Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
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 >>
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 >>
Sara Martin and Dustin Cornelison, Two Trees Farm / Sustainabillies, LLC Livestock Pasture and Barn Grant Award: $3,000 Sara and Dustin plan have installed fencing to create a new pasture, purchased a livestock guardian animal and built a barn suitable … View >>
Linda Laine, Mardet Family Farm LLC Infrastructure for Vegetable Production Grant Award: $6,000 Linda added critical irrigation infrastructure to her farm, which consists of two separate parcels of land totaling 23 acres. Previously, a one-acre parcel had a well, but … 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 >>
Dave Walker, Daffodil Spring Farm Scaling Up Pastured Pig Farm Grant Award: $3,000 With the goal of finishing 20-25 pigs a year and supplying 3-5 farms with 20-25 quality piglets a year, Dave is developing strategies to make the business … View >>
Jeff C. Phillips, Pine Row Farm Farm Store Grant Award: $6,000 With the help of a 2018 WNC AgOptions grant to boost their heritage hog operation, the Phillips were able to successfully expand their pork products. Since demand for their … View >>
Danny and Krista Lambert, Lambert Farms Wood Chips and Manure Composting Grant Award: $6,000 The Lamberts are employing a wood chip/manure composting system on their farm to support the production of sustainably raised grass-fed beef, pastured chickens, pastured pork and … View >>
Sophia Annette Ensley, Double 00 Farm Breed Preservation and Increased Production Grant Award: $3,000 Double 00 Farm has increased the size of their Large Black Hogs herd, a threatened breed of foraging hog that produces a micro-marbled meat. Their grant … View >>
Jeff C. Phillips, Pine Row Farm Pasture Raised Heritage Hogs Grant Award: $6,000 As hogs are making a comeback in Graham County, Pine Row Farm used their grant to expand their pastured heritage hog operation. By using a rotating pasture … View >>
Aaron and Nicole Bradley, Bradley Farms Pastured Pig Feeding System Grant Award: $6,000 Aaron and Nicole purchased a Feed Train mobile grain bin with a gasoline powered hydraulic auger to feed their 70 pastured pigs. Mechanizing the feeding of their … View >>
Michael Joe Holt, Jr., Holt Livestock Breeding and Feeding Facility for Show Pig Production Grant Award: $6,000 Michael is expanding his pork and show pig operation by constructing a facility to house sows year-round. Both pork and show pig markets … View >>
Marie is establishing an ecologically sustainable pasture hog system with the aim of demonstrating a financially viable model to other hog producers. She is constructing a hoophouse for hogs to farrow and house in winter months, portable field sheds, a … View >>
Julie Teneralli, Dancing Doe Farm Heritage Hog Production Grant Award: $6,000 Julie is adding heritage hogs to her operation, which has been a small vegetable farm and plant nursery since 2002. She is purchasing six piglets—Large Black and the Gloucester … View >>
Michael and Casey Lance, Calee’s Coops Diversification Project: On-Farm Feed Grant Award: $6,000 The Lances are purchasing three-ton grain bins for on-farm storage of bulk feed, reducing transportation costs of buying 50 pound bags from a hardware store to feed … View >>
Thomas Miller of Swain County is raising rare heritage breeds of hogs to sell naturally grown pork. He is renovating his barn, fencing and pasture with the grant. The costs involved in construction would have prohibited him from starting the … View >>