Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission

2021 Recipient: Headwaters Market Garden

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 >>

2019 Recipient: Highgate Farm

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 >>

2017 Recipient: Big John’s Hydro Farm

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 >>

2015 Recipient: SMM Farms

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 >>

2013 Recipient: SMM Farms

  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 >>

2011 Recipient: Herman Garrison

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 >>

2011 Recipient: Billy Bryant

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 >>

2010 Recipient: Rickey Ramsey

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 >>

2009 Recipient: Wilson Farms

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 >>

2009 Recipient: Philip Moore

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 >>