Executive director: Weathered but strong

Andy Brown reflects on how the ARCD team, Board, volunteers, and partners delivered remarkably strong results amidst the turmoil of 2025

 Dear Clients, Friends, Allies, and Supporters –

This past year has been a tumultuous one for many of us. More than a few farmers spent most of this year repairing and replacing fields, equipment, barns and even homes after Helene. For more than a month this fall, many working parents woke up with great anxiety about how to feed their children as SNAP benefits were held hostage in the federal government shutdown. The struggle is real.  Even here at the Appalachian RC&D where we serve both these populations, we’ve had quite the journey navigating the upheaval of having federal grant funds suddenly pulled from us, and losing half of our staff members as part of the collateral damage.

Yet we ploughed through, and while we may be a bit more weathered, we delivered some remarkably strong results last year. Some of the impacts that struck out to me include:

  • More than 155 participants attended beginning farmer and conservation workshops.
  • We worked alongside Hancock County to start its very first farmers market, and more than $17,000 was spent in just one half season on produce alone.
  • Our Farm Tour connected 25 farms (several new, beginning farms) with a brand new customer base of people really curious about their local food.
  • Backyard Gardeners all together grew more 30,000 pounds of food.
  • We distributed ~$230k in small grants and donated fencing, feed and warm coats to farm families in need after Helene and will be distributing another round of funding early next year.
  • During the government shutdown, ARCD staff and local farms pivoted to holding pop up farmers markets at elementary schools in Washington County that fed 750 children with fresh produce, for free. 

 

Through this process, I learned some impressive stuff about my co-workers who remain here, and I can tell you that these are the people we want serving northeast Tennessee. Committed. Resilient. Optimistic-but not naively so. Creative. Gracious. Professional. And pretty darn fun to be around. I’m happy to announce that with three recent new hires, my co-workers can relax a bit and breathe again as we re-assemble an appropriate sized team. 

 

Board and staff also took time this year to invest in the internal support structures of our organization to stabilize our capacity and better manage against similar wild fluctuations in the future. We are expanding our partnerships throughout the entirety of northeast Tennessee (and indeed statewide!) and diversifying our income streams. This coming year, expect to see even more of us in your community – still providing Backyard Gardening classes and Farmer Field School – but with an emphasis also on rehabilitating soils and streambanks impacted by Helene; promoting farmland preservation; empowering veterans interested in exploring an agricultural career; and promoting agricultural and natural resource based entrepreneurs and business owners.  

 

I love where we’re at!  If our work appeals to you, I invite you to join us in one or more of these ways:  

 Join our monthly giving program called Cultivators Club and receive invitations to special learning events throughout the year and discount pricing to ARC&D socials and fundraisers. (arcd.org/donate)

  • Help a farmer make lasting recovery from Helene by donating to our Resilient Farmer Fund. Combine your gift with other donors to create $2,000 – $10,000 micro-grants to small family farms in need. Need remains huge. Attention has waned. Likely our last fundraiser for this program. (arcd.org/farmerfund)
  • Make a one-time charitable donation to the Appalachian RC&D in an amount of your choice. (arcd.org/donate)
  • Subscribe to our newsletter so you can know about our farm tours, concerts, farm-to-table dinners or other events in 2026 where your ticket purchase pays for both great nourishment, entertainment and for the ARC&D to do the good work you cherish. 
  • Introduce us to a friend. Help us grow our network of farm, food & natural resource advocates and supporters.

 

Thanks so much for your continued confidence and financial support. Happy Holidays Ya’ll!

 

~ Andy Brown, Executive Director