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Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..
Tonight
Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Inside the app, users can view farms and fisheries near them, find local farmers markets, check out special events, find farms that offer pick your own or tour events, find out where you can shop or dine on locally-made products and more.
The Visit NC Farms App is available for Apple and Android users.
Times-News
Visit NC Farms
Alamance County farms are making their debut on the Visit NC Farms app.
In 2018, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture launched the Visit NC Farms app with the goal of assisting local farmers with marketing. The app helps community members find locally-produced food at nearby farms, farmer's markets, and in local eateries. It also publicizes nearby farms’ events and special offerings.
With the financial assistance of The Alamance County Farm Bureau, staff members at the Alamance County NC Cooperative Extension Office have been able to add local agriculture businesses to the app.
“This app … has a goal for farms to have a little bit of help with marketing because that’s sometimes the last thing on a farmer's mind. Really, to thrive they need that marketing aspect,” said Eleanor Frederick, one of the Alamance County app administrators.
One local farm, Ran-Lew Dairy, will capitalize on this marketing strategy by announcing new gelato flavors for sale on the farm through the Visit NC Farms app.
"I think it'll make a big difference for us to be able to reach people directly," Taylor Hayes, the bottling plant manager at the farm, said.
Inside the app, users can view farms and fisheries near them, find local farmers markets, check out special events, find farms that offer pick your own or tour events, find out where you can shop or dine on locally-made products and more.
Times-News
Visit NC Farms
The app is available for free download in both Apple and Android stores. Inside the Visit NC Farms app, users can view all farms and fisheries registered in the app and filter for those closest to them. They can also look up nearby farmer's markets, search for farm tours and special events, or even book an agrotourism trip to stay at a locally-owned farm.
“It’s really personalized at each county for the needs of those county framers, but we’ve got this statewide app that has this statewide attention. It’s the best of both worlds,” Frederick said.
Among the benefits of the app is the ability for farmers to send out push notifications to all users about new produce that’s ready for sale, opening days, big events coming up and more. Frederick said this will help local farms “push that information directly to people’s phones as opposed to trying to fight through this really crowded food messaging scene.”
“We’re trying to connect consumers and farmers to make sure farmers can use as many different avenues to get their information to consumers,” she said. “(It’s also) giving the consumers a chance to know where food is coming from and know that if they’re buying from Alamance County farms that those food dollars are going directly back into Alamance County and supporting both our local food system and our local economy.”
The goal is to have all 100 counties listing farms in the app. As of late March, just over half of the state was participating.
This map, visible in the app, shows which North Carolina counties are sharing data.
Times-News
Visit NC Farms
As statewide participation grows, Frederick said the app will also serve to bring more agrotourism to the state and to local farms, bringing in a wider crowd.
“This kind of gives them that already existing framework that they can tap into without having to really build that marketing from the ground up on their own,” she said.
Among the Alamance County farms already benefitting from this app is Ran-Lew Dairy in Snow Camp. Milk is bottled on the farm and during COVID-19, the farm started producing gelato.
The Ran-Lew Dairy listing in the Visit NC Farms app.
Times-News
Visit NC Farms
Taylor Hayes said she and fifth-generation owner Randy Lewis are excited to be on the app to build on their marketing strategies.
"I think the way this app is set up where you can see who is closest, you have a sense of it more so than any other advertising method we're using. It feels like we can reach the people more conveniently or easily," Hayes said.
Prior to launching on the Visit NC Farms app, Hayes said all of the farm's marketing was conducted through social media sites like Facebook. With this new technology, Hayes said the farm plans to send out push notifications about gelato offerings, special events or even just when it's a nice day to come get some ice cream at the farm.
The gelato produced on the farm has become a key part of their business, Hayes said, due to the pandemic.
"I think it saved our butts," Hayes joked.
Seasonal gelato flavors like honeysuckle, strawberry, peach and more will be announced through the app when they become available.
Hayes also said she likes that the app helps farmers connect with one another.
"I was on there the other day and I see a lot of neighbors and people I know, but there's also folks that I don't know and don't know what they're doing. I'm excited to see more of what's going on in our local food community," she said.
She also hopes the Alamance County community will jump on board to start learning about their local farms.
"I think it's going to be so crucial for consumers to start using it and to know about it and know that there's going to be something for everyone," she said. "Whether it's local farms and what they're doing to events to farm stays, this really has it all."
“Alamance is so special because we have such a rich agricultural history and I think sometimes it’s sort of this hidden gem of Alamance County. People don’t really think about it too much because most of our farms are located farther away from the interstate corridor,” Fredericks said. “Being able to have an app that shows you exactly what is in your backyard is really cool.”
This screenshot from in the app shows just a few of the Alamance County farms and fisheries featured.
Times-News
Visit NC Farms
The number of local farms listed on the app is continuously expanding. Local farms interested in being added to the app should contact the Cooperative Extension office or sign up through the app by clicking “Get My Farm Listed.”
“Other than that initial signing up process, it’s very hands-off for the farms. That’s by design. It’s about what can we do to promote local food and our local farms and take as much of that weight off our farmers’ shoulders as we can,” Frederick said.
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Elizabeth Pattman is the trending topics reporter for the Times-News in Burlington, covering business, COVID-19 and all things trending. Contact Elizabeth (she/her) at epattman@gannett.com. I'm also available on social media @EPattmanTN on Twitter or @burlingtontimesnews on Instagram.
