Vision Alumni Luncheon

Please book on your calendars Vision HC Alumni Lunch 'Henderson County Agriculture Update' on Feb. 26 at noon at Justus Orchards and Taproom's event facility. Our guest panelists will be Linda Pryor local farmer and agricultural advocate both locally and nationally, and Jeff Chandler AgHC Director, the county's agriculture economic development spokesperson. Also, Cory Justus, local apple farmer and owner of Justus Orchard and Taproom, is providing his event space as a sponsorship and will address the group as well. Lunch is sponsored by AgSouth Farm Credit.

Agribusiness Panel
Linda Pryor grew up in Bat Cave helping her dad with livestock and hay. Today she is a full time farmer at Hilltop Farm WNC, LLC where she farms over 1100 acres with her husband and father-in-law. The farm is diversified among corn, hay, beef cattle and apples. Linda is a prominent farmer advocate for agriculture having spoken in Washington DC in hearings such as the Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security. Linda works with various agencies such as Farm Bureau, the Henderson County Government Committee for Farmland Preservation and others on agricultural policy development, agricultural labor reform, farmland preservation and agricultural awareness education. Linda has a prominent social media presence where she and her husband showcase everyday farm life and its challenges and rewards.
Jeff Chandler, Executive Director AgHC - Jeff Chandler is a long-time resident of Mills River and the former Director at the NC State Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Education Center and the former Director of the NC Soybean Association. Jeff brings life-long experience in the practicalities of farming and the business and policies of agriculture to his new role as Executive Director of AgHC where he works as an advocate of agriculture in Henderson County.

Moderator: Steve D. Pettis
Commercial and Consumer Horticulture Agent
NC State Cooperative Extension
100 Jackson Park Rd.
Hendersonville, NC 28792

email - steve_pettis@ncsu.edu
office - (828) 697-4891

Lunch Sponsored by:
AgSouth Farm Credit has been serving the credit needs of rural America for more than 100 years. We are part of a nationwide financial cooperative system created by Congress in 1916 to provide American agriculture with a dependable source of credit. And we've been doing just that, generation after generation. Formerly Carolina Farm Credit, AgSouth Farm Credit has more than $1.2 billion in loans outstanding to more than 8,700 members and is controlled by a group of local directors who are also farmers. AgSouth Farm Credit has 36 service centers serving 54 counties in North Carolina.

Event space provided by:
The Justus Family has been growing delicious NC Apples in Hendersonville for more than four generations. Experience picking your own NC Apples, visit their new Taproom, let the kids take a ride on the Cow Train, play on our jumping pillow and jump pad, shoot apples from the apple cannons, visit the barnyard or visit the Apple House for pre-picked Apples, Local Honey, Jams, Jellies, and Preserves. Come by the Bakery for our famous homemade Fried Apple Pies, Apple Cider Donuts, Fried Apple Pies, Apple Cider, Cider Slushies, Local Honey, Local Jams or Jellies, Gift Shop, Weekend BBQ, and More! You can also find Pumpkins, fresh Mountain Cabbage, Sweet Potatoes, and other local fall vegetables.