Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Randall Gifford, Greenshine Farms Operation Ten X Grant Award: $8,000 Greenshine Farms has embarked on an ambitious endeavor for a tenfold increase in production on their farm. Having doubled their revenue every year since 2016, Greenshine Farm has the experience … View >>
Jody Dennis Black, Circle C Farm Reducing Sweet Potato Harvest Losses Grant Award: $8,000 Jody purchased a mechanical chain harvester (sweet potato digger) to replace the disc plow he is currently using. The new equipment will ahas allowed him to … View >>
Linda Shell and Terry Moffitt, Tater Hill Farm Tater Washer Grant Award: $3,000 As their potato business has grown throughout the years, Tater Hill Farm moved from hand washing to renting a washing machine located a local food distribution center. … View >>
Melissa Harwin, Highgate Farm Post Harvest Cure and Store Facility Grant Award: $6,000 With the construction of two 8′ x 8′ climate controlled on-site cure and storage buildings, Highgate Farms expects to reduce post-harvest product losses by up to 25%. … View >>
Paige Witherington and Justin Dansby, Pitch Pine Farm Root Vegetable Harvesting Equipment Grant Award: $6,000 From farm analyses of their root vegetable production, it was identified that over ¾ of Pitch Pine Farm’s time is spent harvesting. The purchase of … View >>
Clement Swift, Clem’s Organic Gardens Machinery for Storage Vegetable Production Grant Award: $6,000 To assist with the expansion high demand organic root vegetables, including a unique variety of potato marketed as the “Appalachian Gold,” Clem purchased two pieces of specialty … View >>
Starli McDowell, Altapass Orchard Serving the Good Stuff Lunch Wagon Grant Award: $6,000 Altapass Orchard, a 280-acre historic farm on the Blue Ridge Parkway that provides apple sales, tours, trails and events to the public, has built a food service … View >>
Jody Black, Circle C. Farms Improved Sweet Potato Operation Grant Award: $6,000 Jody has expanded the storage capacity for his 10-acre sweet potato operation by retrofitting a trailer for curing and storing potatoes. He added an air conditioner and heater, … View >>
Paige Witherington and Justin Dansby, Pitch Pine Farm Mechanical Cultivation Grant Award: $6,000 Paige and Justin purchased a vintage cultivating tractor and equipment to create a raised bed system in their fields, helping solve water drainage issues and creating an … View >>
Salvador Moreno, SMM Farms Produce Washing System Grant Award: $6,000 Salvador is significantly cutting production costs on his 50-acre vegetable farm with the purchase of a washer and grader to clean and sort harvested produce. With this equipment, which helps … View >>
Gerald has added 1.5 acres of Honey Select sweet corn and Hernandez and Bouregard sweet potatoes, using raised bed plastic mulching methods. The improved methods have increased his sweet potato production by 35 percent. He has also installed drip … View >>
Gerald C. Whitson, Whitson Farms Cold Storage Grant Award: $3,000 Gerald is adding a cold storage unit for his potato crop, decreasing the amount of fuel and transport time as well as overall hours required to process the product. The … View >>
David E. Hughes David Hughes Farm Grant Award: $3,000 — Potato Production David is growing one acre of Kennebec potatoes as he diversifies out of tobacco production. He produces yields as high as 375 to 400 bushels per acre, well … View >>
Brandon Birchfield Potatoes after Tobacco – Grant Award: $3,000 “Farming is part of my heritage – my grandparents and parents farmed on the property. We’ll be able to continue that, and I would like to be able to continue that … View >>
Sam Silver Potato Grading & Washing Line – Grant Award: $6,000 Sam grew 25 acres of tobacco until 2006, the 63rd year the crop has grown on the farm. He currently farms Christmas trees, cabbage and 17 acres of Yukon … View >>
Mitchell County Agriculture Agents are working with Bobby Ray Yelton on a potato field, grown with help from the WNC Ag Options Grant. Mitchell County Contact the Local Extension Agent