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Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund
2004 DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS
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Producer Projects
Reaching Value-Added Markets with Grass-fed
Lamb
Mike and Kay Winn – Northampton County
The Winns will be developing new markets that provide a better return
on their sustainably raised lambs. Currently, the Winns sell lambs
at livestock auctions, but can get a higher return by selling carcasses
and already processed product directly to restaurants, butcher shops,
and grocery stores. Their grant will be used to purchase equipment
for transporting meat products from their Northampton County farm
to markets on the coast and in the urban areas of North Carolina.
Espalier Apple Tree Production for Nursery Market
Floyd and June Reeves and Lizabeth Roupe – Alleghany County
This project is designed to help generate income for a new generation
to sustain a livelihood on the family farm. Mr. and Mrs. Reeves,
their daughter, and a grandson will be producing espaliered apple
trees. The Reeves are in close proximity to established apple tree
growers and plan to take advantage of their expertise. Espaliered
apple trees are a high-value landscaping plant that the Reeves believe
will fill an important niche in the local nursery market.
 Organic
Transplant Production
Alan Souther – Alleghany County
Mr. Souther will be producing Organically Certified transplants
for market to area organic growers. Since the recent implementation
of the Organic rule, the demand for quality certified organic transplants
has greatly increased. Mr. Souther will be helping to fill that
demand in northwestern North Carolina.
Laurel Ridge Farms Meat Goat Producers
Jeffrey and Roger Cox – Ashe County
This father and son team will be converting a burley tobacco barn
to a kidding barn and converting cropland to permanent pasture in
order to develop a meat goat operation. The region is well suited
to meat goat production, and this project will be a valuable demonstration
of how to convert underutilized tobacco facilities to a new enterprise.
The Cox’s will be marketing the product live through the North
Carolina Meat Goat Producers Cooperative as well as developing on-farm,
direct sales.
Matthew’s Pine Needle Farm
Carl Matthews – Yadkin County
Mr. Matthews will be taking advantage of large acreage of pine trees
on his farm by baling and marketing pine straw. The project will
generate revenue from farmland that has been planted with trees
for conservation or timber production purposes, but does not yet
have a harvestable timber crop. The pine straw is in demand by landscapers
and plant nurseries.
Tomboy’s Meats and Vegetables
Dannie Livingston – Robeson County
Mr. Livingston is developing a farm-based retail operation and value-added
delivery service for sustainably raised pork and other local agricultural
products. The grant will help him acquire a refrigerated truck to
transport meat products between the farm and processors and for
home delivery to his customers. Mr. Livingston hopes that his project
will help him increase his own farm revenues and provide additional
marketing outlets for other local farmers.
Value-Added Homemade Ice Cream
Kenny Floyd, Jr. – Robeson County
Mr. Floyd will be producing homemade ice cream, utilizing excess
strawberries from his berry operation. The ice cream will provide
a way to market berries that may otherwise rot in the field, as
well as attract new customers to Mr. Floyd’s market stand
at the Southeast Regional Farmers’ Market. The further diversification
of the farm operation increases the farm’s security and offers
additional employment opportunities for family members.
Down Home Food and Fun
Eddie Strickland – Columbus County
Mr. Strickland has a farm produce stand and grows a variety of vegetable
crops for the stand. This project will help increase revenues from
the vegetable operation and provide another way to diversify farm
income by developing on-farm agritourism activities to attract new
customers. Mr. Strickland is installing a corn maze, pumpkin patch,
and hayride. The activities will extend the season during which
the farm is earning income as well as attract new customers.
Allen’s Vineyards
David Allen – Bladen County
Mr. Allen will establish a vineyard to meet expanding demand for
muscadine grapes. His project will serve as a valuable demonstration
to other farmers who will be producing muscadine grapes to fill
the needs of local wineries. As part of the project, the Allens
will be converting a tobacco stripper to grape harvesting. The project
allows the Allens to diversify their farming operation and develop
an enterprise to support another generation.
 Bulk
Storage for Finishing Cattle
Curtis Ludlum – Bladen County
Mr. Ludlum will construct storage facilities on his farm for bulk
feed ingredients. His goal is to purchase feed materials at low
prices in order to finish cattle at the lowest possible cost. This
project is part of a cooperative marketing effort by the Bladen
Cattle Feeders.
