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2021 Recipient: Black Trumpet Farm

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 >>

2021 Recipient: Sporadic Farms

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 >>

2021 Recipient: Brothers on Farms

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 >>

2020 Recipient: Myco Rhizing

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 >>

2020 Recipient: High Country Fungi

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 >>

2018 Recipient: Mayland Mushrooms

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 >>

2017 Recipient: Mountain Hollow

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 >>

2016 Recipient: Blooming Branch Farm

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 >>

2016 Recipient: Lively Up Farm

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 >>

2016 Recipient: Against the Grain

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 >>

2015 Recipient: Wild Dahlia Homestead

  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 >>

2013 Recipient: Van Winkle Farm

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 >>

2011 Recipient: Leslie Sigmon

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 >>