Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Chris Sawyer, Jake’s Farm Expansion and Diversification Grant Award: $8,000 Desiring to lower labor demands and increase profits, Chris has begun to transition away from vegetables and has started producing perennial crops such as figs, small fruits, and medicinal herbs. … View >>
Joan Walker, Fiddlesticks Farm Season Extension Infrastructure Improvements Grant Award: $8,000 Fiddlesticks Farm is a mama-owned small farm in Alexander, NC focused on producing high-quality flowers, salad greens and vegetables using sustainable, regenerative methods. Joan and her family started the … 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 >>
Jody Dennis Black, Circle C Farm Reducing Sweet Potato Harvest Losses Grant Award: $8,000 Jody purchased a mechanical chain harvester (sweet potato digger) to replace the disc plow he is currently using. The new equipment will ahas allowed him to … View >>
Clement Swift, Clem’s Organic Gardens Cold Storage for Crop Diversification and Expansion Grant Award: $8,000 This year Clem has increased his farmed acreage by 60% and he is on track to double his revenue from last year. He also constructed … View >>
KT, KT’s Orchard and Apiary Apple Sorting and Packing Project: Upgrading Farm Efficiency Grant Award: $6,000 Having already purchased a used apple sorter from a neighboring county’s N.C. Cooperative Extension Center, KT will be converting an existing barn into an … 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 >>
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 >>
Dave Walker, Daffodil Spring Farm Scaling Up Vegetable Production Grant Award: $3,000 With the main goal of achieving greater farm revenue through diversification and resiliency, Dave will create a wash and pack line to be housed under a covered shed. … View >>
KT, KT’s Orchard and Apiary KT’s Amazing Apple Cider Vinegar Grant Award: $6,000 One of the unfortunate aspects of producing commercial fruit for sale is amount of loss experienced from fruit that cannot be sold – size, shape, imperfections, etc. … View >>
Tyler Hunsader, Jeter Mountain Farm Juice (Cider) Operations Grant Award: $6,000 Jeter Mountain Farm has diversified their farm with the opening of a new 30 acre U-pick apple operation in 2020. From research done the past three years at multiple … View >>
Paul & Anna Littman, Ivy Creek Family Farm Caterpillar Tunnels Grant Award: $6,000 After many years of successful growing in permanent hoop houses, the Littmans experienced mineral and salt build up in their hoop house soils, which required remediation. In … View >>
Lucas Ramsey and Russell Norman, Plow Boys Crop Production The Hereford Project Grant Award: $6,000 Plow Boys Crop Production has diversified the farm with the addition of a cow-calf operation. Grant funds were used to purchase 10 bred Hereford cows, … View >>
Jordan Michael Smith, Two Girls Honey Company Commercial Conversion and Equipment Upgrades Grant Award: $6,000 Using his 2018 AgOptions grant to expand from 18 to 36 colonies, Jordan has since grown to over 47 production hives, investing profits from the … View >>
Harold and Nancy Long, Long Family Farms and Gallery Mushroom and Medicinal Extracts and Oils Grant Award: $3,000 Harold and Nancy will be diversifying their farm business with the addition of a mushroom and medicinal plant dehydration and extraction operation. … View >>
Ryan and Launi Higgs, Blue Ridge Apiaries Value-Added Diversification with Session Mead Production Grant Award: $6,000 Before starting their successful small-scale apiary that now supplies 12% of the total North Carolina honey crop, the Higgs were employees of the largest … View >>