WHAT WILL THE AUDIENCE LEARN?

What does Agritourism mean for farmers, entrepreneurs, and residents in the mountains? Tune in to find out the answer to this question from our guest today, Laura Lauffer as we go on with our conversation with her.

EPISODE SUMMARY:

Joseph will interview our special guest, Laura Lauffer, Project Director of EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems and Appalachian Regional Commission Power Project Center for Environmental Farming Systems sponsored by North Carolina State University – an organization whose objective is to offer financial, technical, and business support to regional farms and food-related businesses, while also being an advocate for agritourism. 

This conversation will cover the process of creating and implementing a business model that emphasizes community development, as well as the relationship between public policy and economic development in Appalachian communities.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/empowermtnfood/

Website: https://cefs.ncsu.edu/food-system-initiatives/emfs-empowering-mountain-food-systems/

EPISODE QUOTE: “ Everybody’s got a yellow squash in July, so maybe planta different kind of beet instead. You have to be smart.” 

Tune in for this fun conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.

SHOW NOTES

Segment 1

Lauffer is a native of North Carolina, her father retired when she was in elementary school. She gotta enjoy the tightly knit community of soldiers and their families. Whilst taking part in the Peace Corps she got to visit Zaire, a country in Africa.

SEGMENT 2

In Zaire she was an extension agent. She would get seeds and extend them to farmers in the area to increase protein consumption as it was lacking in the people’s diet. The Peace Corps also gave her the opportunity to learn the local dialect and also used French. She goes on to share that she earned a minor in Spanish in Montreal. Before starting a farm in Garner in Hohnston County she toured around Europe. She then became a Peace Corps recruiter in Grad school. Her area of expertise is food systems and economic development. She started a program at North Carolina Community College where she taught sustainability. She left the classroom and applied her skills in the field as a program director at NCA&T for regional food systems. Agritourism is tourism that is added to an existing farming operation.

SEGMENT 3‍

Using her website people can create appointments to get hooked up with different resources being offered by the program. One of the resources includes Advanced Business Services which helps local businesses that are advanced. The small business centers are partners that community colleges host to offer free business counseling. In agriculture, she is noticing carbon sequestration, which is recognizing farmers as a solution to climate change instead of as a factor of climate change.

SEGMENT 4

She uses storytelling to give people background and context to farms and agriculture including their purpose. The ideal farm-to-table program is where the farmer and chef are expressing creativity and have a relationship of understanding. An example is Silva Ilda, they change their many every week according to what’s coming in fresh.

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TRANSCRIPT

00:00:40 .740 –> 00:00:57 .240 Joseph McElroy: howdy this is Joseph Franklyn McElroy, welcome you to the gateway to the smokies podcast this podcast is about America’s most visited National Park, the great smoky mountains National Park in the surrounding towns, this area is filled with H in that.

00:00:59 .460 –> 00:01:03 .690 Joseph McElroy: Deep-storied history filters that we explore with the weekly episode.

00:01:04 .500 –> 00:01:11 .850 Joseph McElroy: As I said, I’m Joseph Franklin McElroy man in the world, but also deep roots in these mountains by families living the great smokies for over 200 years.

00:01:12 .270 –> 00:01:20 .160 Joseph McElroy: My businesses and travel, but my heart is a culture today we’re going to talk about agritourism and farm to table with Laura lot left.

00:01:20 .910 –> 00:01:29 .220 Joseph McElroy: The first, you know a few sponsors and things like that you know when you start planning a trip.

00:01:29 .790 –> 00:01:38 .310 Joseph McElroy: After you decide where you’re going to go usually the first things you do is, you choose a book your flight you book your place you’re going to stay.

00:01:38 .820 –> 00:01:47 .010 Joseph McElroy: As because you need to have a place to start your vacation adventure and then you can get done you get to work on it in Tenerife now I place.

00:01:47 .880 –> 00:01:52 .740 Joseph McElroy: and finding a place to stay, I want you to imagine a place evocative of motor courts of the past.

