- Business Management
- Cooperative Development
- Enterprise Budgets
- Farmers Markets
- FRESH PRODUCE Safety
- Grant Information
- Growers Information Portals
- Marketing Communications
- The Produce Lady
- Value-Added Cost Share
- Other Resources
About
New and Profitable Agricultural Enterprises
Dr. Blake Brown started the N.C. MarketReady program (formerly known as the Program for Value-Added & Alternative Agriculture) in 2006 to assist the transition of tobacco-farm families to other profitable enterprises. Since then the N.C. MarketReady program has relocated to the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis and has grown into a multidisciplinary team that builds partnerships and educational resources to help North Carolina agriculture be more profitable. The program officially changed its name to N.C. MarketReady in October 2009.
In 1983, 27 percent of cash farm receipts in North Carolina came from tobacco. In 2006, that number dropped to 6 percent. During that same period, the value of production from poultry and hogs grew from 34 percent to 60 percent. Cash receipts from the sale of Christmas trees, greenhouse and nursery products grew from 3 percent to more than 12 percent of the total. A major factor in the changing face of agriculture is the growth in North Carolina’s population. An increasingly health conscious and affluent population is increasing the demand for specialty and locally grown produce and meats.
"The greatest threat to North Carolina agriculture is urban growth; the greatest opportunity for North Carolina agriculture is urban growth."
- Dr. Blake Brown, Director, N.C. MarketReady
Our program team helps tobacco-farm families and others add new, profitable enterprises to capitalize on the increased interest in locally produced foods. Our work is through N.C. Cooperative Extension centers across the state and includes:
- Providing business management resources to help farm families evaluate and implement new value-added enterprises,
- Working with cooperatives to develop business management plans and
- Helping farmers to market more effectively through both local and international markets.
A major tool to reach both N.C. Cooperative Extension faculty and farmers is this Web site that features the information needed to evaluate and start a particular enterprise.
These projects are supported by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
