Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
Dave Lesuer, Hillside Farm Hydroponic Tomato Greenhouse Grant Award: $8,000 Farming has provided 90% of income for Dave and his family since COVID began. He sells his diverse vegetable products to local restaurants, food pantries, and offers CSAs. After moving … View >>
Erica Fernbach and Karl Brandstaetter, Seven Oaks Farm Caterpillar Tunnels for Organic Production Grant Award: $8,000 Thanks to their existing caterpillar tunnels, Erica and Karl were able to provide peppers, tomatoes and lettuce during shoulder seasons when other farms’ production … View >>
Savannah Salley, Headwaters Market Garden Caterpillar Tunnels for Organic Vegetable Production Grant Award: $6,000 Organic Production Having farmed successfully on leased land since 2017, Headwaters Market Garden purchased farmland in Polk County in 2020. With the goal of expanding their … 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 >>
John and James Carroll, Big John’s Hydro Farm Back-Up Electricity and Mini-Fogger Grant Award: $6,000 John and his father James added a back-up generator to their existing 3,600-square-foot hydroponic greenhouse to deter crop loss during power outages. They are also … 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 >>
Salvador is adding a heating system and gravel and ventilation system to his existing greenhouse so that he can supply all his own plant starts. Before this project he could only grow plants in late spring, which is not … View >>
Herman Garrison Grant Award: $3,000 — Farm Sanitation for G.A.P. Certification Herman is in the process of applying for G.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practices) certification, an important demonstration project for area growers. The purchase of two mobile porta-johns with hand-washing stations … View >>
Billy Bryant Bryant Farms Grant Award: $6,000 – Produce Expansion Billy anticipates diversifying his tobacco and tomato operation with a variety of produce in future years. The first step is to acquire his own drip irrigation system and plastic laying … View >>
Sally Eason, Sunburst Trout Expansion of a Diversified Value-Added Farm Product Grant Award: $3,000 Sunburst Trout is expanding the production and sales of Hudson’s Smoked Tomato Jam, which the company has produced at a small scale since 2009. CEO Sally … View >>
Rickey Ramsey Ramsey’s Organic Greenhouse Grant Award: $6,000 Rickey is revitalizing his greenhouse operation, which was damaged by flooding in 2002. He is repairing the structure and building a six-inch deep frame around his tomato beds to help manage proper … View >>
Rayenelle Ritchie, Wilson Farms Greenhouses and Farm Store Expansion – Grant Award: $6,000 “The kids are helping out – they like working in the greenhouse. And it’s given us a wider customer base. When people come to the farm for … View >>
Philip Moore Organic Greenhouse Tomatoes – Grant Award: $3,000 “Having assistance with the initial start-up costs enabled us to get the business off the ground much more quickly and allowed us to experiment with different aspects of organic vegetable production. … View >>
Linda Raper, Rogue Harbor Farm Heirloom & Grape Tomato Hoophouse – Grant Award: $3,000 “We could not have purchased this high tunnel without the AgOptions grant, plain and simple. I look forward happily to many years of tomato growing as … View >>
Annie Perkinson, co-owner of Flying Cloud Farm in Buncombe County, is using the shared-use commercial equipment of Blue Ridge Food Ventures, an initiative of the Advantage West Economic Development Group, to process her strawberries, tomatoes and peppers into jams, juice … View >>
Harold and Nancy Long of the Cherokee Reservation are growing organic and heirloom tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and berries for local restaurants and tailgate markets. Harold has grown vegetables using traditional Cherokee methods since 1962. They prefer heirloom varieties so that … View >>