00:01:53 .550 –> 00:01:58 .920 Joseph McElroy: Modern and vibrant with a Chic Appalachian feel a place for adventure and for relaxation.

00:01:59 .520 –> 00:02:07 .410 Joseph McElroy: Imagine a place where you efficient a mountain heritage trout stream grill to catch on fire and eat accompanied by fine wines or craft beers.

00:02:07 .800 –> 00:02:20 .100 Joseph McElroy: So imagine a place with old-time music and world cultural sounds, there is no other place like Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley North Carolina your smoky mountain adventures start with where you stay.

00:02:20 .940 –> 00:02:27 .720 Joseph McElroy: Now, one of the things that we can help you with is to help you build your itinerary once you decide that you’re going to stay.

00:02:28 .080 –> 00:02:39 .780 Joseph McElroy: and come to the smoky mountains for vacation state the middle art we actually have a site called smokies adventure calm, that you can actually do your research on to find out about.

00:02:40 .950 –> 00:02:46 .920 Joseph McElroy: The best hiking trails waterfalls outdoor adventures and family entertainment that you can find here.

00:02:47 .910 –> 00:02:59 .940 Joseph McElroy: And you can find a lot about the great smoky mountains National Park, you have the best trails the best waterfalls and what you can do in caves code, you find out about the history of the smokies and how to explore that.

00:03:00 .960 –> 00:03:04 .290 Joseph McElroy: That smokies adventure smokies plural adventure com.

ew-]\00:03:05 .490 –> 00:03:16 .620 Joseph McElroy: For your research pleasure and then when you get here will be more than happy to sell to set you up with tours or other things to do, and of course, we have a lot of things going on here we have the metal dark smoky mountain.

00:03:17 .730 –> 00:03:20 .070 Joseph McElroy: Historical Center here with lots of.

00:03:21 .150 –> 00:03:27 .390 Joseph McElroy: Events coming about mountain heritage and music and culture, here in the mountains and I’ll tell you about a couple of

00:03:28 .170 –> 00:03:39 .810 Joseph McElroy: Recently there was a viral event on TikTok and Instagram with some cloggers and specifically one color flogger I live, right here and Maggie Valley, the valley Jonathan.

00:03:41 .490 –> 00:03:52 .500 Joseph McElroy: And we’re going to actually bring those cloggers here this weekend to the Meadowlark Motel to do performance the J creek cloggers and.

00:03:53 .100 –> 00:04:03 .210 Joseph McElroy: And they are going to be here on Friday night on Saturday night and your father, going to be performing at 730 but previous to that you can have a free Barbecue.

00:04:04 .050 –> 00:04:20 .730 Joseph McElroy: There is sort of an iconic dance group that has been forming for a number of years, but zip the legend Ross was just picked up on tick tock and Instagram doing some solo buck dancing that was reminiscent of a lot of.

00:04:21 .750 –> 00:04:31 .440 Joseph McElroy: Urban dancing going on, and he became sort of a hero and he’s actually got a nickname now in the army online things he says he’s called the legend.

00:04:32 .550 –> 00:04:34 .710 Joseph McElroy: Is he doing something called any call it, Chris walked.

00:04:35 .910 –> 00:04:42 .750 Joseph McElroy: that’s an urban culture but it’s part of the clogging that he does here so so it’s kind of cool.

00:04:43 .500 –> 00:04:56 .850 Joseph McElroy: That that happened I don’t think they’ve had I think they’ve had 100 million views it’s crazy, so you know we invite you to come out and see it live on Saturday night July 30 here at the Meadowlark

00:04:58 .110 –> 00:05:11 .160 Joseph McElroy: admission is free for the motel guests and for heritage club members and it’s $20 for people that are just visiting it’s called 8289261717 to find out information reverse to reserve your room.

00:05:12 .390 –> 00:05:22 .320 Joseph McElroy: Now, another thing that on Aug