Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund
Central Region
2011 Projects
Alamance County
Redbud Farm Certified Organic - Hoop House
Clay and Nancy will be building a hoop house on skids so they can move their hoop house across their farm and capture more value at different times of the year from a single structure. The grant will be used to build this hoop house and supplies to plant their organic crops under this hoop house. http://www.localharvest.org/redbud-farm-certified-organic-M34166
Sweet Cherry Trees for Pick-Your-Own Operation
Steve will be using a portion of his farm to produce cherry trees for his pick your own operation which will give extra value to his blueberry and peach pick your own operations. This grant will be used to purchase supplies and materials to plant these cherry trees. www.buttermilkcreek.net
Bladen County
Growing a Honeybee Business
John is a beekeeper who will be expanding his pollination and honey business to become commercial size beekeeping operation. This grant will be used on supplies and materials to raise over 300 beehives.
Local Fodder Feeder for Pastured Pork
Jeremy is an 18 year old farmer who will be raising feeder pigs for a growing community of pastured pork farmers in Bladen County. The grant will be used for supplies and materials to expand his current production level.
Caswell County
An Innovative Historical and Educational Approach to Marketing Agriculture
David will be retrofitting an old farm house to use for events, and to market farm products produced on his farm and other neighboring farmers. The plan is to emphasize the historic nature of his century farm and orchard, and will allow him to host production classes for grafting his southern heirloom apple trees throughout the year, as well as a place to sell his trees and value added products. This grant will be used on construction, plumbing, painting, and supplies to retrofit this farm house. www.centuryfarmorchards.com
Farmer Freezer Cooler for Meats Products
Bernie & Cherie will be expanding their capabilities to sell frozen grass fed beef to their current markets by having a larger freezer to store and sell meat on the farm. The grant will be used to help purchase a freezer/cooler unit.
Chatham County
Year-Round Cultivation of Shiitake Mushrooms
Steve is a shiitake mushroom farmer who will be building a small facility where he can raise shiitake mushrooms year round. This grant will be used to wire and update facility to house indoor shiitake mushrooms.
Local Syrup: Reviving and Improving Sugar Sorghum Production
Okfuskee Farm and Partners will be raising cane to strip and produce traditional sorghum syrup for sale at local festivals, and to experiment with the production of sorghum flour as a gluten free alternative. This grant will be used to purchase a rebuilt Sorghum cane press and other supplies and materials. www.okfuskeefarm.com
Goat's Milk Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt,
Brit Pfann of Celebrity Goat Dairy will be adding value to his goat dairy and cheese production, by including the production of goat milk ice cream and frozen yogurt. The grant will be used to purchase supplies and materials to produce the ice cream and yogurt, and will allow Brit Pfann the opportunity to learn creamery production at Penn State University for recipes and proper methods to produce the best ice cream. www.celebritydairy.com
Columbus County
High Tunnel Vegetable Produce
Terrie will be building a high tunnel for organic vegetable produce for farmers’ markets. The high tunnel will allow him to capture more value from his farm by producing early and late season crops. This grant will be used to purchase supplies and materials to build high tunnel.
Bio-mass Diversification System
Rossie is a pecan producer who will be using his pecan waste from shelling to turn into garden mulch as a value added product. The grant will be used to purchase pelletizing equipment to produce mulch.
Durham County
Solar Pond Pumping
Samantha will be using a solar pump to water her cattle herd to better intensively rotate grazing and follow the nutrient reduction rules required through the Falls Lake nutrient management plan. This grant will be used to purchase solar pump and equipment.
Edgecombe County
Oh Bea’s Sweet Apple Cider,
Michael will be using his apples from apple trees at his farm to produce apple cider. This grant will be used to research regulations for safe processing of apple cider, commercial juice press and fruit grinder. www.fishingcreekcider.com
Retail Sales on Farm Commodities
William will be using a seed cleaner to clean seeds such as Abruzzi rye and oats to direct sell to customers for planting. The grant will be used to purchase a seed cleaner, seed bin, and sewing machine for bagged seeds.
Harnett County
Bio-burner
Ryan will be installing a bioburner boiler heating system that uses traditional and non-traditional sources such as wood waste, soybeans, sawdust, etc. The bioburner has the potential to heat multiple houses simultaneously, and will cut his costs to produce tomatoes significantly. This grant will be used to assist purchasing bioburner equipment to install to his greenhouse.
Johnston County
Freezer Storage for Farm Retail Meat
John will be expanding the capabilities of his grass fed beef enterprise so that he can package and store more beef for their clientele base. The grant will be used to help purchase a freezer/cooler unit for these farmers location.
Organic Sox Production in Greenhouses
Mark will be using a system where organic soil can be held in mesh material called “sox” where they can overcome the 3 year waiting period to farm organically, and increase the production space in his greenhouse. This grant will be used on purchasing sox material and fertilizer injector
Dried Sweet Potato Slices as Pet Chews & Value Added Usage
John with the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission Foundation, Inc. will be conducting a project to determine if the concept of drying sweet potato slices with existing tobacco curing technology is feasible, fits a market need, can be expanded, and offer profitable potential for sweet potato and tobacco growers. This grant will be used to assist with the research on this project and pay for the labor of college researchers working with this project at NC State.
Montgomery County
Heritage Breed Poultry Processing and Marketing
Donald will be expanding his heritage breed poultry enterprise by adding a hatchery and building a facility where they can process birds. The grant will be used on supplies to build the processing facility and marketing assistance.
