Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Catherine & Rick Topel, Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, LLC Walk-In Freezer Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 With success supplying quality whole hog specialty breed (Mangalitsa) carcasses to restaurants, the Topel’s are moving to retail sales of their pork and lard products. In … View >>
Tracy Cavagnaro and Todd Kirmss, Holt Orchards Bakery and Apple Cider Donut Maker Grant Award: $6,000 Tracy and Todd have built a bakery equipped with a new doughnut maker to create fresh apple-cider doughnuts from the 60 acres of apples … View >>
Sara Martin and Dustin Cornelison, Two Trees Farm / Sustainabillies, LLC Livestock Pasture and Barn Grant Award: $3,000 Sara and Dustin plan have installed fencing to create a new pasture, purchased a livestock guardian animal and built a barn suitable … View >>
Adam Pressley, Pressley Farms Strawberry Production Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 The Pressley family started growing strawberries in 2015 with 500 plugs, ramping up their crop to about 3,500 plants on 0.17 acres by 2019. For the 2021-2022 season, they have … View >>
Stacy Fields, Raspberry Fields Agritourism Improvements to the Farm Grant Award: $6,000 After building materials costs rose steeply in early 2021, Stacy determined she would not be able to complete her proposed project, which was installing a commercial kitchen in … View >>
Sébastien Brun, Brulé Farms LLC Tuber Melanosporum or Black Winter Perigord Truffle Orchard Grant Award: $6,000 Leveraging knowledge gleaned from multiple truffle-growing workshops in France, Western North Carolina and both online and in person with the National Truffle Growers Association, … View >>
Abbegail King, Ochre Hill Farms Expansion Project Grant Award: $6,000 Several years ago, Abbegail and her family bought land that has been farmed since the founding of Jackson County with the goal of returning it to being a full-time working … View >>
Ray Nations, Ray’s Florist & Greenhouse Posey Patch Flower Farm Grant Award: $6,000 Ray is expanding his established florist, garden center and greenhouse business by adding a cut-flower operation and increasing his current mist-propagation system for vegetable transplants and flower … View >>
Travis Watkins, Watkins Farm Goat Project Grant Award: $6,000 The purchase of a creep feeder, Goat Gofer transport unit, 2-ton feed bin, tilt table, 55-gallon herbicide sprayer and mineral-feeding equipment has allowed Travis to expand the size of the goat … View >>
Daniel and Lori Cabe, The Flower Company Walk-in Flower Cooler Grant Award: $6,000 For their cut-flower farm and florist business, Daniel and Lori will purchase a 12-foot by 9-foot by 14-foot, four-door, walk-in flower cooler with glass reach-in doors for … View >>
Stacy Bredendieck, Winding Stair Farm and Nursery Greenhouse Conversion to Propagation House Grant Award: $6,000 Winding Stair Farm, a multi-location farm, nursery and retail garden center, has converted an existing 96-foot by 28-foot greenhouse to a propagation facility for growing … View >>
Kelsey Green, Our Friendly Allies Greenhouse Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 Kelsey started Our Friendly Allies five years ago and has reached capacity on her two 20-foot by 20-foot greenhouses, which are used to propagate plugs for her ½-acre production field … View >>
Stephanie Vinat, The AppaLatin Farmstead The AppaLatin Farm Building Grant Award: $6,000 In 2020, AppaLatin Farmstead purchased a 10-foot by 24-foot building for the farm and had it wired with electricity. In 2021 with her grant, Stephanie has added water … View >>
Karen and Ed Speer, Sweet Betsy Farm Season Extension and Irrigation for Specialty Peppers and Vegetables Grant Award: $6,000 To address a lack of availability of plant starts and problems with irrigation, erosion and fungal diseases that have negatively impacted … View >>
Tiffany Hudgins, Johnson Family Farm Preparing for Future Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 With the goal of turning her family’s four-year-old part-time farming and value-added foods operation into a full-time business, Tiffany is increasing marketing efforts and expanding vegetable production and … View >>
Marc Jackson, Jackson Farm Cattle Working and Feeding Facility Grant Award: $6,000 To facilitate the success of a rotational grazing system he is initiating in partnership with a Tennessee grower, Marc is building a working and loading facility where his … View >>