Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Black Trumpet Farm Enhanced Cold Storage for Improved Post-Harvest Quality in Gourmet Mushrooms Grant Award: $10,000 Black Trumpet Farm currently produces 800 pounds of gourmet mushrooms each week. Their indoor cultivation facility was designed to produce 1,000 pounds weekly, a scale … View >>
Dennis Francis Farm Walk-in Freezer to Increase Sales of Home-Grown Beef from Farm to Table Grant Award: $10,000 Dennis has been raising beef cattle on his farm for 40 years. Since beef cattle are subject to commodity pricing and fluctuation, Dennis … 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 >>
Edwards Family Farms NC Cold Storage Expansion Grant Award: $10,000 Edwards Family Farms started in 2019 and has grown to an annual production of over 800 meat chickens, 10-20 hogs, five beef cattle, and eggs from over 50 laying hens. They … View >>
Justin Brogan, 5 Loaves 2 Fish Farm Walk in Refrigeration/Wash Station Unit Grant Award: $8,000 As part of an overall expansion plan to significantly increase production, Justin added a combination walk-in refrigeration/wash station unit to his operation. This addition is … 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 >>
Aaron & Rebekah Travis, Sugar Hollow Farm Cooling for Growth: Enhancing Sustainability at Sugar Hollow Farm Grant Award: $8,000 Sugar Hollow Farm has seen a surge in demand for their sustainably-raised meat and eggs, but storage limitations have hindered … 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 >>
Charles & Mary Beth McCurdy, Brentwood Farm Brentwood Farm Store Freezers & Cooler Grant Award: $8,000 Brentwood Farm, nestled in a rural area 15 miles from the nearest grocery store in Forest City, recognized a growing demand from neighbors … 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 >>
Catherine & Rick Topel, Smoky Mountain Mangalitsa, LLC Walk-In Freezer Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 With success supplying quality whole hog specialty breed (Mangalitsa) carcasses to restaurants, the Topel’s are moving to retail sales of their pork and lard products. In … View >>
Daniel and Lori Cabe, The Flower Company Walk-in Flower Cooler Grant Award: $6,000 For their cut-flower farm and florist business, Daniel and Lori will purchase a 12-foot by 9-foot by 14-foot, four-door, walk-in flower cooler with glass reach-in doors for … View >>
Stephanie Vinat, The AppaLatin Farmstead The AppaLatin Farm Building Grant Award: $6,000 In 2020, AppaLatin Farmstead purchased a 10-foot by 24-foot building for the farm and had it wired with electricity. In 2021 with her grant, Stephanie has added water … View >>
Tiffany Hudgins, Johnson Family Farm Preparing for Future Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 With the goal of turning her family’s four-year-old part-time farming and value-added foods operation into a full-time business, Tiffany is increasing marketing efforts and expanding vegetable production and … View >>
Nicole and Aaron Bradley, Colfax Creek Farm Walk-in Freezer Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 With the help of a 2017 AgOptions grant, Colfax Creek Farm has been very successful in the past few years and has expanded to supply eight restaurants, … View >>