Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Julia Austin, McNeilly Enterprises Enhancing Capacity with Multi-purpose Facility Grant Award: $6,000 The owners of McNeilly Enterprises are constructing a 20-foot by 25-foot multipurpose building. They have purchased a commercial honey extractor and other equipment and supplies to facilitate processing … View >>
Karen and Ed Speer, Sweet Betsy Farm Season Extension and Irrigation for Specialty Peppers and Vegetables Grant Award: $6,000 To address a lack of availability of plant starts and problems with irrigation, erosion and fungal diseases that have negatively impacted … View >>
Renea Winchester, Butterfly Cove Botanicals Medicinal Herb Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 In the wake of the COVID crisis, many people became first-time gardeners and the demand for seeds skyrocketed. There was also an increased demand for medicinal herbs, particularly elderberry … View >>
Christa Kelley, Land of Milk and Honey Apiary Expansion and Increased Efficiency Grant Award: $6,000 Christa will be expanding the farm’s hives by 50%, adding eight colonies to their current apiary of 16 hives. With the expansion, honey production is … View >>
Michelle Mejia, Moral Bees The Local Honey Bee Project Grant Award: $6,000 Michelle’s grant let her expand queen production, honey, bee products and bee colonies to consumers and other beekeepers. Michelle has developed an innovative system to overwinter locally bred … 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 >>
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 >>
Gary and Abigail Steiner, Bee-utiful Farm and Garden Honey House Grant Award: $6,000 The Steiners are building a 28′ x 32′ structure on their property to serve as a honey house. The new honey house will provide a space for … View >>
Cameron Brock Johnson, Beekeeper Inc. Bee Hive Transportation Upgrade Grant Award: $6,000 Cameron will be upgrading his capacity for transporting beehives used for pollination services throughout North Carolina by purchasing a vehicle large enough to accommodate the hauling of 100+ … View >>
Sharren L. Mikell, Mikell’s Farm Honey Honey Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 Building on a successful 2015 grant to expand the business, Sharry and Doug continue to grow their operation in order to produce more honey to meet growing demand and … View >>
Jordan Michael Smith, Two Girls Honey Company Apiary Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 In order to meet the demand for honey in Swain County, Jordan has expanded his current operation to 18 colonies. The expansion of the colonies required the addition … View >>
Eddy Jackson Corbin, Jr., Corbin Family Farm Honey House Grant Award: $6,000 Jackson has built a honey house to hold extraction equipment and process honey. He is purchased a 12-foot by 24-foot prefabricated building and located it close to one … View >>
Charles Myers and Kathryn Curran, Keeper’s Cut Meadery Meadery and Winery Grant Award: $6,000 Charles and Kathryn have expanded their meadery and winery, for which they use honey and fruit from their farm as ingredients. They are offering sales for … View >>
Robert and Jaime Cool, Bee Kind Family Farm Apiary Expansion Grant Award: $3,000 Robert and Jaime have added 20 new bee colonies to their 60-hive chemical treatment-free yard with the hopes of doubling honey production in the future. The additional … View >>
Jessica Wehr, Wehrloom Honey Mead Expansion Grant Award: $6,000 Jessica and Aron have added a meadery to the Wehrloom Honey Retail Store and Educational Center in Robbinsville. While making wine out of honey is unique in itself, they also have … View >>
Karen and Wade “Ed” Speer, Sweet Betsy Farm Bee Farm Season Extension Grant Award: $6,000 Karen and Ed have renovated their on-farm store, The Honey House at Sweet Betsy Farm, located just off US-221, so that they can keep the … View >>