Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Alvin Blake Brown, Brown’s Farm Ridge Improving Performance of Grazing System Grant Award: $8,000 Brown’s Farm Ridge (BFR) will invest in a no-till drill to reduce production costs by extending their grazing season to late December and to improve nutrition, … View >>
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 >>
Kathleen and Michael Balogh, Mountain Meadows Nursery Nursery Irrigation and Expansion Grant Award: $8,000 Over the 40 years that Mountain Meadows Nursery has been in business, the nursery irrigation source has been the well and pump that also serves the … View >>
Danielle Keeter and Mark McDonagh, Mighty Gnome Market Garden Walk-in Cooler for Farm Expansion and Agritourism Safety Grant Award: $8,000 The current cooler Danielle and Mark use presents safety issues that prevent them from using it for customer CSA pickups. … View >>
Sarah Lasswell, Moss & Thistle Farm WNC-Grown Willow for Sustainable Caskets Grant Award: $8,000 After planting two rows of willow for erosion control as part of her 2019 AgOptions grant, Sarah began to research uses for willow rods and discovered … View >>
Gwendolyn Casebeer and Jay Englebach, Black Trumpet Farm Recycling Local Materials to Improve Efficiency in Gourmet Mushroom Production Grant Award: $8,000 Responding to sustained demand, Gwen and Jay used their 2020 AgOptions grant to obtain a 130-gallon mushroom substrate … View >>
Mike and Sara Hedge, Hedge Family Farm Wash-Pack Facility Farm Expansion Grant Award: $8,000 Sara and Mike have increased their growing space over the past year by 300% and the volume of produce harvested is creating a bottleneck in their … View >>
Catherine and Rick Topel, Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, LLC Mobile Food Unit Trailer for Farm Use Grant Award: $8,000 As COVID hit in 2020, Catherine was unable to sell hog carcasses to restaurants. Even after pivoting to retail sales, business remained … View >>
Gwendolyn Casebeer and Jay Englebach, Black Trumpet Farm Increased Efficiency and Output in Gourmet Mushroom Production Grant Award: $6,000 Gwen and Jay use organic growing practices to produce 150 pounds per week of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Demand has consistently … View >>
David Anderson, Sporadic Farms On Site Cold Storage Building Grant Award: $6,000 David plans to expand and improve the sustainability of his business by building an on-site carport with cold storage. Mushrooms are sensitive to bacterial blooms, so maintaining the … View >>
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 >>
Jeff and Terri Phillips, Pine Row Farm Farm Store Grant Award: $6,000 Terri and Jeff are approaching retirement and are working to generate an income from their family farm. To meet increasing demand for their farm-raised beef, pork, chicken and … 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 >>
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 >>