Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission
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 >>
James Steve Dalton, Fruit of the Spirit Orchard and Vineyard Crop Diversification: Berry Juices and Jams Grant Award: $6,000 Steve is adding several more fruit crops to his blackberry farm: blueberries, raspberries, dwarf apple trees, and table, juice and wine … View >>
Krista Rashell Robb, Balltown Bee Farm Pizza Love! Mobile Pizza-making Oven for Value-added Products Grant Award: $6,000 Krista is purchasing a mobile wood-fired pizza unit to supply markets, festivals, private catering and other regional events with “homegrown” pizza and other … View >>
Jackson County Farmer’s Market Community Kitchen Grant Award: $8,000 Project Leaders: Ron Arps, Vegenui Garden and Amy Grimes, Community Table The Jackson County Farmer’s Market will establish a community commercial kitchen, certified to meet N.C. Department of Agriculture requirements. The … View >>
Southern Appalachian Family Farms Primary Contact: Judy Johnson Grant Award: $17,000 — SAFF Start-Up and Marketing Plan Southern Appalachian Family Farms (SAFF) is creating a diverse marketing program to sell fresh, locally grown vegetables, fruit, meats, value-added and other agricultural … View >>
Mill Spring Agricultural Development Center Primary Contact: Lynn Sprague Grant Award: $19,000 — Polk Fresh Trade Post Project The “Friends of Agriculture” farm group is making a functional retail space, distribution center and cooperative space for strengthening their agricultural economic … View >>
Loretta Ball Craggy View Farm Grant Award: $6,000 — Farm Stand Loretta is building a farm stand on the Barnardsville Highway in Weaverville. At the retail store, she sells her greenhouse plants as well as locally grown and organic produce, … View >>
Mario and Michael DeLuca DeMariano Vineyard Grant Award: $6,000 — Wine Production from Grapes The DeLucas are purchasing winery equipment and supplies to help realize the value-added income from production of their own wine. They are harvesting from one acre … View >>
Starr Cash: Venezia Dream Farm Fiber Product, Value-Added Processing Grant Award: $3,000 Starr is purchasing fiber processing equipment (micro-mill or cottage scale) to add value to fiber produced by her own herd of alpacas as well as that of the … View >>
Michael Porterfield: Gladheart Farms Produce Processing-Packing Facility Grant Award: $6,000 Gladheart Farms is building a packing and processing facility for farm produce, which will include a canning area and walk-in cooler for product storage. This new facility will improve food … 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 >>
Kaleb Rathbone Value-Added Options through Frozen Strawberries and Direct Marketing Beef Grant Award: $6,000 Kaleb is increasing sales of strawberries and beef through direct marketing. He is purchasing packaging equipment and a commercial freezer, which allows him to market products … View >>
Scott Boxberger, Stoney Hollow Farms & Stephanie Loafman, Five Sisters Stoney Hollow Farm Kitchen – Grant Award: $6,000 “The kitchen has increased farm income, and it makes a better use of the crop. There’s no waste.” ~ Stephanie Loafman “We … View >>
Rick Harty Harty Farm Expansion Project – Grant Award: $6,000 “The grant allowed me to expand where otherwise wouldn’t have. We’ve been able to open several more fields.” ~ Rick Harty Rick has been developing his diversified farm since 2005. … 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 >>
Joseph and Catt RedCloud of the Cherokee Reservation are expanding their herbal salves and syrups business with their grant. They offer educational workshops that highlight native Cherokee growing traditions. EBCI Contact the Local Extension Agent