Information for Extension Agents, CEFS, NRCS, and other ag professionals interested in attending the conference. 

If you are an Extension Agent, CEFS or NRCS employee interested in attending, please do not register online or by mail using the registration form. Instead, please contact the appropriate party below to receive the scholarship and be registered for special programming designed exclusively for you!

Accepting Applications Now!

In North Carolina, contact

Carol Moore

NC SARE  PDP Assistant 
Email
919-273-6322

In South Carolina, contact

Geoff Zehnder

Clemson University
Email
864-656-6644

Special Tour for Extension Agents, CEFS, NRCS Staff and Other Service Providers

All Day Tour: 9:00am – 4:00pm

This tour offers a close-up look at technical production methods at new and established farms  –  with a special focus on issues for beginning farmers. The tour begins at Patient Wait Farms, an Animal Welfare Approved enterprise, where Gail and Mike Cooley raise Nigerian dwarf goats, pygmy goats and heritage turkeys. Patient Wait uses sustainable practices to produce goat milk products, pasture-raised poultry, cage-free eggs, heirloom vegetables, and local honey while pursuing certification in organic produce. The next stop is Split Creek Farm, a Grade-A goat dairy and award-winning, artisan cheese-maker in operation since 1985.  Split Creek Farm’s certified goat herd produces all the milk used for its cheese and fudge. Every animal in the herd receives individual attention daily. The extra care they receive shows in the milk quality. The final stop on the tour is Clemson University’s Student Organic Farm. The farm is an experiential learning environment to demonstrate farming systems and strategies that are ecologically, economically and socially sustainable. The goal is to strengthen local food systems. The five-acre farm has integrated passive solar greenhouses, hydronic heating systems, reflecting minnow and tilapia production ponds, rainwater harvesting, shitake log culture, and soldier fly production to create harmony on the farm. Join us on this powerhouse tour!  Lunch is included.