Martinsburg Forum Connects Region’s Farmers With State, Federal Aid

Dozens of people packed into a farmhouse at a Martinsburg apple orchard Thursday for a regional forum on food business, and the federal and state financial support available to food entrepreneurs in the Appalachian region.

The tri-state food systems meeting was hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, the USDA Regional Food Business Centers Program and the FarmLink Project, a nonprofit that helps growers redistribute their excess produce.

The meeting aimed to introduce residents of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia to business development grants and resources, and to solicit feedback from farmers regarding regional experiences in the food and farming industries.

The meeting paid particular focus to the region’s apple industry, which has in recent years been plagued with market and demand issues.

This has affected commercial orchards that grow apples for food processing most acutely. Some farmer advocates say the importation of apple ingredients from foreign countries with lower labor costs have reduced domestic sales, and placed the future of the U.S. apple industry at risk.

Sophia Adelle, head of policy and advocacy for FarmLink, said this makes helping farmers access support and business resources more urgent.

“These apple growers have seen a moment of surplus due to the complete and total loss of their processing markets,” she said. “FarmLink really stepped in, patchworking together both state and federal support.”

Adelle said many grants and loans exist on the federal and state levels for agriculture businesses, but that the application process for these programs can place a burden on farmers.

“That’s really difficult for a lot of farmers in this country who are just trying to make ends meet,” she said. “They don’t have the time or the resources to apply for those grants and those loans. So we’re seeing a lot of challenges with our agricultural trade, and a lot of imports coming in.”

Adelle said introducing Appalachian farmers and entrepreneurs to the resources out there makes the process easier.

Kim Watt runs an apple growing business that spans Hampshire County as well as Frederick County, Virginia. She said FarmLink has already helped her business sell excess produce, but that Thursday’s forum showed her how many more resources are available.

“We have actually not applied for grants in the past. So today has been a very enlightening experience for me to even know what is out there,” she said. “I think sometimes that’s your biggest obstacle. You don’t know where to start or what’s available.”

For Watt, an added perk of the meeting was being in the same room as several other people in the industry, as well as individuals who run programs that support farmers. This created connections that stretch beyond any one meeting, she said.

“I’ve met some incredible folks through USDA, and they all work in different capacities, but they are just a huge advocate for us,” she said. “I just want to thank everybody for taking the time to meet with us farmers and growers.

“I mean, 2% of America, that’s it — we’re the farmers,” Watt continued. “But we’re responsible for feeding all of America.”

This story was distributed by the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, a collaboration between West Virginia Public Broadcasting, WPLN and WUOT in Tennessee, LPM, WEKU, WKMS and WKYU in Kentucky and NPR.