What do you do with poultry houses in central North Carolina when you loose your contract? Why, turn it into a salt-water fish farm, of course!
Judy Canales, Administrator, USDA Rural Development, rural business and cooperative programs spent some time in North Carolina last week touring businesses that have received funding from USDA looking at the end product of the utilization of those funds. Canales stopped in Salisbury:
 “Little River Trails Farm & Ranch, and what’s very significant about this is that this is a sign of the times, with changes that occurred in the industry, this particular facility used to have a poultry contract. Fortunately, the poultry houses have been enclosed and retrofitted with tanks and other equipment, so they have switched from poultry and now they’re growing flounder and a hybrid sea bass. And the purpose of these fish that are to be sold and produced from that location is that they’ll be sold to live markets that pay significantly for this fresh fish.”
Canales also toured a renewable energy facility in Mt. Airy:
“I was in Mt. Airy, in Surry County at a company called Mayberry Solar, and that is a company that is owned by a development company that is geared toward solar energy, and it is a partnership with Mayberry Solar utilizing a land-lease with the town of Mt. Airy to install a ground-mounted solar system near a waste water treatment facility.”
Canales explains what makes Mayberry Solar unique:
“What’s important about this, is that by having the solar panels invested, it’s able to generate enough renewable energy to power 200 homes a year, as well as serve as a great example of a business working closely with the public, meaning the city, to be able to develop more renewable energy accessibility for the community. So, it’s a win-win for both Mt. Airy and the surrounding area.”
Canales says that North Carolina is the fifth highest participant in USDA’s energy programs. Administrator, USDA Rural Development, rural business and cooperative programs, Judy Canales.
image courtesy of 123rf.com
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