Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture Documentary:
"Farm, Food & Community"

Huge thanks to Documentary Co-Directors: Anne Ward and Chip Williams with Coneflower Creative, who said "Yes!" to making this documentary and capturing our story in celebration of our 20th anniversary. ​

This documentary looks at the impact Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, a nonprofit organization founded 20 years ago to help women farmers in the High Country of Western North Carolina, has had on its community.

The documentary shares insights from current employees of BRWIA, local farmers who benefit from BRWIA's programs and also includes stories about the organization's history from its Founding Mothers.

History of BRWIA
&
​Recent Local Food History of Watauga County

The High Country has a rich agricultural history.

This work has never been done in a bubble. Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture has partnered with numerous organizations and individuals over the years and we are grateful for everyone's contributions.

The following was compiled with a focus on Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture
​and its partners throughout the years.

Written by Margie Mansure and Katie Cavert Ferrell

Please email Katie at [email protected] with updates or edits to this history.

1920's to 1980's

Boone was actually the "Sauerkraut Capitol" for decades!

- Credit: WNC Magazine
- Writer: Rick McDaniel

​From WNC Magazine: Recipe for Success: For Decades, Boone was the Capitol of North Carolina- Made Sauerkraut

"Before the 1900s, farmers in the mountains were limited as to what to do with their cabbage. "In those days, farmers grew what they needed to eat, and selling excess produce was hard due to the difficulty of getting crops to market over poor roads," says food historian Nancy Carter Crump. "Any chance they had to turn extra crops into cash was a real boon for them."

​That boon came in the early 1920s, when a group of Watauga County farmers started the North State Canning Company, a sauerkraut canning plant in Boone, which quickly ramped up production. "Even though the workmen are new at this job, even now they are making about 15 tons of kraut per day," The Cleveland Star reported in October of 1923.

By the 1970s, the plant was turning out an average of 2,200 to 3,000 tons of kraut per year, canning 24,000 cases per day of Watauga Chopped Kraut.
​
Because of the cannery's habit of dumping pungent kraut juice into Boone Creek, which flows through the Appalachian State University campus, students and locals still call the meandering stream Kraut Creek."

- Credit: Our State
- Writer: Sheri Castle

From Our State article: Where Cabbage Is King:

​"A staple crop of Watauga County for generations, the glorious green cabbage remains a savory symbol of old mountain ways and comforting suppers.

Plus, it might just cure what ails you."

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1970's

1974: Watauga County Farmers' Market is established

At Watauga County Extension:

• USDA Specialty Crops Organic Broccoli Grant
• A & T University funding for Specialty Crops Extension Agent

---

1990's

Women farmers gather at each others' farms to share meals, ideas and resources.

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2000's

BRWIA's Founding Mothers created Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture with intentionality, as a place where they, and future generations of farmers could learn and build community, towards a more resilient and regenerative future. From day one, this work has been done in collaboration with our High Country community.

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2001

• Sue Counts and Judi Scharns were traveling to visit Z. Smith Reynolds in Winston-Salem about a grant for MountainKeepers. They discussed ways to help rural women through economic development strategies, realizing that agriculture had a lot to offer. ​
• The idea of BRWIA takes shape with support from Watauga County Cooperative Extension.

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2002

• More women joined together who were interested in or working in agriculture. One of the group's first goals was to create networks among women working in agriculture and resources available.​
• NC A&T Extension was very supportive, providing technical support and funding to send several women to conferences. They provided a grant, along with the Golden Leaf Fund for the first Women in Agriculture conference spring of 2003. Two more "Women in Agriculture'' conferences were organized. ​

Read more about our Founding Mothers

Watch a video about BRWIA's Founding Mothers here!

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2003

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Credit: The Mountain Times

June: Diane Price receives a grant from Z. Smith Reynolds for $30,000 to continue projects, which was run through ASU's Center for Appalachian Studies Program before Blue Ridge Women received not-for-profit status (See PDF)

November: BRWIA files for incorporation as a non-profit organization

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2004

Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture receives official status as a nonprofit by NC Secretary of State

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2005

• Shelly Conner is hired as a Program Manager ​
  
• BRWIA Newsletter starts circulation

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2006

• Members attend a national "Women in Agriculture" conference in St. Louis.
• Local Foods Taskforce Forms​
  
• BRWIA hosts First High Country Farm Tour

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2007

• Margie Mansure and Amy Galloway join the BRWIA Board​.
• Slow Food Boone is established by Amy Galloway and Margie Mansure. First event was a visit to Creeksong Farm and then Mary Boyers' raspberries, followed by a potluck at Pat Beaver's house. Continued until 2012.​

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2009

• BRWIA hires AmerCorps volunteer
  
• BRWIA operates HomeGrown Workshop series for homesteaders

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2010

• New River Organic Growers receives NCDA&CS Specialty Crop Block Grant, Maturing the High Country Local Food System. The High Country Grown marketing project and logo came out of this grant.
• AppState Office of Sustainability, in conjunction with ASU Food Services, develops a report around the importance of incorporating local food.

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2011

Mary Boyer Grant recipient implements water conservation on farm

• Sarah Myers is hired as first part time Executive Director (ED)
• Article published: Blue Ridge Women in Ag shares work with community article
• BRWIA begins Mary Boyer Sustainable Food and Agriculture Grants
• Appalachian Food Services hosts meeting with local farmers
• Appalachian District Health Department becomes fiscal agent and primary project holder for Heifer International Seeds of Change Initiative
• BRWIA hires Lauri Wilson as project manager to coordinate the Heifer International Seeds of Change Initiative in the Appalachian Region. The initiative worked with broad-based coalitions to design and implement sustainable community food system projects that create jobs in sustainable agriculture and community food enterprises for low income families; improve access to healthy food; and improve the environment by supporting responsible agriculture practices.

