“The genesis of it — the whole idea — is because so many of our farmers have lost their tobacco subsidies, and they are faced with difficult choices. Do they continue farming or not? Do they lease their farms to solar farms or not? And what are the alternatives?” said Susan Kelly, Richmond County’s extension director. “The food hub will help them aggregate larger scale produce production and get it distributed. It eliminates one step in the process, and the bulk distribution means our farmers get to keep more money in their pockets.”
The objective of the Agricultural Processing Equipment is to help farms transition from growing tobacco to fruit and vegetable production, and distribute those crops to profitable local and statewide markets. It is primarily funded through a $500,000 Golden LEAF Foundation grant secured through a partnership among Moore County Partners in Progress, the Richmond and Moore County Centers of North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, and Richmond and Moore County governments.
The location of the center was carefully selected for efficiency. The SAIC is in Richmond County, at the intersection of N.C. 73 and N.C. 220, but close enough to Moore County’s western border and two major highways to make it easily accessible for truck traffic. The 16,000-square-foot building offers different spaces where local produce can be collected, stored, processed, distributed and then marketed. A secondary construction phase will add classrooms Agricultural Processing Equipment.
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As a business enterprise, the SAIC and building are owned by Richmond County, but all profits will be kicked back into the program.
“The food hub is a tool for a multi-county approach to sustainable farm produce distribution,” said Pat Corso, executive director of Partners in Progress. “It is exciting. This is something that started four years ago, and it has come to fruition. Richmond County really stepped up on this and believed and committed to it, and Moore County was engaged and our farmers will engage on the whole.”
