The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission & the Local Food Movement

The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission & the Local Food Movement

Do you eat local whenever you can? Are you restaurateur or chef who sources products from local farms? Then you should care about the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. Here’s why: the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has funneled over $83 million into over 600 small farms and food businesses in 98 North Carolina counties since 2001 and the General Assembly is considering eliminating iteven though it doesn’t depend on taxpayer dollars.Farmers and food business owners have been speaking out loudly in support of the program, and they need all of our help to convince the General Assembly not to eliminate it.

Have you ever wondered why our urban areas—theTriangle, Triad, greater Asheville and the metro Charlotte area—have such booming local food scenes? Why does North Carolina have such an outstanding national reputation as a leader in supporting local food producers? Well, part of the reason is North Carolina’s strong heritage of small family farms, another factor is the creativity and business acumen of farmers and chefs and retailers forming new alliances to serve their customers’ desires, but the rest of the story is the funding support from the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The Tobacco Trust Fund Commission has strategically invested in innovative farm enterprises throughout the state. The vast majority of these investments have come in grants of $10,000 or less!

Have you heard of these businesses? Each of them can credit the Tobacco Trust Fund Commission as an essential part of their success. Where would our local food scene be without them?

• Eastern Carolina Organics
• Farmhand Foods (don’t forget their Sausage Wagon)
• The Harvest Moon Grille (both the food cart and the restaurant at the Dunhill)
• New River Organic Growers
• Piedmont Food and Agricultural Processing Center

Check out this handy spreadsheet that shows over 600 projects: . You can search it to see if any of the farmers you know are on the list. If they aren’t yet, let’s make sure this program is around so they can take advantage of it in the future.

So, if you’re a locavore—aneater, a chef or a restaurant owner, or food retailer—andyou want to continue to have more local food options available, you need to contact your Senator today and add your voice to the voices of the farmers who are fighting for this vital program. If we want our farmers to continue growing the food we love, we owe it to them to make sure they have the best tools available to innovate and grow their farms.

See CFSA’s action alert or the Rural Advancement Foundation’s action alert more information about contacting your legislators.

If you have questions about this important issue and would like to discuss how to show your support, contact me at .