Growing Small Farms

Meet Our Staff
Events
Chatham County Resources chevron_right
News
Photos
Farmer Resources
Crop Production
Forestry
Pastured Poultry
Pest Management
Pollinators chevron_right
Direct Marketing
Web Resources
Workshops
Publications & Factsheets

Tweets from @GrowSmallFarms

Home
Web Resources: Earthworms and Vermicomposting

Web Resources: Earthworms and Vermicomposting

Learn More Using the Resources Below

Earthworm Biology and Reproduction - University of Florida
Earthworm Ecology and Sustaining Agriculture - University of California
Earthworms: Renewers of Agroecosystems - University of California
North Carolina Composting Council
Worms for Composting - ATTRA

Page Last Updated: 6 years ago

Was the information on this page helpful? Yes No

Care to tell us why? Send Explanation

Share this Article

Tweet this Page

Share on Facebook

Email this Article

Print this Article

Extension Jobs

» Why Work in Extension?

Posted Feb 13 Extension Agent, Row Crops Hertford County
Posted Feb 11 Extension Program Assistant-EFNEP Vance County
Posted Feb 06 Extension Program Assistant-EFNEP Forsyth County
Posted Feb 04 Extension Agent, Ag- Livestock and Row Crops Anson County
View More Jobs All of Extension

Receive Job Notifications By Email

Recent Contributors

Debbie RoosExtension Agent, Agriculture - Sustainable / Organic Production

About Extension

NC State Extension is the largest outreach program at NC State University. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we reach millions of North Carolina citizens each year through local centers in the state's 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Learn More

Social Media Accounts

Facebook
Twitter

Let's Stay In Touch

We have several topic based e-mail newsletters that are sent out periodically when we have new information to share. Want to see which lists are available?
Subscribe By Email

About
Growing Small Farms

Growing Small Farms is the program of Debbie Roos, Agriculture Agent for the Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension.

From Bear Creek to Bynum, Silk Hope to Moncure, the Chatham County landscape is dotted with small farms. Farmers throughout the county are known for growing a great diversity of agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, herbs, poultry, beef, pork, dairy products, and other goods. As one of the few counties in the state to actually experience an increase in the number of farms in the past decade, Chatham is also “growing small farms.”

Many of Chatham’s newer farms are owned by first-generation farmers attracted to the challenges and rewards of making a living from the land. Chatham has a large concentration of farms practicing organic and sustainable agriculture that strive to be environmentally responsible, economically viable, and socially just. In a time when the trend in conventional agriculture is towards fewer and larger farms and many of North Carolina’s “conventional” farmers are struggling, the sustainable and diverse agriculture practiced by Chatham’s small farms provides the best hope for keeping agriculture a viable part of the community.

Chatham’s proximity to upscale Triangle-area markets ensures a steady demand for the organic and sustainably-grown crops produced by area farmers. Four farmers’ markets in the county provide residents with ample opportunities to shop and interact with local growers throughout the long growing season. Many area farms offer opportunities for on-farm visits where visitors get the chance to make the connection between food and agriculture.

Small farms also provide many indirect benefits. They help maintain open space valued by people and wildlife. Visitors flock to Chatham for the beauty of its rural landscape. The challenge is to preserve this rural landscape in the face of development pressures from Raleigh and Chapel Hill. One way to preserve the rural landscape is to help keep farms in the county.

The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension has long recognized the value and importance of the sustainable agriculture practiced by small farms in the area. In 1994, the Chatham County Center created a new county agent position to support the unique needs of these small farmers. Today, this position is fully funded by the Chatham County government, which recognizes the value of sustainable agriculture to the county. Chatham County Agricultural Extension Agent Debbie Roos works with farmers to promote increased awareness, understanding, and practice of sustainable agriculture through monthly educational workshops, a website, on-farm visits, and other consultation.

Roos developed the Growing Small Farms website in 2002 after a survey revealed that approximately 95% of local farmers regularly used the Internet. The site has since grown to over 500 pages and receives over 25,000 visitors each month. Growing Small Farms is also on Twitter and Facebook.

Farms don’t exist without consumers, so please take the time to get to know the farmers in your community and support their efforts to keep Chatham County green! Visit our farmers’ markets to purchase the freshest vegetables, fruits, meats, baked goods, and other products, all grown or made locally by the person selling it to you. The Buy Local Guide lists community supported agriculture farms, on-farm stands, pick-your-own farms, wineries, and more. Check out the local farm profiles and farm photos on this website for a glimpse of the diversity that allows Chatham’s farms to prosper.

Learn more about Extension Agent Debbie Roos.

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Read our Commitment to Diversity | Read our Privacy Statement

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University are collectively committed to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, political beliefs, family and marital status, sex, age, veteran status, sexual identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or disability.