Producer Projects
Family, Farming, Fun, Fall Experience
Thomas Hall – Caswell County
This project seeks to increase farm income and create employment
for unemployed manufacturing workers through on-farm sales of fruits
and vegetables and agritourism. The Halls have a strawberry and
vegetable operation, which provides income in the early part of
the year. The grant will help them add blackberries and various
fall agritourism activities, including a corn maze, which will provide
income throughout the year.
Growing Up Strawberry Tip Production
Randy T. Massey – Caswell County
This project will help replace lost tobacco income through development
of a strawberry transplant business. Mr. Massey will use an experimental
vertical tower system to produce high-quality, low disease strawberry
transplants for sale to berry growers from Virginia to Florida.
Mr. Massey hopes to produce a high quality plant that can replace
strawberry transplants coming to the region from Canada and California.
Certified Farm Produce Packing/ Processing Facility
Ricky Smith – Caswell County
This project will replace lost tobacco income by adding value to
other farm products through on-farm processing and packaging. Mr.
Smith will use grant funds to construct a packing shed and processing
kitchen that meets all necessary food safety and regulatory requirements
for processing of value-added foods like salsa, jellies, baked goods,
and frozen vegetables.
L&S Grain Producers, Inc. Feed to Farm
Shonnetta Ammons and Larry Shaw – Duplin County
This project seeks to provide certified organic corn for feed to
alternative livestock producers. Mr. Shaw and Ms. Ammons will use
grant funds for production costs for organic corn production, which
they will market to members of the Twin Rivers Farm Cooperative
who produce pastured swine. Currently, there is very little organic
grain production in North Carolina necessitating organic livestock
producers to import grain from the Mid-west.
Mainor Family Farm Vegetable Seedlings
George Mainor – Duplin County
This project will convert a tobacco transplant greenhouse to production
of vegetable seedlings for sale to local vegetable producers. As
others in the community diversify their operations away from tobacco
production, Mr. Mainor hopes to replace income earned from production
of tobacco transplants with production of melon, cantaloupe, and
pepper seedlings. He intends to focus his marketing on small-scale
vegetable producers who don’t have the resources to produce
their own transplants.
Growing Dreams in Greens
Sandra Davis – Yancey County
This project seeks to replace lost tobacco income through expansion
of greens production capacity. The Davis’ will use grant funds
to purchase equipment that will allow them to grow greens in areas
that once produced tobacco. The expansion will enable the Davis’
to package and produce for wholesale distribution and increase their
existing retail sales.
Draft Horse Power – Exploring the Agritourism Route
Johnny Deyton—Yancey County
This project will convert the existing operation into a workable
Belgian horse farm. The Deytons hope to attract visitors to their
farm to learn about local agricultural history and breed draft horses
for sale to working horse farms and hobbyists. This agritourism
activity is a good fit for the community, which is very concerned
about maintaining the rural character of the area.
Micro-greens
Kenny Wilson – Yancey County
This project will allow Mr. Wilson to ramp up an innovative process
for micro greens production, which he has developed over the past
two years. The increase in scale of his operation will allow him
to produce enough product to meet the demands of the wholesale market
in his area. This project has great potential for replicability
by other producers.
 Kiln
Drying and Finishing Lumber
Fred Woodby – Yancey County
This project will allow for replacement of lost tobacco income through
kiln drying of lumber for local furniture and crafts producers.
Mr. Woodby will use grant funds for construction of a wood kiln,
which will allow him and other farmers to take advantage a valuable
forest resources on their farms.
 Quail
Production
Brindell Wilkins, Jr. – Granville County
Mr. Wilkins is converting a tobacco transplant greenhouse to production
of quail to supply hunting lodges and game bird enthusiasts. Mr.
Wilkins is using old tin that he had on the farm from his days in
commercial poultry production and taking advantage of markets with
several local lodges to attempt to replace income that he used to
earn from tobacco transplant production.
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Community Projects
Twin Rivers Farmer Cooperative –
Marketing Pasture-raised Pork
Harold and Ann Wright – Duplin County
This marketing project aims to assist small-scale alternative pork
producers take advantage of local marketing opportunities. The Wrights
manage a successful alternative pork production operation with diversified
markets, including Niman Ranch, restaurants, hotel chains, community
events, and private individuals. They seek to assist the 20 other
members of the Twin Rivers Farmer Cooperative who are producing
pasture-raised pork to increase their returns by taking advantage
of more direct and local marketing opportunities.
Production and Marketing of Value-added Natural Products
Tal Galton – Yancey County Natural Products – Yancey
County
This association of mushroom and herb growers wants to increase
income and expand market opportunities through purchase and cooperative
use of a dryer/dehydrator. Many county growers have diversified
into shiitake mushroom production in recent years. The group hopes
to use the dehydrator to preserve some of the overabundance of mushrooms
produced during the spring and the fall to allow them to sell mushrooms
year round. Local herb growers hope to take advantage of the facility
during the late summer when it’s not in use by mushroom producers. |
