Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Gwendolyn Casebeer and Jay Englebach, Black Trumpet Farm Recycling Local Materials to Improve Efficiency in Gourmet Mushroom Production Grant Award: $8,000 Responding to sustained demand, Gwen and Jay used their 2020 AgOptions grant to obtain a 130-gallon mushroom substrate … View >>
Gwendolyn Casebeer and Jay Englebach, Black Trumpet Farm Increased Efficiency and Output in Gourmet Mushroom Production Grant Award: $6,000 Gwen and Jay use organic growing practices to produce 150 pounds per week of gourmet and medicinal mushrooms. Demand has consistently … 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 >>
Susan Epps Ward, Brothers on Farms Commercial Equipment/Freeze Dry Equipment Grant Award: $6,000 After COVID-19 negatively impacted her agritourism revenue and sales of shiitake mushrooms, lamb and other products to restaurants, Susan decided to expand her product line to include … View >>
Natalie Gerardot, Myco Rhizing, LLC Mushroom Grow Domes Grant Award: $6,000 In response to increased demand for mushrooms by restaurants and retail outlets, Natalie is constructing two aircrete dome rooms (one lab/spawn room, one grow room) for indoor mushroom production. … View >>
Avery Hughes, High Country Fungi Upgrades to Production Facility Grant Award: $3,000 To increase consistency of his product and expand production to meet demand of culinary and medicinal mushrooms, High Country Fungi made improvements to their current growing facility. They … View >>
Harold and Nancy Long, Long Family Farms and Gallery Mushroom and Medicinal Extracts and Oils Grant Award: $3,000 Harold and Nancy will be diversifying their farm business with the addition of a mushroom and medicinal plant dehydration and extraction operation. … View >>
Matthew Mazzuckelli, Mayland Mushrooms Laboratory and Grow Room Renovation/Expansion Grant Award: $3,000 Matthew has expanded his current mushroom operation by renovating his current grow room and laboratory. In essence, he has switched spaces – converting his larger space into the … View >>
Rodney Wise, Mountain Hollow Mushroom Operation Grant Award: $6,000 Rodney has diversified his medicinal herb farm with native and exotic mushrooms. He is growing brown oyster, elm oyster, pearl oyster and maitake mushrooms, taking the next steps to becoming a … View >>
Dietrich Blum, Blooming Branch Farm Bulk Substrate Steam Pasteurizer for Mushroom Production Grant Award: $6,000 Dietrich is building a bulk substrate steam pasteurizer that allows him to produce wholesale quantities of oyster mushrooms as well as fruiting columns and fruiting … View >>
Matthew Cooper, Lively Up Farm Mushroom Production Grant Award: $3,000 Matthew has constructed a hoop house for the propagation and fruiting of shiitake, oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms. The house allows for the ongoing propagation of mushrooms, while reducing input … View >>
Holland Whitesides and Andrew Bryant, Against the Grain Sorghum Molasses and Mushrooms Grant Award: $6,000 Holland and Andrew are creating a multi-use facility that houses a sorghum press, furnace and broiler. With this new building, they no longer need to … View >>
Stacey and Alex are growing native plants and forest food crops using permaculture methods, revitalizing compacted soils on forest edges at Stacey’s family farm. Crops include Jerusalem artichokes, American hazelnuts, pawpaws, Rabbiteye blueberries, American groundnuts and King Stropharia mushrooms. … View >>
Alan and Susan Fox, The Mushroom Hut at Fox Farms Growing On-Farm Agritourism and Sales Grant Award: $6,000 Alan and Susan have expanded their agritourism venture with the addition of a multi-purpose covered shelter and bathroom facilities. The new building … View >>
Kim Van Winkle, Van Winkle Farm/Johnson Branch Farms Shiitake and Goldenseal Production Grant Award: $6,000 Kim is reintroducing farming to a dormant property with winter greenhouse shiitake mushroom production and the wild cultivation of goldenseal. She is constructing a solar … View >>
Leslie Sigmon Emma Farms Grant Award: $6,000 — Indoor Oyster Mushroom Production Leslie is adding indoor oyster mushroom production to her farm to boost winter and early spring income. She is studying the most effective facilities, substrate and strains to … View >>