Rice – WNC AgOptions

2023 Recipients

2023 Recipient: Chue Lee, Lee’s One Fortune Farm

March 16, 2023 by Jennifer

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 >>

2020 Recipients

2020 Recipient: Lee’s One Fortune Farm

February 27, 2020 by webadmin

Chue and Tou Lee, Lee’s One Fortune Farm Rice Harvester Grant Award: $6,000 One of the only rice producers in western North Carolina, Chue Lee has been providing rice to Hmong communities in western NC for a number of years. … View >>

Apply Now for a 2027 WNC AgOptions Farm Grant

Apply Now for a 2027 WNC AgOptions Farm Grant Grants of $10,000 are available to family farms across Western North Carolina. Information sessions begin August 10, and applications are due November 9, 2026. 2027 AgOptions Grant Cycle News Release The... Read more →

WNC AgOptions Featured in WNC Business Magazine

WNC AgOptions Featured in WNC Business Magazine WNC AgOptions is featured in the Q3 2026 issue of WNC Business magazine, in a story on how the grant program is helping farms across Western North Carolina stay viable through changing conditions.... Read more →

2026 Grantees Announced!

This year’s grant awards will support projects that improve farm efficiency, enabling growth and increasing income, which support the longevity of their farm businesses. Over half of the awarded recipients will invest in equipment and processes that will significantly improve... Read more →

2022 Recipient: Gary and Abigail Steiner, Bee-utiful Farm and Garden

Gary and Abigail Steiner, Bee-utiful Farm and Garden Greenhouse Upgrade and Expansion Grant Award: $8,000 With the ultimate goal of moving to full-time farming, the Steiners have upgraded an existing 5-year-old greenhouse with more plant growing space in order to... Read more →

2020 Recipient: Ridgetop Farm

Scott Brown, Ridgetop Farm Spent Grain Dump Trailer Grant Award: $6,000 Starting in 2011, Scott began feeding his cattle spent brewers grain which led to finishing out cattle to supply meat to local restaurants in the Asheville area. As demand... Read more →

2020 Recipient: Gerald Rathbone

Gerald Rathbone Feed Bin for Lamb Operation Grant Award: $3,000 Having grown up on a tobacco and dairy farm, Gerald has been farming his entire life. His successful sheep operation brings in an average of $16,000 a year and has... Read more →