UNC Grad Hopes to Connect Orange County Fields with Next Generation of Farmers

By Laurie Paolicelli , Executive Director
Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau

Hillsborough, NC (April 3, 2009) – When I first heard about the new Maple View Agriculture Center in Hillsborough, I had visions of a large-tented green room, lined with window boxes and Petri- dishes.

But when I heard that the new center was being touted under the agri-tourism category, I knew I must take the drive over and check it out. Tourism, after all, is my livelihood.

The center is just east of Maple View Farms, about 10 minutes from downtown Chapel Hill in an area where the Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Hillsborough jurisdiction lines all scramble together. “What town am I in?” I asked the chief operating officer, Allison Nichols, a 26 year old Carolina graduate, product of the Orange County school system and dedicated Ag educator. “Technically Hillsborough but the driveway is Carrboro and across the street you can see the Chapel Hill town signs.”

Allison greeted me at the center, standing next to her mother, Susan Nichols, a retired educator from Grady Brown Elementary. Both wore mega- watt smiles and a clear excitement over the new center, which had a soft opening for educators earlier this month and opens formally on May 1.

A former elementary school teacher, Allison taught in Durham and was saddened that many of her students couldn’t trace the milk they drink at lunch back beyond the supermarket. Most weren’t aware of the way food came to their homes or schools from the farm.

An idea began germinating in Allison who teamed with a family relative, Bob Nutter, and started planning the education center in October 2007, got the permit in April 2008 and began building that spring. She said she planned the center to be a field trip destination for schools during the week and a getaway for families during weekends.

The 5,800 square foot center is impressive. It has both a classroom and outdoor based educational components but the center isn’t just for school children. A large main room in the center will be used for classes for adults and could serve as a meeting place for civic groups.

In line with the NC science curriculum, the center has four classrooms with different themes, including plants, crops, and nutrition; soil science; animals; and insects, weather, lifecycles, compost, and more. On 23-acres outside are a vegetable garden, a “North Carolina garden” which includes peanuts, tobacco, cotton and sweet potatoes. A series of educational gardens are being planned outside the facility including one for pumpkins another for herbs as well as berry fields, fruit trees and a barnyard in which visitors can milk a cow.

Allison and her mother hope that by showing children how food is produced locally, they might be able to encourage a stronger connection between residents and local farmers. “The connection to the land is one that fewer people can still make and we hope to help reverse that trend through this new center,” said Allison.

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MVAC is an Agritourism center that encourages children and adults to experience agricultural life through hands on experiences. MVAC strives to educate its visitors about the benefits of sustainable agriculture. Our strong agricultural philosophies are the foundation for our educational programs. Our 6,000 sq. ft. facility offers a gathering area that will accommodate up to 120 individuals at a time. All programs provided at MVAC are aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and have been developed by educators. We are willing to work with school groups on special interest themes. At MVAC, our focus is not only science, but to integrate other areas from the standard course of study into our programs. Our outdoor exhibits teach children and adults how to use gardening practices for home use.

Booking available year round Monday-Friday for school groups. Please call 919-942-6122 for more information or visit our website at

http://www.mapleviewagcenter.com

Contact Information
Maple View Agricultural Center
3501 Dairyland Rd.
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Phone: 919-942-6122


Did You Know?

UNC was the first state-supported university in the U.S. and enrolls nearly 30,000 students from all North Carolina counties, all U.S. states and more than 100 foreign countries.