In this issue:

• A message from our CEO, Kathlyn Terry Baker
• Healthy Tazewell takes aim at chronic diseases
• Food Country expands the Appalachian Harvest Beef offerings
• A few seats are still available at the 2024 Forest Farming Conference
• Three new events - Tomato Tastin', Farmer Pride JAMboree, & HarvestFest

A MESSAGE FROM CEO KATHLYN TERRY BAKER

What a busy year it's been. And it's not even over!

Summer is the big season for farmers and growers, and that means it's a big season for ASD, too. We'll be wrapping up a lot of our programs in the next few weeks, and I wanted to share some of the amazing growth that's been taking place.

• Our Groundwork workforce development program, now in its third year, had its highest number of trainees this year. Eight of them graduated this week, leaving us for outside employment or small business ownership; the remaining four will continue with ASD through the fall. More than 70 professional certifications were awarded to this cohort! Plus, as part of their agriculture job training, they grew more than 2,000 pounds of produce to support local feeding initiatives and helped pack approximately 1,100 food boxes per week out of Appalachian Harvest.
• To date, our Agroforestry program has trained 494 people on forest farming, alley cropping, and silvopasture. This number also includes wildcrafters in our point of harvest program, which trains on safety, storage, processing, and sustainability for wild harvested woodland roots, barks, and herbs.
• F.A.R.M. (farmer and rancher mentoring) had 3 beginner-farmer interns who completed the required 200+ hours of on-farm mentoring with an experienced farmer. Adding 200+ hours of anything to your schedule is a lot, but these folks stuck with it out of determination and a joy for farming and Appalachia. You can read some of their blogs here.
• Grow Your Own had 40 participants complete the program this year, engaging through our workshops and Facebook group. Online engagement rose 130% this year, and through our site visits we were able to help with specific goals for specific people. The diversity of the group has connected new and experienced growers in meaningful ways, building community around a fun, engaging, sustainable activity that also happens to feed people.
• Learning Landscapes, our raised bed program in schools and civic clubs, had about 180 little growers this year. In Learning Landscapes, all kids can find activities they are interested in, even if they don't want to touch dirt. Kids plan, plant, harvest, and take home food from these gardens. They build a strong sense of accomplishment and are proud to show their parents what they've grown while also developing their teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking skills through their projects.
• And last but certainly not least is our Field School, which had 40 participants. Field School is a beginning farmer training program that includes training on business planning, finances, and marketing all geared toward helping beginning farmers create sustainable and profitable small farms. 

In total, that's 769 growers who've learned to be more self-sufficient, efficient, and successful. That's a number we're sure proud of, in a region we are so pleased to serve.

Healthy Tazewell Takes Aim at Chronic Disease

Healthy Tazewell is a newly-developed healthy food approach to chronic care management, created and managed by ASD, Carilion Clinic, Care Connections RX, and the Four Seasons YMCA. It launched August 11 and will run for 8 weeks.

The goal of the program is to improve the health of participants with specific chronic diseases by providing Food Boxes tailored to the nutrition needs defined by each disease/disorder. This is combined with food and nutrition education from local experts, and managed care by the participant's physician.

Every Friday, participants will come to the garden to pick up their Food Boxes containing vegetables and herbs grown by ASD in the Four Seasons community garden. They'll then attend an educational session provided by Carilion Community Health and Outreach and Care Connections Rx. Each participant's care will be managed by their physician to track health changes and provide data on program outcomes.

It's our hope that this pilot program will create significant health improvements for people with chronic diseases, and will expand to more communities throughout Appalachia.

The Groundwork crew at the Four Seasons Garden harvested 120 pounds of tomatoes on Friday, August 18. These tomatoes will go into food boxes for the Healthy Tazewell initiative.

More AH Beef Products at Food Country USA

Food Country USA has expanded its offerings of Appalachian Harvest (AH) Beef. In addition to the ground beef, they're also now selling sirloin, T-bone, ribeye, New York strip, and tenderloin. AH Beef is:

• USDA inspected
• straight from farmers in Central Appalachia
• lean, nutritious, high quality, & tender
• sustainably and humanely raised
• better for you and the planet

AH Beef is sold exclusively at Food Country USA locations in Duffield and Abingdon. Thank you, Food Country USA, for being such a wonderful partner and supporting local!

2nd Annual Tomato Tastin' @ Four Seasons YMCA Garden, Sept. 2, 10-12pm, 106 Gratton Road, Tazewell

Come out and taste all the delicious varieties of tomatoes we've been growing this season - we'll have bread and mayo and salt! We'll save the seeds from the most popular varieties so we can plant even more of them in the garden next season. This event is free - everyone welcome.

Farmer Pride JAMboree, Sept. 12, 6pm to 8pm, Johnson City (exact location TBD)

If you make homemade jam or just enjoy eating it, then this event is for you. Bring your homemade jam for a taste test/potential door prize contest for a voted winner. Enjoy meeting other members of the Coalition, and discuss and set the Coalition goals and objectives for the next few months. Cost: FREE.

1st Annual HarvestFest, Oct. 21, 10am - 12pm @ Blue Mountain Therapy

This family-friendly event will have tons of kids activities, live music, food trucks, a vendor market, petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, a plant sale, and a raffle! Admission is free, but bring your money for the food, vendors, plant sale, and raffle. If you'd like to be a vendor at the vendor market, click here to learn more and register.

If you would like to volunteer for any of these events, please contact Debbie at dbrowning@asdevelop.org. Thanks!