Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Stoney Hollow Farm High Tunnel Fruit Production Grant Award: $10,000 Drosophila Suzukii is an invasive fruit fly pest that damages soft fruit. Due to losses from this pest, Stoney Hollow Farm curtailed growing blackberries and blueberries and instead expanded their vegetable … View >>
The Berry Farm, LLC Irrigation Upgrade and Value-Added Expansions Grant Award: $10,000 The Berry Farm is a Pick-Your-Own farm with an on-site farm stand. After operating for over 25 years the irrigation infrastructure is no longer functioning properly. When she had … View >>
Kevin Dukett and Jessica McMaham, Duckett Farms Berries and Beef Grant Award: $8,000 As Kevin and Jessica work on farm transition to a new generation, they seek to grow perennial crops that will diversify their beef cattle business and … View >>
Nicholas Wilson, DC Farms Blueberry Development Grant Award: $4,000 Nicholas and Misty plan to diversify their cattle, freezer beef, and hay operation with the addition of a one-acre Pick Your Own blueberry operation. They have added 120 four year old … View >>
Maxine Hodges, Blossom Ridge Orchard Apple, Berry, and Flower Irrigation System Grant Award: $8,000 Maxine, her son and daughter-in-law will add blackberries, raspberries, and a high-density apple orchard to diversify their current beef cattle operation. In the spring of 2023 … View >>
Danielle Hutchison, Beacon Village Farm, LLC Farm Store Grant Award: $8,000 Danielle farms 200 acres of organic vegetables and is the only certified organic wholesale produce operation in McDowell County. She sells primarily to wholesale brokers, retail operations and box … View >>
William Russ, Russwood Farms Storefront Grant Award: $8,000 The Russ family has diversified their beef cattle and sweet corn business with the addition of U-pick blueberries and flowers. They have used their AgOptions grant award to finish transitioning a 50-year … View >>
Stacy Fields, Raspberry Fields Raspberry Fields Kitchen Grant Award: $8,000 Raspberry Fields’ original plan was to build a small structure on the farm to house the farm kitchen. During the planning phase, Stacy discovered her proposed location was in a … View >>
Dorene Jankowski, Fire From the Mountain Outdoor Walk-in Freezer Grant Award: $8,000 Dorene produces a variety of hot sauces, salsa, and berry jams from products grown on her farm and markets them through their website, local farmers markets, wholesale accounts, … View >>
Danielle Crocker & Jason Willis, “Pick Dee’s Berries” at Skydance Farm Roadside Market Farm Store Grant Award: $6,000 Danielle and Jason are building a 20-foot by 24-foot wooden structure with a metal roof that will serve as roadside farm store … View >>
Julia Austin, McNeilly Enterprises Enhancing Capacity with Multi-purpose Facility Grant Award: $6,000 The owners of McNeilly Enterprises are constructing a 20-foot by 25-foot multipurpose building. They have purchased a commercial honey extractor and other equipment and supplies to facilitate processing … 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 >>
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 >>
Linda Laine, Mardet Family Farm LLC Infrastructure for Vegetable Production Grant Award: $6,000 Linda added critical irrigation infrastructure to her farm, which consists of two separate parcels of land totaling 23 acres. Previously, a one-acre parcel had a well, but … View >>
Dalton Rhodes, Rhodes Berry Farm Make Blackberries Local Again Grant Award: $6,000 Currently, Rhodes Berry Farm sells their entire product to a national broker who markets in the midwest and northeast of the US. Research has shown that the farm … View >>