Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission

2020 Recipient: Mardet Family Farms

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 >>

2020 Recipient: The Chef’s Farmer

James Swofford, The Chef’s Farmer Old North Farm Grant Award: $6,000 Having operated a successful farming business since 2012, James grows one acre of specialty ingredients for chefs and supplies boutique heirloom produce, culinary herbs, edible flowers and foraged ingredients … View >>

2019 Recipient: Skydance Farm

Danielle Crocker & Jason Willis, “Pick Dee’s Berries” at Skydance Farm Agritourism Infrastructure for “U-Pick” Berry Farm Grant Award: $6,000 To enhance their “U-Pick” berry operation and create a destination agritourism site, Danielle and Jason added needed infrastructure to support … View >>

2008 Recipient: Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones of Clay County is growing his goat operation by building shelter, constructing fencing and renovating pasture. The land in Fires Creek where he farms has been in his family’s hands for four generations, and now he resides there … View >>

2008 Recipient: Thomas Miller

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 >>

2008 Recipient: Vera Guise

During the last few years, Vera Guise purchased land that used to be in her family’s hands and turned it into Appalachian Homestead, a non-profit organization and educational farm. With the grant funds, she is establishing a demonstration field of … View >>

2006 Recipient: Briar Rose Farm

Agri-Tourism Judith Hansen and Tom Hare of Briar Rose Farm, a diverse 160 acre old mountain farm in Madison County, have used the WNC Ag Options Grant to expand their agri-tourism operation to include a nature trail for farm guests … View >>

2006 Recipient: Ted Farmer

Agri-Tourism Ted Farmer was born on the same farm where he currently lives and works raising Fraser Fir Christmas Trees. Ted’s father before him moved to their family farm in Avery County over 90 years ago. Ted’s great interest in … View >>

2004 Farm: Jim Bryan

  J. Bryan will expand an adjacent 2 acres into a parking area to offer better traffic flow to the farm during the peak harvest season. The grant will be used to cover some of the labor and material costs … View >>