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 NOTESSegment 1Lauffer 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 3Using 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 4She 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.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------TRANSCRIPT00:00:40.740 –> 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...
