As winners of the 2019 N.C. AgVentures cost-share grants, 34 North Carolina farmers will receive funding to help grow, diversify or implement new entrepreneurial plans in their operations or communities this year.
Whether expanding a honey-processing operation in Winston-Salem, increasing mushroom production in Stoneville, or converting tobacco greenhouses into hemp houses in Dunn, these and 31 other innovative individuals across the state will benefit from these grants in important ways.
The AgVentures program — which strengthens agriculturally dependent families and communities by providing support and funding directly to North Carolina farm operators — is administered by NC State Extension under the direction of program coordinator Jackie Murphy Miller.
“We have just completed our fifth round of grant awards, and each year we are amazed and inspired by the project proposals that are submitted,” Miller said. “All of the funding is provided by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, and with their support NC State Extension has been able to help 121 farmer families grow their operations.”
Individual farm winners of 2019 N.C. AgVentures grants included Krystal Tyndall for Sampson County and Hugh Miller for Duplin County.
Tyndall, who is of Autryville, will use her grant to repair and improve an old mobile packing line. Miller, who along with his son raises pastured pork at H&H Farms in Pink Hill, will use his grant to enclose a metal building for meat processing and a freezer.
Over the last five years, the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Commission (NCTTF) has contributed $1.12 million to dedicated North Carolina farmers.
“Partnerships with programs like AgVentures are extremely beneficial,” said William Upchurch, executive director of the NCTTFC. “AgVentures gets down to the grassroots and is an excellent partner for us.”
While the grants are relatively small, ranging from $2,000 up to $10,000, Upchurch said they may be just enough to help a farmer transition to another crop or market, try something different and survive into the future.
“When farmers are successful that turns over into surrounding areas,” Upchurch continued. Their successes can increase demand for products such as fertilizer, seeds and chemicals, tools, equipment or heavy machinery. “All these factors help rural communities stay viable,” he said. “Farmers are dealing with many challenges: mother nature, tariffs and falling prices. New ideas and directions can mean so much for so many people.”
Funds for this grant from the commission derive from the Master Settlement Agreement negotiated in 1998 by attorneys general from 46 states with four of the country’s largest tobacco manufacturers.
The grant opportunity is available in Duplin, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Greene, Guilford, Harnett, Johnston, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, Pitt, Rockingham, Sampson, Stokes, Surry, Wayne, Wilson and Yadkin counties.
To learn more about N.C. AgVentures and the impact it has on family farms and communities, visit https://agventures.ces.ncsu.edu/.