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The Accelerating Appalachia (ACAP) team appreciates your patience during this season of transition. We are excited to announce that we are working with the USDA’s Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) initiative. Our farmer funding program, now named Building Appalachian Agricultural Resilience, expects to be fully operational within 60 days. You can expect to hear back from us at that time regarding next steps. Additional priorities for this new initiative include:
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Ensuring at least 65% of federal funding goes directly to producers;
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Expanding commodity market opportunities for farmers;
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Improving market access for farmers; and
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Increasing economic competitiveness for producers.
What This Means For You:
Our farmer funding program will still provide direct cash payments to farmers. We will also still offer technical assistance, but it will instead be provided directly from ACAP. The ACAP team will be expanding to provide technical assistance, and will be working to measure soil health now using Waters Agricultural Labs. We will also be giving greater attention to marketing the products of our producers and increasing economic opportunities for our participants.
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Brad and Christa Kelley, Owners of Land of Milk and Honey Farms
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“Anyone who does farming understands how hard it is to make it and be sustainable,” explains North Carolina farmer, Christa Kelley. Feedback similar to Christa’s influenced how we decided to calculate incentive payments for farmers enrolled in our program. Too often, farmers told us that the money they received from traditional funding sources didn’t meet their needs. Accelerating Appalachia’s farmer funding program provides incentives that are approximately 30% higher than what traditional funding sources offer.
Christa describes the impact of the funding she received from Accelerating Appalachia, stating, “The grant funds have been a tremendous help for our farm. Accelerating Appalachia’s help has allowed us to do more on the farm and look at ways to expand and be better farmers. They have been very helpful, informative, and easy to work with. We were in the path of Hurricane Helene, and they reached out to us in our time of need to make sure we were in good shape.”
Keep up with Christa’s journey by following her farm on Facebook at Land of Milk and Honey Farms, LLC. or visiting www.landofmilkandhoneyfarmnc.com.
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We Want To Share Your Story!
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Would you like to be featured in future publications or on our platforms? We’d love to hear from you! Share your experience with us here.
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Crafted with care and community in mind, Sweetgrass Granola is a shining example of what happens when farmers and local businesses collaborate. Founded by graduates from our regenerative agriculture business accelerator, Sweetgrass Granola sources its ingredients directly from Kentucky and West Virginia farmers—including chia seeds from fellow accelerator alum Chris Kummer of Heartland Chia. Every bite supports a thriving regional food system rooted in sustainability and resilience. Ready to taste the difference? Shop online at sweetgrassgranola.com or visit their storefront at 808 N Limestone Ste 1, Lexington, KY 40505 to support local and stock up on your new favorite snack!
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SaraDay Evans, Founder & CEO
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Greetings Farmers, Friends, and Followers of Accelerating Appalachia! June in Kentucky is something special—lush hills, bursting green life, and, this year, no shortage of powerful storms. As we face the double-edged sword of nature’s abundance and its extremes, I’m reminded of the deep resilience and generosity within our communities.
I’ve been honored to work alongside folks like Wayne Riley, the Founder and Director of the Laurel County African American Heritage Center, supporting disaster response efforts across the region—from flooding in Frankfort and Eastern Kentucky to tornado recovery in my birthplace of Mayfield, KY and most recently, Wayne’s hometown of London, KY.
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Wayne Riley with Franklin County, KY Judge/Executive, Michael Mueller, and Jack Kennedy, Deputy Judge/Executive.
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Wayne Riley, SaraDay Evans, and Frankfort, KY volunteers helping with tornado recovery efforts for London, KY.
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At Accelerating Appalachia, we’re now 12.5 years into growing a regenerative, farmer-led economy across the Southeast and Appalachia—supporting over 600 farmers with meaningful funding and expanding market opportunities. I’m proud of our team and grateful to every farmer and partner who’s helping bring this vision to life. Thanks for being on this journey with us.
—SaraDay, Founder & CEO
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As we move through this season of growth and change, we’re inspired by the farmers, partners, and products that continue to shape our shared future. Whether you’re nurturing your land, your business, or your community, know that we’re right here with you—supporting, listening, and learning every step of the way. Until next time, stay safe, stay rooted, and keep growing with us.
Warm Regards,
Le’Shae Robinson, Chief Communications Officer, and the Accelerating Appalachia Team
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