuring produce and products from their farm. Show your support by purchasing a ticket today: https://lnkd.in/gPFb8xdd Farmer Meghan Cole-Jones shares, "Working with the Building Soil, Building Equity program has allowed us to expand the scope of our soil enhancement practices, which will ultimately increase the resiliency of our farm operation. We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to improve existing infrastructure and implement new systems that were made possible, partly due to grant funding from the USDA's Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities and Accelerating Appalachia." #farmtotable #soilhealth #regenerativeagriculture

Cover crops are the unsung heroes of crops! They go about their business quietly: protecting soil from erosion, adding nutrients, and increasing soil quality in order to support the stars of the show - the crops that end up on our plates. Fall is a prime time for cover crops, and as we wrap up our focus on crops, we're giving them some love. Whether you farm--at any scale--or garden, cover crops can be part of your operation. Learn more from NCAT Agriculture Specialist Lee Rinehart's reflection on the potential for cover crops to heal damaged soil: https://buff.ly/4efxV1z

Are you familiar with the benefits of soil testing? Key advantages include nutrient management, improved crop yields, and pest and disease prevention. To support our BSBE participants, we incentivize them to take two soil samples annually. Watch this video from our technical assistance partner, the National Center for Appropriate Technology, to learn about the different soil tests available to farmers. https://lnkd.in/grEJFrtq #soilhealth #soiltesting