Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Avery County Farmers Tailgate Marketing Association Primary Contact: Kyle Kitchin Grant Award: $5,000 — Community Advertising and Educational Campaign The association is undertaking an advertising and educational outreach campaign to build the local foods system in Avery County. The members … View >>
Jackson County Christmas Tree Association Primary Contact: Charles Fowler Grant Award: $13,000 — Market Expansion for Christmas Tree Growers in the Southern Mountains The association is undertaking a joint marketing campaign to offset several economic challenges in the Christmas tree … View >>
Mill Spring Agricultural Development Center Primary Contact: Lynn Sprague Grant Award: $19,000 — Polk Fresh Trade Post Project The “Friends of Agriculture” farm group is making a functional retail space, distribution center and cooperative space for strengthening their agricultural economic … View >>
Mountain Cattle Alliance Primary Contact: L.T. Ward Grant Award: $20,000 — Improving Marketability of WNC Livestock The Mountain Cattle Alliance is encouraging the production of higher quality beef cattle that can command a higher price in the marketplace. The alliance … View >>
Watauga County Farmers Market Primary Contact: David Sengel Grant Award: $18,000 — Site Analysis & Capacity-Building for WCFM The Watauga County Farmers Market (WCFM) is securing a long-term home for building sheds and infrastructure. Market leaders anticipate increasing the number … View >>
Southern Appalachian Family Farms Primary Contact: Judy Johnson Grant Award: $17,000 — SAFF Start-Up and Marketing Plan Southern Appalachian Family Farms (SAFF) is creating a diverse marketing program to sell fresh, locally grown vegetables, fruit, meats, value-added and other agricultural … View >>
Amos & Kaci Nidiffer Trosly Farm Grant Award: $6,000 — Value-Added Poultry Processing Equipment The Nidiffers are building a permanent processing building to expand their poultry operation and double their production. With the addition, they will meet the state requirements … View >>
Grady Bob Johnson, Jr. Tucker Hollow Farm Grant Award: $6,000 — Berries and Honey Tucker Hollow Farm will expand their existing farm with the addition of blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and 20 stands of honeybees to pollinate the berries and their … View >>
Anthony Cole Jasperwood Farm Grant Award: $3,000 — Production of Colored Bell Peppers Anthony is diversifying his winter squash, livestock and Christmas tree farm with the production of full color bell peppers, which provides cash flow at a time period … View >>
Thomas E. Shepherd, Jr. Headwaters of Poverty Farm Grant Award: $6,000 — Specialty Poultry Thomas is raising and processing specialty poultry, focusing on poussins, three-week-old chickens. With the purchase of a brooder, grow-off pens and processing equipment, he is raising … View >>
Joan and Carl Chesick Green Goddess Farm & Apiary Grant Award: $6,000 — Heckuva Honey House With the construction of a new structure for their apiary, the Chesicks are raising production by 500 percent and providing local beekeepers with adapted … View >>
Loretta Ball Craggy View Farm Grant Award: $6,000 — Farm Stand Loretta is building a farm stand on the Barnardsville Highway in Weaverville. At the retail store, she sells her greenhouse plants as well as locally grown and organic produce, … View >>
William Metes B.M.S. Enterprises Grant Award: $3,000 — Shiitake Mushroom Smokehouse William is building a smokehouse for growing log-inoculated mushrooms infused with an aromatic wood smoke such as hickory during the fruiting process. He is experimenting with different infusion durations … View >>
Leslie Sigmon Emma Farms Grant Award: $6,000 — Indoor Oyster Mushroom Production Leslie is adding indoor oyster mushroom production to her farm to boost winter and early spring income. She is studying the most effective facilities, substrate and strains to … View >>
Eddie and Jeff Frisbee Addison Farms Vineyard Grant Award: $9,000 — Vineyard and Winery Expansion The Frisbees are continuing the family’s fifth-generation tradition of farming by diversifying their cattle farm into a vineyard and winery. With the addition of 400 … View >>
Mary Ann Thompson Traditional Delicacies Grant Award: $3,000 — Traditional Cherokee Delicacies Mary Ann recently started her forest delicacies business selling frozen and canned wild greens. She is also raising mountain crawfish, a traditional Cherokee forest food, in small-scale contained … View >>