FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kate Gebler Lowcountry Local First P: 843.740.5444 Kate@lowcountrylocalfirst.org www.lowcountrylocalfirst.

org Lowcountry Local First Launches Farm Incubator Program Social Media:@Lowcountrylocal launches Incubator Farm: So you want to be a farmer?: http://lowcountrylocalfirst.org/?q=initiatives/eat-local/farmer-education-outreach/growingnew-farmers/incubator-farm Charleston, SC December 19, 2011 - As the local food movement grows, so does the

need to build support, not only for existing farmers, but new farmers and producers as well. The average age of a farmer in South Carolina is 58 years old and there has been a marked increase in demand for local food. Without a new generation of farmers we will not be able to meet this demand. Over the past 3 years Lowcountry Local Firsts Eat Local Sustainable Agriculture Initiative has been directly addressing the issue of an aging farmer population through The Growing New Farmers apprentice program. Over 40 apprentices on 9 farms have participated in the program since spring of 2010 and the next step is to find solutions to the challenges facing these new farmers. Farmers starting a new enterprise are faced with all the risks and challenges of a new business but also must face high start-up, limited access to capital, and the challenges of working in the natural environment. According to Nikki Seibert, LLFs Director of Sustainable Agriculture. To reduce these risks and challenges, LLF is partnering with Clemson University to establish the first farm incubator in the state of South Carolina. Farm incubators have proven to be a critical component to growing local agriculture across the country, providing the leg-up farmers need to establish a solid customer base while building capital for their business and refining their growing technique. The LLF farm incubator will provide small plots of land, the use of tractors and equipment, infrastructure, packing shed and refrigeration as well as access to a farm mentor and the expertise of Clemson staff. Farmers who apply to participate in the incubator farm are required to: submit a business plan, have on-farm experience, and participated in a new farmer training program equivalent to either the LLFs Growing New Farmers program or the New and Beginning Farmer program. The opportunity to preserve farmland, support entrepreneurship and grow our local food economy lies in the success of programs like this. It is imperative that we all invest in the future of farming because without local farms there is no local food, states Jamee Haley, LLF Executive Director. To date LLFs Incubator Farm has been supported by the Charleston Wine & Food Festival, Steen Enterprises, MeadWestvaco, the Lowcountry Field Feast and other private donors and foundations. Those interested in investing in the future of farming can contact LLF Executive Director, Jamee Haley at jamee@lowcountrylocalfirst.org and those interested in becoming future farmers please contact Nikki Seibert at AgDirector@lowcountrylocalfirst.org.

LOWCOUNTRY LOCAL FIRST

A Charleston, South Carolina based 501c3 non-profit, Lowcountry Local First (LLF) is an alliance committed to educating and encouraging the public to invest in their local economy with their dollars, their voices, their votes and their hearts. LLF is the 44th member organization in a national network of non-profits dedicated to strengthening their local economies, called the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. LLF is committed to advocate for and promote all local businesses and farmers to cultivate a more localized economy through Eat Local and Buy Local programs and initiatives. To learn more about LLF, visit www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org.