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Susan Epps Ward, Brothers on Farms Commercial Equipment/Freeze Dry Equipment Grant Award: $6,000 After COVID-19 negatively impacted her agritourism revenue and sales of shiitake mushrooms, lamb and other products to restaurants, Susan decided to expand her product line to include … View >>
Mitch and Darlene Myers, D & M Apiaries Apiary Expansion and Equipment Upgrade Grant Award: $6,000 A 2020 AgOptions grant allowed D&M to expand its stock of mite-resistant Russian honey bees at its main apiary in Cherokee County, prompting Darlene … View >>
Linda and Perry Carringer, Mountain Cheesery at Town Mountain Farm Milking Room Grant Award: $6,000 The Carringers have completed the construction of a new, larger milking room to help expand their artisan cheese business. Mountain Cheesery recently invested about $65,000 … View >>
Larry and Brandon Lee, Lee Farms Bulk Feed Storage Grant Award: $6,000 In order to save money and time, Lee Farms has added a facility to store bulk feed for their calving operation. Previously, they were feeding from 50 pound … View >>
Chris and Michelle Crawford, Crawford Acres Vineyard Expansion and Diversification Grant Award: $6,000 Crawford Acres has expanded their grape plantings by 472 vines and diversified their crop with three new varieties of grapes. Their grant covered the costs for new … View >>
Samantha and Kevin Webb, LeatherNeck Farms Irrigation Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 Samantha and Kevin have installed a self-propelled irrigation system to boost their vegetable and grass-fed livestock operation. The reel irrigation helps them maintain greener pastures and increase vegetable production. … View >>
Susan Epps Ward, Brothers on Farms Lamb Production Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 Susan is expanding her lamb meat venture, which she started with the help of a 2013 WNC AgOptions grant. She is renovating her pasture to better control barber … View >>
Salvador Moreno, SMM Farms Produce Washing System Grant Award: $6,000 Salvador is significantly cutting production costs on his 50-acre vegetable farm with the purchase of a washer and grader to clean and sort harvested produce. With this equipment, which helps … View >>
Charlie Kissling, Walnut Hollow Ranch All Natural Beef Business Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 To meet heightened demand for all natural grass-fed beef in Clay County and surrounding communities, Charlie is increasing beef production by an additional 5,300 pounds of beef … View >>
Susan Epps Ward, Brothers On Farms Lamb Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 Susan and her sons Dmitry, 13, and Andrei, 12, are adding all-natural grass-fed lamb to their growing farm business, which currently includes mushrooms, heirloom vegetables, rabbits, and specialty garlic … View >>
Salvador is adding a heating system and gravel and ventilation system to his existing greenhouse so that he can supply all his own plant starts. Before this project he could only grow plants in late spring, which is not … View >>
Donna is diversifying her vegetable and meat/milk goat farm by producing goat cheese. She is purchasing a 12′ x 16′ building to turn into a certified kitchen and is equipping the kitchen per N.C. Department of Agriculture requirements. Purchases include … View >>
Bass & Seth Hyatt Grass-Fed Angus Beef Grant Award: $6,000 The Hyatts are constructing a new cattle-working facility – corral, scales, chute and head-gate – for their grass-fed operation on a 640-acre farm. The equipment will encourage the careful monitoring … View >>
Charlie & Barbara Kissling Natural Farm-Raised Beef – Grant Award: $3,000 The Kisslings have raised beef cattle and ornamentals since 1997, are small business owners, and have 25 years of experience in food service. With the award, they will market … View >>
Philip Moore Organic Greenhouse Tomatoes – Grant Award: $3,000 “Having assistance with the initial start-up costs enabled us to get the business off the ground much more quickly and allowed us to experiment with different aspects of organic vegetable production. … View >>
Andrew Jones of Clay County is growing his goat operation by building shelter, constructing fencing and renovating pasture. The land in Fires Creek where he farms has been in his family’s hands for four generations, and now he resides there … View >>