Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Blazing Star Flowers Heated Propagation Greenhouse Grant Award: $10,000 Blazing Star Flowers specializes in high-quality, sustainably grown cut flowers and plant starts, sold through diverse outlets including farmers markets, plant sales, a flower CSA, special-event floral design, and workshops. After six … View >>
Pinnacle Farms Walk-in Cooler Grant Award: $10,000 Jennifer has seen steady growth in cut-flower sales since she began growing in 2022. For 2026, she scaled up significantly with 350 newly planted peonies. These flowers have a short harvest window, and … View >>
Sun Seeker Farm Strengthening Farm Viability and Profitability Through Season Extension Grant Award: $10,000 Sun Seeker Farm will use its AgOptions grant to install a gothic-style high tunnel with roll-up sides to extend the growing season, improve flower quality, and … View >>
Holly Strawn, Harpp Flower Farm Floral Cooler Grant Award: $8,000 With the goal of transitioning to full-time farming by 2025, Holly is diversifying and expanding her specialty cut flower operation. Key to this expansion is the addition of a dedicated … View >>
Ellen Lohmeyer, East Sylva Flower Farm Mobile Floral Cooler for Fresh Flower Storage, Markets & Events Grant Award: $8,000 To support the rapid expansion of their thriving flower business, East Sylva Flower Farm has introduced a mobile refrigeration cooler … View >>
Emily Driskill, Tanager Plants LLC Nursery Infrastructure Expansion Grant Award: $8,000 Emily utilized her grant to complete two significant expansion projects on her farm. First, she hired a professional to install a 12′ x 20′ propagation greenhouse kit she … View >>
Cheryl Judge-Decker, Paint Horse Flower Farm Walk-in Floral Cooler Grant Award: $8,000 With her 2023 grant, Cheryl installed a 16′ x 40′ high-side greenhouse, which has allowed her to almost triple her cut flower yields. To properly store her flowers … View >>
Emily Patrick, Carolina Flowers Dried Flower Processing Chamber Grant Award: $8,000 Carolina Flowers has added a dedicated dried flower processing chamber to their operation to increase dried flower production. The dried flower processing chamber will be an insulated structure with … 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 >>
Mandy Hornick, Blue Ridge Blooms Caterpillar Tunnels Grant Award: $8,000 The addition of two covered 50′ high tunnels will enable Blue Ridge Blooms to extend their season of spring flowers and produce a better quality crop than could be grown … 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 >>
Cheryl Judge-Decker, Paint Horse Flower Farm Greenhouse to Expand Production Grant Award: $8,000 To create a more sustainable and expanded operation, Paint Horse Flower Farm has installed a 16′ x 32′ high-side greenhouse, including shutter fans and a gas heater, … 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 >>
Loretta Ball, The Never Ending Flower Farm Bathroom and Farm Store Grant Award: $8,000 Loretta has constructed a building on her farm that houses a bathroom and a small farm store space where visitors can shop and get supplies to … View >>
Nicolette Irving, Flourish Flower Farm Flourish Flower Farm Stand Grant Award: $8,000 Flourish Flower Farm used their 2020 AgOptions grant to purchase a walk-in cooler which enabled them to increase the quality and quantity of the flowers they provided to … View >>
Suzanne Nolter, Blazing Star Flowers Multi-Use Canopy Structure Grant Award: $8,000 Suzanne’s current location at the SAHC Community Farm requires her to drive offsite to arrange flowers and conduct workshops. Desiring to create a more productive, efficient, and comfortable … View >>