Tom Slade Welcomes ANA members to the 2008 Annual Conference

Greetings From the President

	Gavel presented to 2008 ANA President, Cathy Lewis by Executive Director, Martha Glass		Zimmerman Vineyards hosts ANA conference participants at vineyard & winery

Welcome to the NC Agritourism Networking Association!
This is going to be an exciting year for the NC ANA. Each district is planning a local workshop which will include information from our 2008 Annual Conference, as well as topics of local interest. The NC ANA will have an exhibit at the 2008 Governor's Conference on Tourism in Winston-Salem from March 16-18 where we will showcase the farms, wineries, vineyards, and other wonderful agritourism operations in our association. The “Got to be NC Festival” will be held from June 5-8 in Raleigh; we will have an exhibit there also. Plans are already underway for a two-day annual conference in early 2009.

I hope to carry on the wonderful work started by our past president, Dwight Austin, executive director, Martha Glass, and past board members. I look forward to working with Vice-President Craig Swindler, Secretary Kristi Marshall, Treasurer Anne Bisese, and all of our District Directors.

I plan to focus on the following issues:
- Being a self-sustaining organization, with the officers, board members, and members working together.
- Getting our memberss involved in policymaking at the local and state level.
- Working with insurance agents and underwriters to ensure that agritourism farms have the insurance they need.
- Planning a two-day conference, possibly in conjunction with the Southern Farm Show.
- Helping with a booth at the "Got to Be NC Festival" as a part of the Agritourism Office.
- Evaluating the best way to use the monies we have in our treasury, whether it is to be used for scholarships, stipends or something new.
- Last, but not least, I want our association to look at grant opportunities for the NC ANA, as well helping our members find and obtain grants and other funding to support their own agritourism activities.

Thank you all for the opportunity to serve you and your families. Please let me know what I and the
NC ANA can do for you. ~Cathy Lewis

From the Executive Director's Desk

	Everett Davis, Robeson County Extension, wins award		Signage incorporates history of area

Over one hundred agritourism farmers, winery and vineyard owners, cooperative extension staff and county directors, tourism professionals and other strong supporters attended the 2008 ANA conference at Caraway Conference Center on February 1, 2008. Evaluations from twenty-five people, some of which were prepared by couples, said that the program was a success, but half of the evaluations said the tight time schedule left them wanting more time for more interaction and networking.

What a problem to have to overcome!!

I say that in jest, because the board had hoped that folks would ask for more time for the workshop speakers and more time for discussion of the workshop topics, and for questions and answers.

The board understands that concern, and is discussing a two-day conference next year. The first afternoon would be for registration, followed by a reception and dinner, at a hotel or other venue near hotels that would allow attendees to meet and network during the evening.

The next day there could be multiple workshops at the same time slot, and repeats of those workshops during other time slots. A well-known speaker would be recruited for lunch, and the afternoon could be a continuation of the morning workshops, with an option for one or two farm tours.
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The 2009 ANA Annual Conference will require more planning and more participation. President Cathy Lewis will be outlining these plans at a Board meeting planned for March 31, 2008 at the Randolph County Extension Office. The meeting will be from 6 - 8:30 p.m., and is open to ANA members.

Please let Cathy know if you are interested in helping to plan the 2009 ANA conference. She can be reached at lewi1408@bellsouth.net, or 704-824-3621 (h).

Kudos to members

	Sam Stancil, Triple "S" Ranch, speaks at Small & Minority Farmers Conference

Paul Marshall was recently appointed to serve a two-year term as a member of the Rockingham County Extension Advisory Council. He is also a member of the Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Committee for the county's Horticulture Agent, Kathryn Holmes. Paul and Kristi are commercial muscadine growers in Rockingham County, and they are planning to enlarge their farm for other agritourism activities in the future.

Board of Directors Update

Steve Marshall, Southeast District Director, has asked that his name be removed from ANA membership and the district director’s position. His plans for Open Gate Farm cannot go forward due to lack of financial grants he was expecting. We hope Steve will be able to rejoin in the future.

Marilyn Cade welcomes a volunteer to help her with planning for the West District by serving as a District Director. If your farm is in the West District, please get in touch with Marilyn soon to learn about an easy and fun job. The benefits are tremendous and the hours are very part-time!

Brenda Sutton, Rockingham Co., talks about hospitality on the farm

Evaluations Help Board Plan For Future

ANA Bylaws Amended

The membership voted to accept the amendments to the bylaws recommended by the Board. The major change allows a Sponsor member to be a District Director. Another change allows for board members to be exempt from paying registration fees for the annual ANA conference and district workshops. Stipends for other agritourism-related workshops will be considered by the board on a case-by-case basis as to the number of members who can be reimbursed, and the amount of reimbursement. Also, a nominating committee will be appointed by the president in November to prepare the next year’s slate of officers and district directors.

Wendy Wilson, West Central District Div., schedules ANA workshop

Martha Glass, Editor Agritourism Office 1020 Mail Service Center Raleigh NC 27699-1020 919-733-7887 www.ncagr.com/agritourism ncagritourism@ncmail.net

"Agritourism is Value-Added Agriculture"