Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Michelle Mejia, Moral Bees The Local Honey Bee Project Grant Award: $6,000 Michelle’s grant let her expand queen production, honey, bee products and bee colonies to consumers and other beekeepers. Michelle has developed an innovative system to overwinter locally bred … View >>
John Pearson, Pink Boot Farms Goat Barn Renovation/Milking Operation Grant Award: $6,000 John and Lynn Pearson’s farm project is to add goat milk, butter, and aged goat cheese production to the farm. To accomplish this goal, they renovated a 150 … View >>
Stephanie Poetter, Locally Good Farm Vinegar Production Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 To increase production to meet demand of locally produced apple-cider vinegar, Locally Good Farm expanded their vinegar production facility and started a ¼ acre orchard. Until they received the … View >>
Chris and Amy Deyton, Green Mountain Farms Mechanization for Reducing Labor and Increasing Safety Grant Award: $6,000 Chris and Amy purchased a front end loader for their tractor to aid in the expansion of their cattle, goat and vegetable farm. … View >>
John Andrew Austin, Austin Family Dairy Farm Waste Management/Manure Spreader Grant Award: $6,000 Andrew is purchasing a manure spreader to assist with waste management on his dairy farm. The manure spreader allows him to fertilize 30 acres of pasture and … View >>
Dietrich Blum, Blooming Branch Farm Bulk Substrate Steam Pasteurizer for Mushroom Production Grant Award: $6,000 Dietrich is building a bulk substrate steam pasteurizer that allows him to produce wholesale quantities of oyster mushrooms as well as fruiting columns and fruiting … View >>
James Moore Edwards, Edwards Farm Grass-Fed Cattle Grant Award: $6,000 James is diversifying his vegetable operation with grass-fed cattle. He purchased seven calves to pasture on 16 acres. He feeds them on grass until autumn before slaughtering them for sale … View >>
Bill Weeks, Exotic Natives Nursery Expanding Markets and Increasing Manageability and Sales of Native Azaleas Grant Award: $6,000 Bill has made critical changes at his nursery to sell off his current inventory of field-grown azaleas, which are mostly native to … View >>
Alan and Susan Fox, The Mushroom Hut at Fox Farms Growing On-Farm Agritourism and Sales Grant Award: $6,000 Alan and Susan have expanded their agritourism venture with the addition of a multi-purpose covered shelter and bathroom facilities. The new building … View >>
Danny Thomason, D&D Farm Packing Shed, Delivery Trailer, Row Cover Grant Award: $3,000 Danny is retrofitting a tobacco barn into a packing shed to help speed up boxing of vegetables before it travels to TRACTOR Food and Farms, which distributes … View >>
Keith has improved his sweet sorghum operation by adding an extension to an existing building to house his juice press, create a storage room and expand the cooking shed to include hot water. The new addition, which is a … View >>
Cedar and Ben are diversifying their vegetable enterprise with the addition of meat sheep. They have purchased 12 ewes and will purchase one ram and begin breeding in late summer. They are constructing a secure shed and paddocks for … View >>
Gerald has added 1.5 acres of Honey Select sweet corn and Hernandez and Bouregard sweet potatoes, using raised bed plastic mulching methods. The improved methods have increased his sweet potato production by 35 percent. He has also installed drip … View >>
Lori and Michael Osada, MiLo Acres Walk-in Cooler Grant Award: $3,000 The Osadas are adding an on-site walk-in cooler to store their naturally certified produce, fruit and eggs and extend shelf life. They are able to harvest and store more … View >>
Traci McMahan Mt. Mitchell Produce Grant Award: $6,000—Portable Cooling Unit Traci is improving delivery capabilities of Mt. Mitchell Produce to expand sales to Ingles Markets, the farm’s primary customer. With the purchase of a 16-foot long cargo transporter utility trailer … View >>
Billy Bryant Bryant Farms Grant Award: $6,000 – Produce Expansion Billy anticipates diversifying his tobacco and tomato operation with a variety of produce in future years. The first step is to acquire his own drip irrigation system and plastic laying … View >>