Buncombe County is pleased to welcome Rachel Douglas as our new Urban Agriculture Agent. Rachel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Iowa State University and a Master of Science degree in Plant Pathology from Cornell University. After moving to Buncombe County in 2017, she worked in the Fruit Pathology Lab at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River for several years. In 2023, Rachel joined NC Cooperative Extension working as the Horticulture Agent in Haywood County. Rachel is excited to transition to Buncombe County and develop Buncombe County’s Urban Agriculture program which will have an emphasis on providing educational support to Buncombe’s numerous community gardens in addition to helping small urban farms and homesteads.