Extension Offers Helps Provide Access to Nutritious Foods 

In Carter County 17.6% of seniors and 27.1% of families with children are below the poverty level. With limited grocery stores in Carter County, many families have little access to nutritious foods.  The Carter County Extension Office uses a variety of methods to help meet this community need.      

To encourage local citizens to grow their own food the Carter County Extension Office participates with other counties in group orders for apple and pear rootstock and strawberry, blackberry, and raspberry plants. By participating in these large group orders, clientele are able to purchase the plants and rootstock at much cheaper prices than if they had purchased them on their own.  Twelve gardeners ordered apple and/or pear rootstock.   In addition to providing Extension publications to all that ordered, the Carter County ANR agent also taught two grafting sessions.  Fifty gardeners ordered strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry plants.   Each gardener also received a copy of the appropriate Extension publication related to the plants they purchased.  Videos were also created about strawberries and brambles and posted to the Ag Facebook and YouTube pages.     

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the Carter County Agriculture & Natural Resources Agent offered two grab and go gardening bags for clientele to pick up.   The first bag included the Growing Your Own Garden Calendar, gardening gloves, and other SNAP kitchen utensils for preparing vegetables.  The second bag included 10 sweet potato cuttings along with information on raising and preparing sweet potatoes and a Victory Garden poster.   The Carter County ANR agent worked with the SNAP Assistant Senior to create a video about raising and preparing sweet potatoes.  Approximately 25 gardening bags and 40 sweet potato slip bags were picked up by local community members.         

Since not all local citizens are able to raise their own gardens the Carter County ANR agent trained 20 local farmer’s market vendors so that they could accept the Senior Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program and WIC vouchers.     The Carter County Extension Office staff have distributed 425 SrFMNP vouchers to be used at our local farmer’s markets.   Additionally, two other local farmers who did not participate in the trainings, have paid their Farmer’s Market membership and will be providing local produce and meat at the markets for cash sales.  

By using a variety of methods we can help our local citizens have better access to fresh, nutritious, locally grown foods.   

Hayden shows off the sweet potato cuttings she helped plant.