2011
​Blue Ridge Women in Ag Shares Work with Community

"Did you know that 11 percent of the farms in Watauga County are run by women? These women are so intelligent and have such practical skills, more than I could ever imagine developing. Even more support their family farm operations, but are not listed as the "principal operator" in the 2007 Census of Agriculture.

Nationally, women principal farm operators increased 29 percent over a 5-year period. Fourteen percent of all U.S. farms are owned and operated by women."

-CREDIT: Margie Mansure

Watauga Democrat Article

2012

• BRIWA hires Farm Tour Coordinator, Courtney Baines

• BRWIA receives Agritourism Award from Boone/Blowing Rock Lodging Association
• ​Appalachian District Health Department received Communities Putting Prevention to Work Grant. Food system objectives: to adopt plans to buy 10% fruits/vegetables locally from area farms though a community production/distribution system; to develop 5 garden sites to implement farm incubator projects and school gardens; 3 farmers to implement or enhance systems to accept SNAP EBT.

​

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2013

• BRWIA hires AmeriCorps member, Suzanne Fleishman
• BRWIA partners with Lettuce Learn to create school garden support system

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2014

• ​BRWIA hires first Full Time Executive Director, Carol Coulter
• BRWIA starts Direct to Farmer grants
• Greening My Plate Week beings to promote healthy and local food consumption

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2015

• Winter Farmers' Market debuts through PHARMN (Preserve Heritage Agriculture & Regional Markets Now - read article)
• Original Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture article, 2015 By Judith Phoenix
• Watch Video made with support from Z. Smith Reynolds
• BRWIA hires Blue Ridge CRAFT Coordinator, Dave Walker, and begins Farmer Training Program
• BRWIA operates Lettuce Learn
• Double Bucks (later Double Up Food Bucks) starts in Watauga Co public school Hardin Park by Mary Smalling and runs through BRWIA
• BRWIA operates High Country CSA​

APPROACH

BRWIA's programs have grown to meet our community's developing needs.

​We are grounded in our work in three focus areas: building a fair food system for all, informing consumers about a healthy and sustainable food system, and providing resources, networking, and education to producers.

BRWIA takes a holistic approach to this work and many programs fall into all three spaces.

We also understand that this work cannot be done without our long-term collaborators who join with us in fostering a healthy and sustainable environment.

2016

• Watauga Food Council develops name and purpose statement
• BRWIA starts High Country Food Hub (initially only cold storage for farmers) with support from Watauga County Extension and Town of Boone
• BRWIA hires part time Food Hub Manager, Shannon Carroll
• BRWIA begins Community of Gardens Program
• BRWIA begins Seed Library at Watauga County Library
• BRWIA hosts First Food Summit
• BRWIA receives L.E. Tutwiller Award by Boone Chamber of Commerce
• Publication in Journal of Sustainability Education: Laura Johnson from Michigan State University studies the High Country Farm tour. Placing Local Food Systems: Farm Tours as Place-Based Sustainability Education​

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2017

• State of the Local Food System report is presented to Town of Boone and Watauga County

• BRWIA takes ownership of Boone's Winter Farmers' Market
• BRWIA starts King Street Market
• ​High Country Food Hub expands services to all producers and begins operating online marketplace

​

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2018

• High Country Food Hub named Start-Up Business of the Year by Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
• BRWIA operates Double Up Food Bucks at King Street Market, Boone Winter Market, High Country Food Hub, and Watauga County Farmers' Market
• BRWIA joins AmeriCorps VISTA program
• ​BRWIA hires Executive Director Courtney Baines

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2019

• BRWIA sets 3 pillars in a long term strategic plan: DEMAND for local food, ACCESS for a more equitable food system, and SUPPORT for local farmers
• BRWIA hosts Drag for Ag fundraising event for Double Up Food Bucks Program
• BRWIA holds first Scaling Up event for all Food Hub producers

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2020

• BRWIA establishes Co- Directorship with Dave Walker (Development) and Liz Whiteman (Operations)
  
• COVID Pandemic increased demand for local food
  
• Food Hub sales grow 4x in 4 months
  
• BRWIA hires first full time Food Hub Manager
  
• BRWIA Begins FarmsSHARE program (Food Box COVID relief program for out of work service industry/restaurant staff)
  
• High Country Food Hub receives everGREEN Award for Sustainability by Boone Chamber of Commerce

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2021

• BRWIA launches Food Hub Satellite program with support of GoldenLeaf Foundation grant​
• BRWIA starts Local Food as Medicine Program

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2022

• High Country Food Hub reaches milestone of $2 million in sales
• BRWIA Launches the Betsy Lawson Willis Scholarship for Female Farmer
• 1st Annual A Savory Shindig
• BRWIA hires Liz Whiteman as Executive Director
• Satellite program expands and BRWIA begins Healthy Opportunities Pilot program (healthy food box prescription delivery program for Medicaid members)

2022 Impact Report

2023

• BRWIA celebrates 20th anniversary with many special events
  
• BRWIA Documentary made: Farm, Food & Community made by Coneflower Creative 
• High Country Food Hub surpasses $3.6 million investment in local food economy
• Food Hub operates 7 pickup locations throughout the High Country​

2023 Impact Report

Read more about our 20th anniversary