Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission

2021 Recipient: Mountain Cheesery, LLC

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 >>

2014 Recipient: C-Saw Hill Farm

Lisa and Brandon Higgins, C-Saw Hill Farm Solar Hot Water Dairy and Cheese Plant Grant Award: $6,000 Lisa and Brandon have installed a solar hot water system as part of their new dairy, where they plan to milk approximately 10 … View >>

2012 Recipient: English Farms

Susan and Terry English English Dairy Farm Grant Award: $6,000 — English Farmstead Cheese Susan and Terry are planning to manufacture fresh cheese spreads as well as aged cheeses using milk produced solely on the farm. They are constructing a … View >>

2011 Recipient: Loretta Ball

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 >>

2010 Recipient: Dwain Swing & Cynthia Sharpe

Dwain Swing & Cynthia Sharpe: OakMoon Farm & Creamery Goat Husbandry & Cheese-making Workshops Expansion Grant Award: $9,000 Cynthia and Dwain are growing the scope of their cheese-making and goat husbandry workshop sessions. They are improving the supporting farm infrastructure … View >>

2006 Recipient: Laurie Bruce

Livestock Laurie Bruce and her family have started raising Nubian dairy goats in Clay County. The Bruce family will soon be producing fresh dairy products in their cheese-making facility funded in part by the WNC Ag Options Grant.   Clay … View >>

2004 Farm: Bruce DeGroot

Yellow Branch Farm and has been drawing visitors for several years now. The dairy is pasture-based and milk from the herd is used for cheesemaking. Karen’s pottery studio is in the lower pasture. This grant allowed Yellow Branch to build … View >>