2019 ASHS Annual Conference

Economic distress is higher in counties that were previously tobacco-driven in North Carolina. Small tobacco farmers have been exploring alternative crops to overcome that hardship. Tomatoes have been a traditional cash crop for many small farmers, and heirloom tomatoes can bring even more profit because of their unique flavors and association with heritage. There is at least a $3 more per pound increase for heirloom tomatoes over commercial vine tomatoes. As a niche crop, baby ginger’s potential market has been increasing. Its demand has always been higher than the supply. Therefore, baby ginger price ranges from $10-$18 per pound in farmers’ market. Both crops serve as potentially ideal alternative crops to tobacco. With grant support from the NC Tobacco Trust Fund, The AgriShop Academy--Specialty Crops program was created to educate small and limited-resource farmers of former-tobacco driven counties on heirloom tomatoes and baby ginger from production to market. The goal of this program was to enhance the viability, profitability, and economic stability of North Carolina’s small and limited-resource farmers in former-tobacco driven counties. The objectives were to increase production knowledge, marketing knowledge and options, and value-added knowledge of heirloom tomatoes and baby ginger, as well as to teach them the techniques of tomatoes and baby ginger production in field and high tunnels. Four one-day AgriShop Academies were conducted throughout the state of North Carolina from mid-January to early March 2019. Heirloom tomato topics included: tomato basics, heirloom production techniques in field and high tunnels, grafting, marketing, and enterprise budget. For baby ginger, topics covered were: ginger basics, seed source, transplant production, field and high tunnel baby ginger production and harvesting strategy, marketing varieties, marketing price, and value-added ginger products. The workshops reached over 60 small farmers. Post-workshop surveys revealed that the participants were positive about the training and crops, and they gained knowledge from each session. Majority of them either plan or will continue to grow the two crops because of the workshops. Additional in-depth evaluations will be conducted in six months to document participants who have attempted to grow heirloom tomatoes and baby ginger.