Agricultural Economic Development

 Polk County Tailgate Markets:

• Saluda: A bustling market located up the hill. This market features food vendors from our region selling some of the best tasting and healthiest produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, and more.
  • Runs April through October
  • Fridays 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
  • Off of W. Main Street, Saluda, NC 

• Columbus: Join dozens of vendors each Saturday for an amazing assortment of the region's best homegrown produce, meat, cheese, eggs and more. See amazing arts and crafts and value added products.
  • Runs the first Saturday in April through October
  • Saturday 8:00 a.m. to noon
  • On Courthouse Street, Columbus, NC
  • Polk Winter Market:
  • Shop local produce, meats, greens, baked goods and crafts year round
  • Saturdays 9 am to noon November- March
  • INSIDE THE RURAL SEED RESTAURANT 322 W. Mills St Columbus, NC 

The purpose of the Agricultural Economic Development office is to encourage, support and maintain growing agricultural enterprises in Polk County.

Objectives:  

• Marketing Polk County’s agricultural products and services by creating market opportunities. 
• Encourage value-added enterprises. 
• Identify trends and support services. 
• Assist in training and scaling up agricultural businesses. 
• Supporting new farmer enterprises through connection and mentoring opportunities
• Encourage expansion of secondary Agricultural businesses such as distribution and marketing, business planning, support business such as dry goods, seeds, implements, equipment, etc.   
• Maintaining an appropriate agricultural land base to support a viable agricultural economy in Polk County specifically through Farmland Preservation and other conservation programs
• Encourage value-added enterprises. Identify trends and support services. Assist in training and scaling up agricultural businesses.

The Agricultural Economic Development Office is supported by the Agricultural Advisory Board.

(828) 894-2281
www.polkcountyfarms.org

Links to Tools and Resources

The following are links to other resources available for various methods and tools for land preservation. The link follows the name of the site to which it goes.

• Agricultural Tourism Signs - North Carolina Department of Transportation
  Standard Practice A-7
  http://www.ncdot.org/doh/PRECONSTRUCT/traffic/teppl/Topics/A-07/A-7.html
  
  
• Interlocal Cooperation - UNC School of Government
  http://www.sog.unc.edu/programs/interlocalcoop/
  
  
• One North Carolina Naturally - North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
  http://www.onencnaturally.org/
  
  
• North Carolina Department of Commerce - Division of Community Assistance
  http://www.dca.commerce.state.nc.us
  
  
• North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
  http://www.ces.ncsu.edu
  
  
• North Carolina Division of Soil and Water Conservation
  http://www.enr.state.nc.us/DSWC
  
  
• North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
  http://www.agr.state.nc.us

• The Conservation Trust for North Carolina
  http://www.ctnc.org/ctnc/index2.html
  
  
• North Carolina Land Trusts provided by The Conservation Trust for North Carolina
  http://www.ctnc.org/ctnc/trusts/index.html
  
  
• American Farmland Trust
  http://www.farmland.org
  
  
• Land Trust Alliance
  http://www.lta.org
  
  
• Land Loss Prevention Project
  http://www.landloss.org/
  
  
• The Trust for Public Land
  http://www.tpl.org
  
  
• The Nature Conservancy
  http://www.tnc.org
  

• Institute of Government - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  http://www.iog.unc.edu