Exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission

2018 Recipients

2018 Recipient: Daintrey Trees

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Adam and Bill Beuttell, Daintrey Trees Solar Greenhouse for Fraser Fir Seedlings/Transplants Grant Award: $6,000 To move away from being highly dependent on suppliers in the Pacific Northwest, the Beuttells installed a 16′ x 24′ solar powered greenhouse to grow … View >>

2018 Recipients

2018 Recipient: Sugartown Farm and Nursery

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Chip Hope, Sugartown Farm and Nursery Sustainable Plant Nursery Grant Award: $6,000 Chip has established a sustainable, low-tech plant nursery to produce naturally grown plants for sale and to offer workshops on growing food, medicinal plants, organic farming, including livestock … View >>

2016 Recipients

2016 Recipient: Linda Ann Davis

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Linda Ann Davis Goat Milk Soap-Making Workshop Grant Award: $3,000 Linda is constructing a workshop dedicated to the production of goat milk soap. The insulated 10-foot by 12-foot wood frame structure consolidates all phases of the soap making operation, including … View >>

2015 Recipients

2015 Recipient: Jasperwood Farm

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Anthony Cole, Jasperwood Farm Winter Squash Curing Facility Grant Award: $3,000 Anthony is building on the success of a 2010 WNC AgOptions project by improving the storage and curing of pumpkins and winter squash. He has constructed a passive solar … View >>

2015 Recipients

2015 Recipient: W.O.W.S.A.

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Jonathan Fannon, W.O.W.S.A. Off-grid Post-harvest Washing and Cold Storage Grant Award: $3,000 Jonathan is using a simple technique call “agrovoltaic” to shade heat-sensitive crops as well as generate energy for his farm. He is installing 2kw of solar panels high … View >>

2014 Recipients

2014 Recipient: C-Saw Hill Farm

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Lisa and Brandon Higgins, C-Saw Hill Farm Solar Hot Water Dairy and Cheese Plant Grant Award: $6,000 Lisa and Brandon have installed a solar hot water system as part of their new dairy, where they plan to milk approximately 10 … View >>

2013 Recipients

2013 Recipient: Van Winkle Farm

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Kim Van Winkle, Van Winkle Farm/Johnson Branch Farms Shiitake and Goldenseal Production Grant Award: $6,000 Kim is reintroducing farming to a dormant property with winter greenhouse shiitake mushroom production and the wild cultivation of goldenseal. She is constructing a solar … View >>

2012 Recipients

2012 Recipient: Wildwood Herbal

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Alan and Seth are establishing an aquaponics greenhouse system integrated with their existing greens production. They are transforming a 1,500 square foot greenhouse into a symbiotic leafy green and tilapia production area. Excrement from the fish provides nutrients for the … View >>

2011 Recipients

2011 Recipient: Stephen Alan Thompson

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Stephen Alan Thompson Nottely River Valley Vineyards Grant Award: $6,000 — Tasting Room and Pavilion Stephen is constructing a tasting room and pavilion for a 10-acre vineyard, planted in Vitis Vinifera and French American Hybrids. The pavilion is the focal … View >>

2009 Recipients

2009 Recipient: Steve Rice

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Steve Rice Indoor Mushroom Expansion – Grant Award: $6,000 “This grant has upgraded my operation immediately and showed me that significant income is possible.” ~ Steve Rice Steve grew up sharecropping tobacco and worked in it throughout his life. He … View >>

2006 Recipients

2006 Recipient: Amy Chambers

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  Crop Diversification The Chamber’s family farm has been situated on the same land in Cherokee County since the early 1800’s. Chris Chambers and his wife Amy relocated to the farm with the goal to keep the land in agricultural … View >>