 Johnson’s
Cattle Feeding Products
Willard Gregory and Lee W. Johnson – Bladen County
This project will take advantage of a locally available resource—hog
manure—to produce quality hay and silage. The hay and silage
will provide a low cost feed source for finishing cattle on the
Johnson farm. This project is part of a cooperative marketing effort
by the Bladen Cattle Feeders.
 HJ
White Finishing Project
Boyce White – Bladen County
This project is to help improve facilities to allow for storage
of bulk feed ingredients. Mr. White will be developing capacity
to feed 40 head of cattle per year to 1200 pound finish weight.
The improved facilities will allow him to keep feeding costs below
$100 per ton. This project is part of a cooperative marketing effort
by the Bladen Cattle Feeders.
 Reedy
Branch Cattle Company
Isaac Singletary – Bladen County
Mr. Singletary will be finishing cattle on his farm instead of selling
them at weaning in order to capture additional value. The grant
is to help him upgrade his facilities to allow him to more efficiently
feed and move the cattle. This project is part of a cooperative
marketing effort by the Bladen Cattle Feeders.
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Community Projects
Shared Use-Commercial Kitchen Incubator
New River Community Partners—Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, and
Wilkes Counties
This project is to conduct a feasibility study and develop a business
plan for the establishment of a shared-use processing facility for
regional agricultural products. The study will look at the possibility
of adding processing facilities to the Family Central project in
Ashe County. The facility would provide a resource for area farmers
who want to do value-added processing of agricultural products.
The study will be used to leverage the funding necessary for construction
and improvements at the Family Central site.
Western District Marketing Project
North Carolina Meat Goat Producers Cooperative – Alleghany,
Ashe, Davie, Iredell, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin Counties
The Meat Goat Producers Cooperative is establishing a collection
station in Yadkin County to facilitate collection and transfer of
meat goats to markets in the Northeast. By pooling goat stocks,
the cooperative is reducing transportation costs for growers and
enabling small-scale producers to receive a good price for their
goats. This project will be upgrading an existing cattle facility
to serve as a central collection point for meat goats in the northwestern
part of the state.
Eastern District Marketing Project
North Carolina Meat Goat Producers Cooperative – Bladen, Columbus,
Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Moore, Robeson, Sampson,
and Scotland Counties
The project will establish a collection station in Robeson County
to serve meat goat producers in southeastern North Carolina. The
Meat Goat Producers Cooperative will utilize bulk tobacco barns
to construct a holding facility on a coop member’s farm near
I-95. Similar to the project in the Western District, this project
is intended to help reduce growers’ transportation costs and
access a higher value market.
Equipment Shared-use Cooperative
Twin Rivers Farm Cooperative – Bladen, Duplin, Sampson, and
Wayne Counties
This project will enable members of the Twin Rivers Farm Cooperative
to replace lost tobacco income by reducing production costs on other
crops through shared equipment use. In many cases, costs for new
equipment purchases are prohibitively expensive to individual farmers.
Only through cooperative purchase are low-income farmers able to
take advantage of production cost savings. Poultry litter is an
abundant resource in the area. The coop will purchase a manure spreader
to allow coop members to apply the litter as fertilizer to their
crops reducing the need for purchased inputs. The manure spreader
will also generate revenue for the coop through rental and custom
manure application, which will allow for future equipment purchases.
Cattle Finishing Operation
Bladen Cattle Feeders – Bladen County
This group of farmers is constructing a feedlot and encouraging
on-farm cattle finishing. By finishing cattle locally, the Bladen
Cattle Feeders are able to by-pass Midwestern feedlots and market
finished cattle directly to processors. This provides cattle producers
with more of the final value of their product. The Bladen Cattle
Feeders hope to generate sufficient interest among other local cattle
producers to merit reopening of a now dormant processing facility
in Bladenboro.
Value-added Empowerment Project
CMC Farmers’ Cooperative – Bertie, Gates, Halifax, Hertford,
and Northampton Counties
The CMC Farmers’ Cooperative is working to increase member
revenues by developing a line of value-added peanut products. The
project will expand upon small-scale pilot work done by coop members.
With the loss of the peanut program and the advent of contracts,
peanut growers in northeastern North Carolina are looking for ways
to maintain good per acre returns for their peanuts. The grant funds
will be used for feasibility research and equipment purchases that
will enable the coop to exploit new markets for peanuts. |
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