Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Brindle & Brown Apiary, LLC Honey Extraction & Processing Upgrades Grant Award: $10,000 Joshua currently sells pure raw honey and value-added honey and beeswax products through partnerships with local retail shops and directly to consumers at the Foothills Farmers’ Market … View >>
Beeman Jones Honey Extraction Improvement and Value-added Processing Grant Award: $10,000 Fred has approximately 25 beehives and sells 50-150 gallons of honey per year. His current operation is bottlenecked by the uncapping process: preparing frames for extraction takes nearly three hours, … View >>
Wild East Farm Vegetable Production Post-Harvest Processing Facility Improvements Grant Award: $10,000 Wild East Farm will upgrade their vegetable wash/pack systems to increase efficiency, improve working conditions, and scale their winter storage crop capacity. The project will enable them to move … View >>
TK Family Farm LLC Orchard Harvest/Work Platform Grant Award: $10,000 TK Family Farm operates a 3.5-acre high-density orchard (expanding to 5 acres) within a 15-acre diversified farm in Polk County. With support from three prior AgOptions grants, the farm established its … View >>
Sunshine Cove Farm Wash and Pack Facility Grant Award: $10,000 Sunshine Cove Farm will build a dedicated wash-and-pack facility to replace the small makeshift area currently used inside a greenhouse. Microgreens must be harvested during narrow early-morning and evening windows, and … View >>
Edwards Farms Cornmeal/Grits Processing Facility Grant Award: $10,000 This project will build a dedicated 24′ x 20′ post-harvest facility to handle drying, storage, grinding, packaging, and distribution of the farm’s Jimmy Red corn products. The new structure will replace the current … View >>
Soil Shine Farm & Ferments Elderberry Processing Kitchen Grant Award: $10,000 This project will help the farm build an on-farm kitchen and install a walk-in cooler to process its growing elderberry crop into shelf-stable value-added products and to continue its … View >>
Sweet Branch Farm & Forest Wash and Pack Facility & Harvest Equipment Grant Award: $10,000 This project will add a dedicated wash-and-pack facility and a mechanized harvester to expand vegetable and flower production and improve postharvest efficiency. The 8′ x 20′ … View >>
Michael RiCharde, Good Wheel Farm Poultry Processing & Packing Shed Grant Award: $8,000 After several years of steady growth, Michael is taking a significant step forward in scaling up his poultry production by building a dedicated processing facility. Previously, his … View >>
Justin Brogan, 5 Loaves 2 Fish Farm Walk in Refrigeration/Wash Station Unit Grant Award: $8,000 As part of an overall expansion plan to significantly increase production, Justin added a combination walk-in refrigeration/wash station unit to his operation. This addition is … View >>
Lyric Antio & Noah Poulos, Wild East Farm On-site Poultry Processing Facility Improvement Grant Award: $8,000 With increasing demand for their poultry products, Wild East has doubled production in 2024 from 2,000 to 4,000 birds. To achieve this growth … View >>
Fred Crawford, Dogwood Farm of Whittier, LLC Dogwood Farm Infrastructure Improvement Grant Award: $8,000 Lack of infrastructure at the farm buildings at Dogwood Farm is limiting productivity and creating inefficiency. Since the honey house does not have electricity or … View >>
Michael Adams, Kestrel Herb Farm Batch Dryer Grant Award: $8,000 Michael is building a forced air “batch” dryer for herbs. Currently, he uses a shipping container with wire shelving powered by a heater and dehumidifier. The new building and herb … View >>
Billy Bryant, Bryant Farms Packing Shed Grant Award: $8,000 Billy has completed his packing shed including the concrete pad, construction block, electrical, framing, and metal doors. At the advice of the Carolina Farm Stewards Association Local Food Safety Coordinator, Billy … View >>
Nicole Coston, Bearwallow Valley Farms Wholesale and Process Improvement Plan Grant Award: $8,000 After four years of production, Nicole has identified needs for new multi-use equipment that will improve efficiency and production, as well as harvest and post-harvest handling processes. … View >>
Chue and Tou Lee, Lee’s One Fortune Farm Rice Huller and Polisher Grant Award: $8,000 The Lee’s used their 2020 AgOptions grant to purchase a small-scale combine harvester, which allowed them to add an additional 6 acres to their family … View >>