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Exceptional Times: Drought Challenges Local Farmers
Summer 2008
A Discussion with the Owners of Sunburst and Tellico Trout Farms
The water that runs through the raceways of Sunburst Trout Farm in Canton, NC originates in the Shining Rock Wilderness area of Pisgah National Forest, arriving untouched by other farms or industry. Set near Lake Logan and the Pigeon River, the farm “is beautiful, especially when the leaves are changing,” says Wes Eason, a member of the family that owns and works the farm. “But,” he trails off, “it looks a little rough right now.”
He’s referring to the effects of drought. The exceptional drought that has plagued North Carolina for the last two years, putting monthly average stream flows at record lows, threatens all farmers. But for trout farmers who don’t just irrigate their crops—they grow them in ponds and raceways—water is everything.
Sunburst’s water, which usually flows at 40,000 gallons per minute—twice the velocity and volume of most trout farms, Eason says—makes their product unique. The abundant water provides high levels of oxygen; maintains the fish’s metabolic activity; provides a current for fish to swim against, so they get exercise and grow firmer meat; and even has a pH that the Easons believe give their fish a longer shelf life.
They’re proud of freshness at Sunburst. Their production facilities are only 50 yards from the raceways and that there is less than an hour’s time between when the fish are harvested and when their processing is complete.
A long history is another source of pride. Wes Eason is the third generation to work on the farm. He’s the grandson of Dick Jennings, who started the farm in 1948. Jennings inherited the land from his grandfather (though moving to Western North Carolina meant ignoring his father’s advice, “Don’t stay in these mountains, you’ll starve,” and dropping out of Yale School of Engineering, where he was an honor student).
There’s an equally rich history at Tellico Trout Farm, located in what would now be considered a remote part of Macon County. In the 1800s, when the valley was first settled, it was a center of commerce. The huge, historic white building that served as a general store, blacksmith, post office, grist, and sawmill still stands. Today it is home of Mike Macke, owner of the farm.
Trout have been raised at this location for over 20 years and Tellico Trout Farm is the largest private hatchery east of the Mississippi. It produces over 300,000 pounds of fish and hatches over 4,000,000 eggs a year to stock lakes and streams in NC and beyond.
While Sunburst makes trout fillets, smoked trout, caviar, trout dip, trout cakes, trout jerky, and other foods, only Tellico Trout Farm’s excess not used for stocking is sold to commercial processors. As different as their businesses are, Macke reports the same problems as Eason. “We have experienced serious water shortages in the past years due to the lack of adequate rainfall. When the water flows are reduced, we have to be concerned with temperature rises in the water. Trout start dying at above 70 degrees.”
Shallow water warms up faster. 58 degrees Fahrenheit is the optimal water temperature for trout and, with levels so low, water at Lake Logan, near Sunburst, is reaching 78 degrees.
Macke describes the challenges of trout farming, “Raising trout is as much a science as it is an art. Trout are fairly susceptible to disease as well as predator attacks. (Everything that eats trout lives on our farm.) We are constantly monitoring water temperature, oxygen levels, and other biometric indicators.”
Eason’s conversation, like so many farmers’, is full of allusions to obstacles: “You didn’t know about the fire?” (Sunburst’s processing facility burned in 2006, but they were only out of business for three days.) “Then there were the floods of ‘03.” He admits, “We’ve been dealt some nasty blows.” But, like his mother Sally Eason, Wes has chosen to overcome these obstacles, of which the drought is just one. He’s continuing in the family line of work because of the close-knit, “quality conscious” environment and because he knows people truly appreciate the food they produce.
“I don’t want to name just a few,” Eason says of 150 restaurants with which he enjoys working relationships. But Black Water Grill in Hendersonville; Early Girl Eatery, The Corner Kitchen, and The Marketplace in Asheville; and Sweet Onion in Waynesville are among them. (To find more Western North Carolina restaurants serving locally grown trout, search the Local Food Guide at www.BuyAppalachian.org.) Sunburst Trout is also sold at Greenlife, Earthfare, Ingles, through Sunburst’s website, and at 100 other sources across the US.
Trout is gaining in popularity, not just for its flavor and striking pink color, but because it contains high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for the heart. Farm raised trout is even higher in Omega 3s than wild trout.
In addition to producing healthy, antibiotic and growth hormone free food, Sunburst Trout Farm tries to preserve the health of the natural environment around them. They take measures such as letting all of the solids settle out of the water they use before returning it the watershed, giving the fish low phosphorous feed, and making compost from their waste for local farmers and gardeners to use.
And, trout farms can be a response to the problem of over fishing, Macke explains: “Dwindling fish supplies from our oceans open up a steady business for farm raised fish.”
Eason notes, “It’s getting so popular to buy local.” In Western North Carolina this means that if people who eat local want fish, they’re probably going to buy trout. Sunburst trout are certified Appalachian Grown. Appalachian Grown, a program of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP), certifies food and agricultural products grown or raised on family farms in Western North Carolina and the southern Appalachian mountains. Displayed with food and farm products, the Appalachian Grown label helps buyers distinguish fresher foods that support family farms, strengthen the local economy, preserve rural culture, and protect the natural beauty of the Appalachian mountains. The Eason family labels their products Appalachian Grown because they “love to keep food miles down and sell locally.”
Controlling our carbon footprints can help lessen further climate change—and may be a part of preventing the increase of droughts. But, more simply put, what can we do to support local farmers during this difficult time? “Buy trout!” “We’ve lost a lot of fish,” Eason says. “But we’re lucky—we’re getting them out of the water really fast.” Why? He’s not talking about moving the fish to another water source, or away from the family farm. “To sell!” Eason exclaims. His luck is his customers.
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-$1,000 helps farmers access new markets
-$500 brings a class of school children to a local farm
-$100 funds a cooking demo on how to prepare fresh foods
-$50 trains a farmer in new skills -$25 provides seeds and resources for school gardens
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