Carolina Farm Trust supports NC sustainable farms with recent events

29 Oct, 2024

Activation Day at CFT Market

By Carolina Farm Trust|2024-10-29T21:22:07+00:00October 29, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

CFT Market: Opening Phase One and Creating a Hub for Fresh, Local Food

We’re excited to announce that Phase One of the CFT Market is now officially operational! Located in west Charlotte, this market is more than just a place to cook and store food—it’s a community hub designed to make fresh, local produce accessible to all. At Carolina Farm Trust, we believe that food is more than sustenance; it’s a gateway to community empowerment and sustainable change.

What is CFT Market?

The CFT Market is the physical extension of our mission to rebuild food systems from the ground up. In west Charlotte, where food insecurity has long been a challenge, this market offers a solution rooted in relationships, not transactions. By stocking our coolers with produce from local farmers and providing a space where neighbors can connect at our weekly pop-up farm stands, we are creating a

14 Oct, 2024

The 2024 Systems Change Conference

By Carolina Farm Trust|2024-10-16T12:19:25+00:00October 14, 2024|Events|0 Comments

This year’s Systems Change Conference kicked off in the best way possible: with a hands-on, immersive experience at Russell Hedrick’s farm. Learning directly from leading voices in regenerative agriculture provided an incredible opportunity to explore cutting-edge advancements in regenerative equipment, soil health practices, drone technology, and farming data that are shaping the future of agriculture.

“It was great to be among professionals and farmers who do this work daily.” – Anonymous Review

The conversations on Monday were just as impactful as the farm experience itself. Our panels addressed key issues, including the Government’s Role in Systems Change, Food as Health and Nutrition Density, and the emerging innovations in Decarbonization Efforts. These discussions set the stage for a deep dive into the structural shifts needed to create sustainable food systems.

“I really enjoyed the morning at the farm. Seeing and learning more about the tangible impact of sustainable, regenerative

15 Aug, 2024

Carolina Farm Trust Opens Phase One of New Community Food Market to Improve Access to Healthy Food from Carolina-region Farms

By Carolina Farm Trust|2024-08-15T14:46:47+00:00August 15, 2024|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Carolina Farm Trust Opens Phase One of New Community Food Market to Improve Access to Healthy Food from Carolina-region Farms

CHARLOTTE—Carolina Farm Trust (CFT), a non-profit dedicated to localizing community food systems in rural and urban regions to increase access to healthy foods, announced today the opening of phase one of the new 25,000-square-foot CFT Market in West Charlotte. After three years of design and construction, phase one of the CFT Market will center on CFT’s expanding food production in the community and greater Charlotte region.

Led by Executive Chef Ryan Forte and Executive Pastry Chef Leressa Rucker, the new state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, located in the center of CFT Market, will prepare meals, baked goods and other culinary creations from fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients grown by regional farms for CFT’s catering services, pop up markets, CFT Bistro food truck and local restaurants. In addition, the CFT Market culinary team will work with

20 May, 2024

Farm Stand at the Urban Farm at Aldersgate

By The Carolina Farm Trust|2024-06-25T20:15:06+00:00May 20, 2024|Events|0 Comments

Stop by our farm stand every Thursday between 4 – 7pm to grab some fresh produce for dinner! Meet the farmers, tour our Urban Farm at Aldersgate, and purchase some fresh, local produce grown right from our soil.

Check out the Urban Farm at Aldersgate Instagram for weekly updates on our produce list.

The Urban Farm at Aldersgate address is 4101 Somerdale Ln, Charlotte, NC 28205.

9 Mar, 2023

Night At The Museum

By The Carolina Farm Trust|2023-03-17T13:55:03+00:00March 9, 2023|Events|0 Comments

Night At The Museum

This is the 4th Annual Night At The Museum presented by Carolina Farm Trust, and quickly becoming a highlight of the Spring Season for most. The event features local chefs and mixologists, who master their craft with food sourced from urban farms around the Carolinas. Purchasing a ticket for this event not only guarantees you delicious food and drinks, but an opportunity to gather amongst fellow humanitarians and supporters of the sustainability initiative that is catching fire within the United States.

