NCDA&CS, industry reps make Southern Farm Show a must-see
The Southern Farm Show is considered a must-attend event for farmers and others from the Carolinas and Virginia.
2016 promises to be the best show yet.
Set for Feb. 3-5 at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, the show spreads over dozens of acres with
both indoor and outdoor exhibits, offering a wide array of agricultural products and services.
Representatives from
several N.C.
Department of
Agriculture and
Consumer Services
divisions will be in the
Jim Graham building
to answer questions
and explain services.
Show hours are 9
a.m. to 4 p.m. each
day. More than 400
exhibiting companies
make the Southern
Farm Show the
largest agricultural
exposition in the
Carolinas and
Virginia.
“We promise a show that will provide farmers the information and knowledge they need to produce bountiful crops
this year,” said show manager David Zimmerman. “Commodity prices certainly aren’t where we want them to be,
which means farmers will have to be more efficient than ever before. The Southern Farm Show is designed to help
farmers be efficient and learn the most up-to-date and cutting edge production information.”
Zimmerman said a record number of exhibitors will be at the show. To meet the demand, a fourth exhibit tent is
being added. “A lot of new equipment will be introduced at the show and we are excited about that,” he added.
A highlight of the show will be the Ag Development Forum hosted by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The
forum is set for Thursday, Feb. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Holshouser Building. The forum focuses on
economics and agriculture policy issues of interest to North Carolina farmers. Commissioner Troxler also will
present his annual State of Agriculture address. Admission is free.
Farmers interested in selling to Harris Teeter stores are invited to meet with the grocery retailer on February
26 at the Brunswick County Center in Bolivia, NC. Category specialists will discuss supplier guidelines and
possible one-on-one meetings will occur from 10 am to 4 pm. Participation is free but registration is needed by
February 15. Lunch will be provided by the Got to be NC program. RSVP to Tony Haywood at
Tony.Haywood@ncagr.gov or 919-707-3140.
Workshops to advise farmers on risk-management, price volatility
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will offer a series of risk-management workshops
across the state starting Jan. 7. The workshops will focus on managing price volatility and identifying macro
indicators in marketing agricultural commodities.
The following topics will be covered: Introduction to grain hedging, basis trading, cost of carry, cotton futures,
option trading on futures and equities, and macro forces. The principles of options, spreading strategies, using
options to manage financial risk, and energy derivatives and how to manage exposure to energy costs will be
discussed. All workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, and are free to attend.
For more information or to register for the workshops, contact Nick Lassiter, NCDA&CS marketing specialist, at
919-707-3129.
Deadlines approach for export trade missions
Deadlines for three export trade missions are approaching, with up to $5,500 in financial assistance available.
The 2016 Food Hotel Asia trade show will be held April 12-15 in Changi, Singapore. Buyers are most
interested in fruits, nuts, vegetables, high-value processed foods, organic, healthy snacks and canned foods.
$2,000 participation fee provides a 9-square-meter booth space, interpreter services, and up to 100 pounds of
sample shipping from a consolidation point in the U.S. to the trade show. The deadline to apply is Jan. 22. For
more information, contact Cathy Ma at 919-707-3132 or cathy.ma@ncagr.gov.
The 2016 Seoul Food and Hotel exposition will be held in Seoul, South Korea, May 10-13. Buyers are most
interested in high-value processed foods, meat, seafood, convenience foods, nuts, and healthy and organic
products. The participation fee is $750 ($850 for a corner booth). Participants receive an allowance of up to
$1,000 for sample and literature shipment. Registration deadline is Jan. 29. For more information, contact
Cathy Ma at 919-707-3132 or cathy.ma@ncagr.gov.
A trade mission at China’s leading event for food industry professionals is scheduled May 5-7 in Shanghai.
Buyers are most interested in high-value processed foods, ethnic foods, dairy products, nuts, as well as
organic and healthy foods. A $5,000 participation fee and registration is due by March 14 (increases to $5,600
after deadline). Participants will receive furnished booth space in SUSTA’s pavilion, interpreter services and
free shipping for up to 100 pounds of product samples. For more information, contact Annie Qiao at
Annie.Qiao@ncagr.gov.
MEMBER NEWS
Piedmont Custom Meats will be expanding its operations to Stanly County. The North Carolina Department of
Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division will fund Stanly County’s application on behalf of Piedmont
Custom Meats for a $500,000 Building Reuse Grant to support their expansion. Piedmont will utilize its current
facility in Caswell County as a slaughter plant with raw product being transported to a 30,000-square-foot
state-of-the-art process and packaging facility in Richfield. Piedmont will invest an additional $2 million in the
project in Stanly County and will make additional investments in its current facility in Caswell County. The
company slaughters and processes beef, pork, lamb, bison and goat products.
Chez Moi, a Durham-based food truck serving fresh baked goods, came in second in Mobile Cuisine's national
contest for "Top Dessert Food Truck of 2015."
