• By April W Bowman
• Posted Wednesday, March 23, 2022

N.C. AgVentures Grant Recipients

Seventy family farms in 46 counties have been named winners in a grant program aimed at supporting family farms. The competitive grant program (NC AgVentures) is administered by the NC State Extension Service, with funding provided through the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The grants are awarded for innovative projects aimed at diversifying, expanding or implementing new entrepreneurial plans for farm operations. Growers received grant awards of between $2000 and $8000.

Farmers in 46 counties -- Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Forsyth, Gaston, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Iredell, Johnston, Lincoln, Martin, Mecklenburg, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Vance, Wake, Wayne, Wilson, Wilkes, Warren, and Yadkin, were eligible.

The North Carolina General Assembly created the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission in 2000 to lessen the financial impact to farmers and tobacco-related businesses caused by the sharp decline of tobacco in the agricultural economy.

• Dana Nicholson of Tobaccoville will use the grant to increase livestock grazing capacity.
• Emma Hendel of Pfaftown will use the grant funds to purchase retail display, and cold storage to transform their existing barn to a year-round farm store.
• STEMZ of Winston-Salem will use the grant to add a second local-only floral distribution hub to expand capacity to serve NC flower farms.
• Cobblestone Farmers Market of Winston-Salem will use the grant to purchase cold storage for market vendors to maintain product freshness.

For more information, email, April Bowman, Extension Agent, Livestock, Forages, and 4-H Youth Development at awbowman@ncsu.edu or call 336-703-2855 or Celine Richard, Extension Agent, Horticulture (Small Farms, Urban Agriculture, and Local Foods) at cvrichar@ncsu.edu or call 336-703-2869.

Access the full news release including other winners from across the state here.