Since 2000, VA's Appalachian Harvest has helped local farmers sell to grocers, develop supply chains, and manage harvests.

"Even in the lull before growing season, it's a busy day at Appalachian Harvest, a 15-year-old nonprofit that's a standout success in a distressed region where economic development efforts come and go. The Virginia-based nonprofit organization has grown to a $1.5 million business that derives only a sliver of its budget from grants while helping farmers in remote areas sell produce to Whole Foods and other grocers. To develop its business from scratch, Appalachian Harvest has fine-tuned how it helps farmers while expanding from organic to conventional crops and learning a crash-course in trucking." -- Jonathan Drew, Associated Press