Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Rodney and Lynn Willis, Willis Farms 2 Row Vacuum Planter Grant Award: $8,000 Rodney and Lynn produce sorghum syrup, cornmeal, and grits from crops they grow on their farm. For planting, the equipment they previously used a modified 3-point hitch … View >>
Rodney Willis, Willis Farms Sorghum Syrup and Cornmeal Process Upgrades Grant Award: $6,000 Rodney and Lynn have constructed a metal-frame processing building for their sorghum syrup and cornmeal that meets current food safety standards. The processing facility is located adjacent … View >>
Holland Whitesides and Andrew Bryant, Against the Grain Winter Pack Shed and Apprentice Kitchen Grant Award: $6,000 Against the Grain has built an insulated kitchen and winter pack shed as an attachment to their existing sorghum boiler shed (built with … View >>
Catherine Guthrie Bennett, Doubletree Farm Sorghum Syrup Expansion Grant Award: $3,000 Cathy purchased equipment to streamline her sorghum syrup processing with the goal of increasing her production to 500 gallons per season. Cathy purchased a new wagon to store larger … View >>
Isaiah and Annie Louise Perkinson, Flying Cloud Farm Mobile Sorghum Operation Grant Award: $6,000 Annie and Isaiah are building mobile sorghum processing trailers to turn sorghum cane grown on the farm into sweet sorghum syrup. The trailers allow them to … 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 >>
Warren, Diana and Clint Cabe, Blue Ribbon Farms Sorghum Syrup Production Grant Award: $3,000 Warren and Diana have added a sorghum syrup processing facility to make syrup with sorghum that they are growing. The shed doubles as a produce packing … View >>
Keith has improved his sweet sorghum operation by adding an extension to an existing building to house his juice press, create a storage room and expand the cooking shed to include hot water. The new addition, which is a … View >>
Jason is restoring a generations-old family tradition of sorghum molasses-making, further diversifying his vegetable operation and enhancing agritourism opportunities on the farm. In addition to growing the sorghum, he has built a building dedicated to the production of molasses … View >>
For Cathy and Andy Bennett, owners of Doubletree Farm in Madison County, the grant is helping them keep Appalachian traditions alive. They are using the knowledge about molasses-making they’ve gained from their neighbors Peggy and Nathan Harmon, whose ancestors made … View >>
Crop Diversification Former tobacco growers, Joe and Devon Deal are using the WNC Ag Options grant to increase their production of sorghum syrup. The grant is enabling the Deals to grow a product not commonly produced in the area. … View >>