The N.C. Ag Finance Authority provides credit to agriculture in areas where financing is not available at
reasonable rates and terms. The agency originates, services and finances farm loans, rural business loans,
disaster loans and cotton gin loans. It also offers tax-exempt ag development bonds for agribusiness
processing, ag-related manufacturing or ag waste disposal. For more about Ag Finance Authority programs or
to request an application, call 919-790-3949 or email at RequestLoanInfo@ncagr.gov.
Jan. 4 Registration opens for Annual Food Business Conference on April
5. Contact Annette Dunlap for more information Annette.Dunlap@ncagr.gov
Jan. 12-13 N.C. Blueberry Council Annual Open House and Trade Show,
Fayetteville
Jan. 14-15 N.C. Agritourism Networking Association annual conference,
Winston-Salem
Jan. 20 N.C. dairy producers to vote on assessment
Jan. 22 Regional Turfgrass Conference, Greensboro
Jan. 30 N.C. Sheep Producers Association annual meeting, Greensboro
Jan. 30 Regional Goat & Sheep Producer Training, Greensboro
Feb. 3-5 Southern Farm Show, Raleigh (includes the following events)
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The Tobacco Farm Life Museum will hold the 11th annual Breakfast with the Commissioner on
Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 7:15 a.m. in the Hunt Horse Complex at the show.
The North Carolina Pork Conference, presented by the North Carolina Pork Council, will be held
at 9 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 4, in the Martin Building.
The North Carolina Soybean Producers Association will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the
Soybean Producers Forum set for Friday, Feb. 5, from 9 to 11 a.m. in the Martin Building. A
highlight will be the 50th anniversary soy production panel “Know More, Grow More – Getting the
Most from Your Soy Crop in 2016”.
The Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina will hold its annual meeting at 10 a.m.,
Friday, Feb. 5, in the Holshouser Building.
Feb. 5 Deadline to apply to Mid-Town Farmers Market
Raleigh (Market runs Saturdays April 16- Nov. 5)
Feb. 10-11 N.C. Tomato Growers Conference, Asheville
Feb. 12
Feast Down East, UNC-Wilmington
Feb. 12-13 N.C. Aquaculture Development Conference,
New Bern
Feb. 15 Registration deadline for Harris Teeter- farmer
meeting in Bolivia, NC on Feb. 26 tony.haywood@ncagr.gov
Feb. 25-26 N.C. State Beekeepers Association, New
Bern
Feb. 25-26 N.C. Cattlemen’s Association and N.C.
Dairymen’s Association, Hickory
GTBNC sweet potatoes are featured in Triangle
Kroger stores.
March 2
The Flavors of Carolinas, Raleigh
March 22
The Flavors of Carolinas, Charlotte
April 5
5th Annual NCDA&CS Food Business Conference, Greensboro
April 25
NC Specialty Foods Association Spring Conference, Raleigh
May 20-22 Got to Be NC Festival, Raleigh
Three business resolutions for New Year
With best wishes for a successful and prosperous 2016, here are three recommendations for your food
business to help you achieve your New Year's resolutions.
1. Know your cash flow
The old adage, "cash is king," is certainly true when it comes to business. Cash is what keeps the business
going, pays the bills, and helps you expand. The traditional income statements and balance sheets are
"historic" – they look at where you've been. What you want to do is look at where you are. With that in mind,
consider making use of a financial dashboard, and consult it daily.
What can you learn from a financial dashboard? For starters, it will keep you up to date on what's happening
with your cash flow. Set up your dashboard so that you are watching your key indicators: a daily look at
expenses, your online engagement, your inventory levels, and your order requests. Check out this article on
using a financial dashboard, then use Google to find examples of dashboards that you can set up using Excel
or QuickBooks.
2. Write Your Business Plan
Your business plan should be a dynamic document – one that is looked at and reviewed on a week-by-week
and month-by-month basis – and modified as things change. Too many business plans take a 30,000 foot view
and take up space on a shelf where they collect dust. As this segment from MSNBC points out, your plan
should lay out weekly and monthly actions that you are going to take in order to grow your business. Regular
review helps you track your progress incrementally. As the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, said: "A journey of a
thousand miles begins with one step."
3. Define Your Customers - Then Please Them
Knowing who your customers are is as important as producing a terrific product. It would be great if we could
please everyone with our terrific food, but we all know the chances of that are pretty slim. So, figure out who
your customers are - not just the demographics, but your customers' values. Shared values is where your
customers and your company intersect. Values drive artisanal food purchases much more than do
demographics. Working this out in your business plan means deciding who you say "yes" to and who you say
"no" to. Some customers (and, by extension, the stores they serve) do not share your values. Be willing to
pass up those opportunities.
Yours to success!
Annette Dunlap
NCDA&CS Business Development Marketing Specialist
Follow Got to Be NC on Pinterest and Instagram.
Got to Be NC is the official marketing program for North Carolina agricultural products. The N.C. Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services is located at 2 West Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601. For information about this
newsletter, contact Jack Nales, marketing specialist, at 919-707-3106 or Jack.Nales@ncagr.gov.