Mountain Moss News: Moss as Cash Crop?

Can moss be grown as an horticultural crop? Annie at Mountain Moss Enterprises has been given a grant to find out.

MOUNTAIN MOSS RECEIVES WNC AGOPTIONS GRANT FOR MOSS CULTIVATION RESEARCH PROJECT!

As tobacco farmers struggle to adapt to the decline in demand for their product, our native mosses could be new "cash crop" alternatives. Environmentally-friendly mosses have marketing potential as viable horticultural choices to be featured in the creation of moss lawns, green roofs, outdoor living spaces, and moss gardens. Mountain Moss Enterprises, with funding from a WNC AgOptions grant, will focus on developing effective moss propagation procedures in the project: Mountain Moss Nursery: Green Alternatives for WNC Farmers.

WNC Agricultural Options partners — N.C. Cooperative Extension, Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA and N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission have designated Mountain Moss Enterprises, located in Transylvania County, as a recipient of a WNC AgOptions 2010 grant. This project emphasizes entrepreneurial initiatives in the field of horticulture, specifically the emerging moss industry, and the utilization of value-added sustainable agricultural practices in farming operations. Forty-one other mountain farmers, and their own respective projects (not moss) have been selected for this year's funding cycle. WNC AgOptions is invested in helping agriculture grow and thrive in western North Carolina as farmers diversify or expand their operations in our changing economy.

This practical research project, a Mountain Moss Nursery, addresses the need for determining optimal growth conditions for a variety of moss types that will yield the best economic return as income-generating cash crops. Based upon bryophyte research, observation of moss growth patterns found in natural settings, and over ten years of moss gardening experience, Annie Martin, a moss landscape designer and an aspiring moss farmer, has selected twenty different types. These mosses will be grown in containers and for field production. Growth patterns and recommended methodologies will be analyzed. The results of this project, pertaining to efficient moss propagation, will be shared with other small farmers and nursery operators. This WNC Option grant will fund operational activities for Mountain Moss to conduct this field testing, but additionally, others will benefit from this value-added research necessary for entering the burgeoning moss industry.

Go Green With Moss!

Mountain Moss Enterprises