Remember your first love? Jumping in with both feet, opening your heart completely, and floating in a sea of possibilities? It is an incredible feeling and often a time of discovery and growth in our lives that teaches us about our selves in a way that living alone never could. Although in the beginning we adamantly believe it will last forever, it is more common that eventually we will out grow the relationship and move on, leaving a part of our heart behind and always looking back with at the fond memories.

When I first heard about Lowcountry Local First, I definitely had a crush. My introduction was in 2008 at a Sustainability Institute awards ceremony in which Jamee Haley was accepting the Sustainable Communities Award and I had the honor of receiving their Leadership Award. Hearing about the incredible things Jamee had already accomplished with a small but mighty group of volunteers and board members in such a short amount of time, I knew the organization was one to watch. And did I ever watch.

As they developed a Sustainable Agriculture program, I stood eagerly on the sidelines, looking for an opportunity to get engaged. When I spotted a poster in Kudu coffee for their Growing New Farmers program, I immediately applied and before I knew it I was one of the first apprentices in the program. It was a wild ride and true adventure as we all blindly navigated uncharted territory.

From early mornings harvesting squash blossoms at Joseph Fields Farm to late nights texting chefs about produce, it was a crash course in food systems. Farmers, chefs, apprentices, and staff were all learning side by side to understand what it takes for farm to table to succeed on a larger scale. Although I had really liked previous jobs, this experience was my first career love. For those of you that know me well, I am not one to settle for a job. I grew up watching both of my parents pour their hearts into their careers and I have always sought nothing less than a profession I can be passionate about. When approached with the opportunity to come on-board as the Director of Sustainable Agriculture in 2011, I jumped in with two feet.

Over the course of the last five years, I have had the honor of working alongside some amazing individuals to serve the hardest working people in the South. No one can appreciate hard work, long hours, and risk like a small business owner and even more so if that business happens to be a farm. When you see ways to make it easier for them to succeed, it is hard not to bend over backwards to do whatever you can to help.

Just like the businesses that LLF serves, the staff of the organization also must have an all-hands-on-deck attitude and be prepared to put in the sweat equity to build something great. Anyone that works in a small to mid-sized non-profit will tell you that the industry is more competitive and demanding that any corporate position they have ever had. It also an industry that provides you the opportunity to serve the community, build meaningful relationships, and be a part of something greater than yourself. And if you are up for the challenge, you can also build a career, as I have had the awesome opportunity to do.

Reflecting on 5 years, 142 new farmers, 40 farmer workshops, 18 interns, 15 conference presentations, 10 different states, 8 incubator farmers, hundreds of farm tours, thousands of emails, and over a million dollars of funds raised, I am proud to say that I am now a food system leader.

Through all of this, I have had the pleasure of working alongside some the most intelligent, fun, passionate people that I am proud to have not only as colleagues but also as friends. The most incredible part has been watching the organization and staff grow alongside the businesses, farmers, and community members it supports. It is this success that has given me the courage to take the same leap I have watched so many others bravely take before me.

While my love for Lowcountry Local First is still strong, I know that there is value in knowing when it is time to leave. The decision to move on has not been an easy one, as should be apparent by the fact that few of you probably even realized it was happening. It has been a slow process of first letting those most impacted by my decision know, one conversation at a time. Through these conversations, I gained confidence that there were enough opportunities out there for me to launch my own business.

With that in mind, let me introduce you to Wit Meets Grit, a business that provides me the opportunity to share my knowledge, experience, and support to others working in the industry. At this point, my goal is to keep my mind and heart open to the possibilities. My passions are as diverse as they are deep; to know the best path forward I need to welcome all kinds of opportunities. I hope to continue to work with so many of the incredible people I have met over the years and utilize my skills to rebuild the food system throughout the Southeast. Why Wit Meets Grit? Well, you can read about that here. What kinds of things will I be doing? To start the net will be cast wide with evaluation, farming and food system projects, freelance writing, public speaking, and photography. Through out the journey I will be sharing stories through my website.

I have such deep gratitude to Jamee Haley, Lowcountry Local First, my colleagues, all of our supporters (especially the farmers and my mentors Joseph and Helen Fields), and of course my family and friends for giving me the wings to take this leap. I am one of the lucky few that has had the chance to truly love their job and while a piece of my heart is being left behind, I look forward to this next chapter in my life spending even more time embracing my passion for the outdoors. Thank you all so much and wish me luck!

With the sun shining, bright green plants popping up, and baby animals frolicking in the fields, it would be easy to assume that business is back to normal after the devastation that Lowcountry farmers faced only six months ago with the 1,000-year-flood. But while farmers are looking forward to this season with hope, whether or not the season will deliver remains to be seen.

