Presidential Postings ~ Andrew Gillis

This year is half over, and ANA has been plowing a lot of new ground since 2009 ended. Membership is consistently high – as of the end of August, we have 292 members. There are 249 Active members and 43 Sponsor members. There are 47 new Active members and 23 new Sponsor members.

ANA now has two new membership categories. Five-year memberships are $100 and Ten-year memberships are $175. Six members have taken advantage of the one-year membership savings to become Five Year ANA Members.  A big ANA “thank you!” to Lenna Hobson, Rag Apple Lassie Vineyards, West Central; Betty Garland, Garland Truffles, North Central; Dorcas and Richard Parker, Mary L Farm, West Central. New members are Sam Rogers, Carolina Field Trips Magazine, West Central; Gail Smith, I. L. M. Smith Farm and Produce, South Central; and Ed and Sheila Spence, Spence Family Farm, South Central. Mast Farm Inn, owned by longtime ANA member Henri Deschamps, is our first Ten Year ANA member. A huge “thank you!” to Henri and his family. Henri planted a large flower, herb and vegetable garden across the road from the Inn, and uses garden produce for meals at the Inn. We appreciate these members’ strong support for ANA and their financial boost to our treasury.

We have more new members this year than in previous years, and we hope that means that more farmers realize that ANA can provide additional resources and benefits as they continue to grow or begin their farms or vineyards.

This year our Executive Director, Martha Glass, did something she’s not done before – she took those who had not paid their dues the ANA list serve, so that they are not getting news from ANA, nor can they use the list serve. Martha has resisted removing anyone, but we both felt that it was not fair for those who do not pay dues to receive the same benefits as those who do.

The 4th Annual ANA Winter Conference in Greenville in February featured Assistant Commerce Secretary Lynn Minges as the keynote speaker, and we were pleased with a last-minute request by Senator Kay Hagan to address the group of 120 attendees. The spring workshops began in late March here at Gillis Hill Farm. Each of the other five districts held workshops across the state this year, a change from last year when two workshops were cancelled due to lack of registrations. Also, a change from previous years was attendance – it was up at every workshop, averaging around 25 at five workshops and a record of 48 in attendance at Maple View Educational Center at Maple View Farm in Hillsborough! In other years, workshops averaged around 15 – 18 each in attendance. 

After hosting the first workshop at Gillis Hill, the farm my father and I manage, I attended the workshop at Giardini Trattoria in Polk County and the final workshop at Mike's Farm in Onslow County. I'd like to thank the hosts and attendees for making this season of workshops so successful. I would especially like to thank Martha and the district directors for the hard work and effort that went into planning a great season of workshops. I hope that we will continue the trend and be able to grow our workshop attendance in 2011.

Plans are underway for the 2011 Annual ANA Conference to be held Thursday and Friday, February 17-18, at Little River Golf & Resort, www.littleriver.com, in Moore County, four miles north of Pinehurst off US 15-501. The theme of this fifth conference is “Taking Local Beyond the Farm.” There will be workshops on how to move farm sales further off the farm and how to find businesses that want more local foods – a huge trend for agriculture as well as workshops specifically for agritourism farms. There will be a farm tour Thursday afternoon to Joe and Ursula Picariello’s Crystal Pines Farm, close to Little River. Crystal Pines, www.crystalriverfarm.com, is home to alpacas as well as other farm creatures, a gift shop, and a greenhouse.

So, welcome to 2010 – perhaps a little late on news, but then farmers are used to having to wait sometimes…

~Andrew

Bob Nutter, owner of Maple View Dairy and the new Agricultural Center, spoke at the North Central ANA Workshop about realizing his dream of ‘giving back’ to children at the new Ag Center which hosts school groups with classroom demonstrations and a tour of the dairy farm.		Flint Hill Vineyards owner Brenda Doub hosted ANA members from West Central and North Central districts at their ANA workshop.
		Cathy Lewis, past ANA president, talks about working with policy makers and elected officials at the ANA workshop for West and West Central districts held at Giardini Trattoria restaurant, owned by ANA member Mary Lyth, far left.
ANA members enjoyed discussions at the West District workshop held in the northern West District at Banner Elk Winery, owned by ANA members Dick Wolfe and Dede Walton. Senator Joe Sam Queen, a member of the Travel and Tourism Board, is seventh from the left in the picture.
ANA member Megan Toben of Pickards Mountain provided this handwashing machine for children to clean up after petting animals and having a great time at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s Spring Farm Tour.				ANA West Central District Director Reba McInnis, second from left, and ANA member Cora Stroud relax at Michael West’s Divine Llamas Winery which hosted a ‘Wine Mini-Festival’ with four other wineries. ANA member Stacy Tomas is taking a picture, standing behind Cora.
ANA member Helen Tuttle, mother of North Central District Director Caroline Lineberry, keeps track of sales at Tuttle’s Farm market.				ANA member Guerrant Tredway gets a kiss at his Hills and Hollows Farm.
		The Hills and Hollow General Store features a hand-beaded dress from the ‘Roarin’ Twenties.’
Two little llamas grace the pasture at Sam and Lea Thompson’s Peace of Eden Farms. Sam is North Central ANA District Director, and Lea is ANA Treasurer.
		Pasture-raised sheep take a shady rest from the heat at Fickle Creek Farm, owned by ANA members Noah Rannells and Ben Bergmann.
ANA Executive Director Martha Glass attended the North American Farmers Direct Marketing and Agritourism (NAFDMA) Association in February 2010 where farms on the bus tour had good suggestions for making visitors laugh, educating children, and recognizing staff for great customer service. *
*Magnifying glass will allow you to read text.
			The text on the “Ring Bell” signs: “If you experienced exceptional customer service!” The text underneath the two pictures reads, “Took old bell and attached signs. Bell rang ALL THE TIME!

Martha Glass, Editor Agritourism Office 1020 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699-1020 919-733-7887 www.ncagr.gov/agritourism www.VisitNCFarms.com

"Agritourism is Value-Added Agriculture"