SD Teaching & Research Farm in Valle Crucis

A focal point for this program is our Teaching and Research Farm and Agroecology Laboratory located in Valle Crucis. Students utilize the farm to enhance their classroom  lessons about agroecology, agroforestry, and sustainable farming practices. Results from research on the farm are shared with local community members to encourage sustainable agricultural practice in the region.

The agroecology laboratory is just down the road from the farm in the historic “Apple Barn.” The bottom floor has been renovated to serve as lab space and provide a graduate student office. This floor also features the original 100-year-old cork-lined cold storage room. The upper floor is open space perfect for contra dancing! This is a favorite spot for wedding receptions, parties, and other community gatherings.

Blackburn Vannoy Farm in Ashe County

When Beulah and Reeves Vannoy died in 2001 and 2006 respectively, their will established a trust known as the Blackburn-Vannoy Foundation and a conservation easement with Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, now the Blue Ridge Conservancy to protect their 369-acre farm from development.

Appalachian State University collaborated with First Citizens Bank, which served as the initial trustee of the foundation, to determine a long-term plan for the property. Now, the Appalachian State University Endowment will succeed First Citizens as trustee of the foundation in an agreement that allows the university to use the land for educational purposes.

The farm is in two sections located near Fleetwood. The first tract consists of 157 acres known as the Blackburn home place. It includes an 1880s farm house, which the university expects to restore and use as a demonstration of post-Civil War farm life; a 1960s brick ranch-style home, which will house three to five sustainable development majors who will help manage the property; and a number of outbuildings including a fully functional, 100-year-old barn.

The second tract consists of 188 acres bordering Dick Phillips Road and Will Vannoy Road. This property also has an 1880s farm house and a combination of forested area and pasture. An additional 24 acres of land has been obtained by the trust to be used as the gateway to the farm.

The university’s Sustainable Development Program will relocate its teaching and research farm from Valle Crucis to the Blackburn property within the restrictions of the easement. Students and faculty will grow and research vegetable and fruit crops and maintain animals. Forests will be used for teaching, research and demonstration of agroforestry and sustainable forest and watershed management. Activities on both farms will focus on teaching and research in anthropology, biology, ecology, geography, geology, history and other academic areas.

“Blue Ridge Conservancy is excited about this partnership with Appalachian State University,” said conservancy director Walter Clark. “We believe the university’s plans fulfill the wishes of the Vannoys by preserving the beauty of Ashe County while respecting the wonderful cultural heritage of this region.”

“We are very excited about this new property and the possibilities for collaborative study and research. While the Sustainable Development Program’s Teaching and Research Farm will relocate to Ashe County, we will continue to lease the current facility from the Valle Crucis Conference Center for a variety of community-based educational and outreach activities,” said Chuck Smith, director Appalachian’s Sustainable Development Program. “We value our relationship with the Valle Crucis community and the conference center, and want to maintain our presence there.”