Reflecting on the months after the floods is brutal. Those of us in the industry had to watch the waters continue to rise long after the much publicized flooding had made national headlines. With ditches and roads washed out, ponds filled to the brim, and the water table saturated, every inch of rain felt like an ocean. The shellfish industry took a major hit with beds closing two days after the season opened, while many livestock producers had to scramble to move their animals to higher ground if there was any to be found. Hundreds of farmers have spent months standing at the edge of their destroyed fields unable to bring equipment in to make repairs, prepare their fields, or plant their next crop, all while the bills continue to pile up.

While farmers are no strangers to the hardships created by weather extremes and market fluctuation, last year was a trifecta of trouble. We had a summer drought, a drop in market prices for commodity farmers, and the worst flood our state has ever seen. Farming is risky and although successful farm businesses plan for the worst, circumstances last year put everyone to the ultimate test. A number of farms shut their doors and many are literally banking on this year’s crops to keep them in business. For those gearing up for the season, one of the biggest challenges will be finding, affording, and keeping labor.

Digging into the reality of farming is something not everyone has the stomach for, but with only one percent of our population farming, it is in our best interest to not only understand the challenges that farmers are facing but to take an active role in ensuring this industry can be a profitable and realistic business venture for the next generation. That, quite literally means, putting your money where your mouth is. Consider this: Despite the growing popularity of the “eat local” movement, South Carolina is still importing over 90 percent of its food. Challenge yourself to eat more locally, sign-up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, and make the farmers’ market a part of your routine. Even more importantly, get educated on the policies impacting our farmers and our food. The industry was facing serious issues long before the rains came and will continue to remain unstable even with an increase in consumer demand.

As the waters slowly recede, residents of South Carolina will begin to assess the damage caused by the incredible amount of rain, severe winds, high tides and ultimately the record breaking flooding. For farmers across the state of South Carolina hard decisions will have to be made as they survey their fields and determine, what, if anything can be done to salvage their fall crops.

Few businesses are as vulnerable to natural disasters as farms; their inventory and assets are exposed to the elements, unable to move or evacuate. A flooding event like the one South Carolina farmer’s experienced this weekend can literally wash an entire business out to sea. For those not familiar with the day-to-day of farming it is important to understand that in order to grow healthy plants ready for market, farmers must plan their seasons well in advance by ordering fall seeds, inputs (fertilizer, minerals etc.) and materials (row cover, seed trays) while it is still summer. For vegetable farmers, plants are started in greenhouses weeks prior to planting, cover crop is mowed down and incorporated, fields are cultivated and bedded up, irrigation is laid out, fertilizer spread and plants transplanted or direct seeded. All of these steps happen well in advance of planting and are labor and equipment intensive, costing the farmer thousands of dollars and days spent working from sunrise to sunset. And this my friends, is exactly the point in the season in which our farmers founds themselves this weekend before an entire fall season’s worth of rain arrived in less than three days. Local farms are now looking at not only loss of their plants and destruction of their fields but road washouts, equipment and infrastructure damage.

The two most common questions I have received are: “Can’t they just re-plant?” and “Don’t farms have crop insurance?” which unfortunately both have very complicated answers.

Launching a new business is an overwhelming endeavor, especially when the industry requires making a large investment in real estate and infrastructure. In agriculture, accessing land and infrastructure has become such an incredible challenge for new and beginning farmers across the nation that it is listed as one of the top barriers to for being able to break into the industry.

As a state where agribusiness is the largest industry and there are approximately 5 million acres of farmland, it seems as though this should not be an issue in South Carolina. Yet our state is experiencing the same challenges of aging farmers and loss of farmland documented across the nation. Since 2007, South Carolina has lost 1,326 farms representing more than 43,416 documented acres of farmland. In Charleston County, the number of farms has decreased by 20% in the last four years, resulting in the loss of 12% of the region’s farmland. Even more disturbing, the regional numbers are higher and contrary to the national trends, demonstrating serious concern for our state. You can read more about the local issues in this article from the Charleston City Paper. The loss of South Carolina farmland has been the result of a number of reversible factors – the failure of farm businesses to thrive, absence of planning, the lack of a willing and trained workforce, an aging farmer population, and the absence of a relevant support system and adequate resources.

Often upon retirement, a farmer’s options are limited because they are either unable to continue the farming legacy in their family or they are faced with the reality of needing to sell their farmland to provide for themselves and their families. These farms are often well-established, valuable businesses that demand an experienced farmer with the financial capacity and business acumen to buy-out and operate an existing operation. Unfortunately, this is where a major gap exists across the country. The family farm model has been quietly disintegrating over the last two decades as farm children leave the industry is search of more stable careers and corporate farms or real estate development absorb these operations. New farmers entering the market do not have the capacity to take over larger existing operations and struggle to find the smaller affordable acreage equipped with the necessary infrastructure. Without the support system to facilitate farm transition planning, the results are often devastating for older farming operations and daunting to new ones. Unfortunately, the cries for help from farmers and farming advocates for the need to pro-actively address the aging farming population and loss of farmland were not heard until recent years. As the culture of agriculture began to slowly change, the gap between existing and new farmers began to grow.