All who join us on this night has made a physical pledge, in one way or another, to the mission of sustainable and equitable food production. At Carolina Farm Trust, we envision thriving farms, healthy people, and communities intimately connected to their food and where it comes from. With the purchase of your Night At The Museum ticket, you’re allowing us

2 Jun, 2021

Developing your personal giving story

By The Carolina Farm Trust|2024-06-20T14:54:44+00:00June 2, 2021|Donors, Newsletter|0 Comments

Photo Credits: Corey Easterday

Corey Easterday had always been involved in the nonprofit world but when he moved to the Queen City, he ached to connect with the social good community and later found that his support for Carolina Farm Trust was more than a one-time donation.

Corey Easterday did not always grow up having everything at his disposal. In fact, his reality was the opposite. Born and raised in northeast Ohio, he wouldn’t describe himself as growing up poor, but it did not take away from the fact that his family faced financial hardships throughout his life.

“My family grew up in a poverty situation for a lot of my formative years, and it was

8 Jun, 2020

Carolina Farm Trust Family

By CarolinaFarmTrust|2020-09-09T10:47:23+00:00June 8, 2020|News|0 Comments

In light of the recent acts of horrific violence against the Black community, including the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we stand in solidarity with those around the country who are speaking out and protesting against racial injustice....

3 May, 2018

Aldersgate and Carolina Farm Trust Sow Seeds For Eastside Charlotte Residents

By CarolinaFarmTrust|2020-09-09T10:47:23+00:00May 3, 2018|Press|0 Comments

Urban Farm – a concept that will be celebrated at a June 7 dinner – is designed to nourish, educate and inspire a whole community

Charlotte, N.C., (May 3, 2018) – Aldersgate and Carolina Farm Trust are collaborating on a major agricultural and cultural initiative that will continue the Aldersgate-led transformation of Charlotte’s east side. The nonprofit, 6.7-acre Urban Farm at Aldersgate will serve as a food source – and learning lab – for the eastside community and beyond. Both EBT and SNAP will be accepted, ensuring the working (and year-round) farm is truly a resource for all. Plans call for the first seeds to be planted this spring and for the farm to be operational by fall.

Aldersgate’s mission goes beyond serving the elders who call the 231-acre campus home. It includes engaging the community’s neighbors.

“Part of our mission at Aldersgate is

2 Oct, 2017

Carolina Farm Trust Filling Gaps In The Local Food Movement Through Carolina Jubilee Music Festival

By CarolinaFarmTrust|2020-09-09T10:47:23+00:00October 2, 2017|Carolina Jubilee, News|0 Comments

Any given farmers market parking lot contains a familiar spattering of bumper stickers: “Buy Local.” “Support Your Local Farmer.” And for Mike Smith of Big Oak Farm in Cabarrus County, none of them are the answer.

“Demand has outpaced supply for at least 10 years now, ever since we started doing farmers markets,” he says. Smith, whose family has been farming on the same land for over 150 years, has the market to sustainably expand his operation, with locavores and farm-to-table restaurants clamoring for his pastured beef and pork.

But rapid development and resulting rising land prices stand in his way– and threaten the area’s local food supply.

“Once you start putting down concrete,” he says, “it’s never going to go back to farmland again.”

Zack Wyatt, a Northern Virginia farm kid turned Charlotte transplant, began noticing the Carolinas’ disappearing farmland after reading local blogger

12 Aug, 2017

Carolina Jubilee Is A Lot More Than A Music Festival

By CarolinaFarmTrust|2020-09-09T10:47:23+00:00August 12, 2017|Carolina Jubilee, News|0 Comments

“Tucked into the heart of the Carolinas at VanHoy Farms in Harmony, NC is this year’s Carolina Jubilee festival, September 29 and 30. The third annual festival is the project of the Carolina Farm Trust, an organization whose mission is to improve the environmental sustainability of farming communities of the Carolinas. There will be 18 bands over the two days, along with food, drinks, and various other activities all from right in the region.

To truly understand the Carolina Jubilee, it is important to consider the initiatives of the Carolina Farm Trust which began just over two years ago in May of 2015. “I just started talking to the farmers and asking ‘What do you need? Is it a tractor; is it land?’ and then I began making all of these commitments that I had no idea how I would follow through on. So I needed a vehicle for that

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Corey Easterday had always been involved in the nonprofit world but when he moved to the Queen City, he ached to connect with the social good community and later found that his support for Carolina Farm Trust was more than a one-time donation.

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

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Get Involved

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