Where do the mentors go for mentorship? For Eat Local program staff and participants at Lowcountry Local First, the answer lies just across the border in North Carolina. Despite the close proximity, the local food system in our neighboring state to the North is a more matured landscape with thousands of thriving local farms, hundreds of markets, dozens of cooperatives, and an incredible array of farm support organizations. As we envision the future for our own state, North Carolina is an ideal location to seek inspiration. Although the entire state is full of innovative individuals, we chose to focus on the area surrounding the small but mighty town of Saxahapaw, NC that provided a central location for our visits to Burlington, Chapel Hill, Durham, and the rural communities in between.

With the goal of seeing as many models of success as possible, our small group of 7 food system leaders and farmers set-out on the five hour road trip with high hopes. Everyone that received my itinerary had no doubts that our dance card was full for the 3 day trip: 7 meals, 4 farms, 2 coops, 2 happy hours, 1 documentary & barn dance, 1 food hub, and 1 locally grown t-shirt company. We met over 40 new people that included farmers, non-profit managers, chefs, political leaders, advocates, cooperative consultants, produce buyers, coop managers, and all kinds of localists. Thanks to our great friends Eric Henry and Charlie Sydnor as well as the amazing staff of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, we had many warm welcomes and behind the scenes tours.

The first day set the tone for the trip with a beautiful drive through the country, a farm tour, and then a packed Happy Hour at the Eddy Pub and Restaurant. This was not just any location because The Eddy is nestled in theRivermill Village cotton mill restoration project that in addition to the restaurant included a general store, gas station, co-working space, butcher, ballroom, amphitheater, and housing. It seemed as though every person I met during our “North meets South” Happy Hour was both a pioneer and active member of the community right down to the Chef Isaiah Allen from the Eddy, who in addition to being the Executive Chef, also runs Rocky Run Farm with his wife. Don’t even get me started on the foraged honeysuckle panna cotta he sent out as a special treat- that was like a creamy dream wrapped in a cool summer night- I may never be the same. Afterwards, we were able to participate in the first screening of The Last Barn Dance, a documentary about a local dairy farm struggling with the shifting food economy and the reality of trying return to the old ways of bottling their own milk using new technology. This honest and timely documentary set the tone for our trip as we too found ourselves looking for a path to meet the demand for local products without compromising our values and desire to serve the community.

As the trip unfolded, we found ourselves bouncing between locations and exploring projects that ranged from fledging stage to well established, with lessons to be learned from all. The farm stops included Terrastay Farms,Braeburn Farms, Perry Winkle Farms, and Open Door Farms. Our market stops included TS Designs, Company Shops Market, Durham Co-op Market, andEastern Carolina Organics. These farms and markets were demonstrating innovation, cooperation, market access, employee stewardship, and more than anything an incredibly strong sense of community.

We enjoyed delicious farm to table fare at every meal, during which we engaged in lengthy discussions about the differences in the states, the incredible number of sustainable farms and supporting projects, and considered what ideas we could bring home. Although we share a border with North Carolina, the journey to developing a food system as robust as theirs will be a long one.

Charleston is an incredible leader for the South Carolina in the local food movement and is not lacking in incredible accomplishments. The Holy City proven that we can excel in Farm to Table movement from the restaurant perspective, providing those who can afford to dine out with delicious local fare. Residents in the Lowcountry also have access to over 20 farmers markets running every day of the week and a variety of local Community Supported Food program from which to secure vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and seafood. Farmers in the area have access to monthly GOODFarming Workshops; aspiring farmers can take part in the Growing New Farmers program as Apprentices in our Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture course or as participants in the Dirt Works Incubator Farm. Charleston has strong local food wholesalers/distributors, an incredible food bank, an emerging farm-to-school program, and some amazing community gardens. There is a long and impressive list of the incredible non-profits, businesses, and universities that are all working tirelessly to fill the gaps in our food system, not just in Charleston but also across the state.

Despite all of these incredible efforts, awareness and access in regards to local food has still only touched a small portion of the population, most of which are actively seeking the knowledge and have the means to access the products. There is still so much opportunity for our community to expand access through institutional sales, cooperative grocery stores, access in food deserts, local food incentives, procurement policies, farmer cooperatives, affordable land access, multi-lingual consumer education, policy reform, advocacy and so much more. Most of these issues will take the collaboration of multiple organizations across sectors working together to create place-based solutions. We will continue to play a role in these conversations and hope to facilitate the forward momentum in some of these areas. Our trip to NC was the first step in understanding the best way forward for our organization and finding inspiration, ideas, and models for the Lowcountry. For now, we will delight in the fact that all of our farmers that attended have already adopted strategies from the farms they visited and we now have an even larger support network for the long road ahead.

Post originally published on June 29th for Lowcountry Local First.