TuajMusZoo Farm (Come and Go Good Farm),
Touger is a farmer of Hmong heritage who will be producing Asian produce using modernized American types of production methods. This grant will be used to purchase supplies and materials and the costs of consultation for building infrastructures on his farm.
Finishing Cattle on Forage
Bruce will be raising his cattle on grass fed diet, in which he will use a SOD drill to plant grass for pasture. The grant will be used to help purchase this specialized $22,000 piece of equipment.
Nash County
Tumbling Run Hay and Feed Store
Robin will be turning two unused tobacco barns into feed and hay stores that will offer internet delivery. The grant will be used to purchase a marketing consultant, hire the labor of an electrician and carpenter, and for the supplies and materials needed.
Wood Waste Boiler for Tomato Greenhouses
Tim and Nancy will be revitalizing their greenhouses to become more cost effective by using wood waste instead of traditional fuel. The grant will be used on supplies and materials to custom fit this equipment for heated greenhouse production.
Orange County
Thompson's Prawn Farm: Crop Security, Protection and Webpage Redesign
Joseph will be updating his prawn farm with camera security equipment to protect juvenile prawns in his nursery as well as his ponds and meters for constant monitoring of environmental changes and oxygen and ph levels. The grant will be used to purchase the cameras system and webpage to monitor visuals from cameras. www.thompsonprawnfarm.com
Tierra Negra Farm "Smart Starts" Organic Seedlings
Tierra Negra Farm will be building a greenhouse to produce organic seedlings for small and urban farmers who are interested in raising their own food. This grant will be used on building green house and marketing their organic seedlings product.
A full season of certified organic and biodynamic fruit
Whitted Bowers Farms will be producing certified organic fruits on their farm, allowing them to sell organic and biodynamic fruit to farmers’ markets, on-farm, pick your own, restaurants and wholesale. This grant will be used to purchase different varieties of fruits to test various cultivars for the climate, pests and diseases. www.whittedbowersfarm.com
Green Roof Mat Production Fields
Patrick will be raising plants that will be used specifically by a contracting company for green roofing. This grant will be used to expand his current production in supplies like electric pump, piping, and a 3 phase converter.
Person County
Chinese Chestnut & Asian Persimmon Groves with a Clove Ground Cover for Honey Production,
Cloverfields Farms, LLC will be planting 10 acres of Chinese Chestnut & Asian Persimmon Groves Trees while integrating clover cover crop for the production of honey. This grant will be used to assist with labor costs and supplies and materials to plant these trees.
Expansion for Greenhouse Production
J&B Herb and Plant Farms, Inc will be installing 1000 watt lamps inside of greenhouses to enhance year round production of potted plants which they sell to Ingles grocery stores and other markets. The grant will be used on supplies and materials to install these lamps.
Randolph County
Improving Efficiency of Nursery
Ralph is a transitioning tobacco farmer who will be improving his nursery business by installing electric pump irrigation system in his greenhouse to replace a gas powered pump to cut costs and improve irrigation efficiency. This grant will be used to purchase supplies and materials such as the electric pump and the equipment needed to install this set up in Ralph’s greenhouse.
Trinity Creamery/Wilderness Trail Dairy
David plans to use his current goat diary operation to produce a line of cheese. This grant will be used to purchase a bulk milk storage tank, refrigeration, and packaging supplies and materials.
Robeson County
West Wind Prawn Farm
Jeffrey will be using tobacco equipment to start a prawn production enterprise in an area where the product is not currently being grown. This grant will be used to dig a pond and a catch basin for prawn production.
Sampson County
DJ Sweet 'N Family Farm
Donald will be addressing the issue of packaging and freezing produce such as okra, butter beans, and squash; to eliminate produce waste. This grant will be used to purchase a vacuum packer machine, oven, food cutter, and labor to help with the mass packaging and planting of produce.
Low Amp Aeration for fish pond
Philip of the Carolina Fish Hatchery will be installing low amp aeration to 10 square acre fish ponds that will allow him to double yields in his ponds without having to overstock the ponds. This grant will be used for to purchase low amp aerators and labor to install these to ponds. www.carolinafishhatchery.com
Vance County
Crop Diversification,
Frank will be diversifying from his tobacco crop production to include 50 to 75 acres of cabbage because of the capability to be planted by existing tobacco equipment. The grant funds will be used on producer harvester equipment and grading and packaging equipment.
Warren County
Bender Blackberry Production
Jonathan will use his tobacco farmland to produce blackberries for markets in his area. The grant will be used for supplies and materials to ensure proper planting and maintenance of these blackberry plants.
Wilson County
Innovative Specialty Crop Production in Wilson County
Kevin is a young farmer who will be producing specialty crops of asparagus, blackberries, and blueberries to sell at grocery stores and farmers markets in an area that has v limited availability of produce at hand, especially early and late into seasons. This grant will be used to purchase a cool bot, concrete floor for cooler and other supplies and materials to store these vegetables.
Community Grants
Bladen County
Improvements to increase fresh blueberry production
The Carolina Blueberry Association will be increasing their profit margins by increasing the size of the cooling facility and adding an additional load ramp, increasing their fresh poundage. This grant will be used to assist in purchasing 40 HP Pre – cooler, a condensing unit and cooler walls and panels.
Caswell County
Wick Applicator
Julie Elmore representing the Piedmont Conservation Council will be teaching farmers in their area to use a wick applicator to deal with unwanted wanted weeds by applying less herbicide to their fields. The grant will be used on purchasing this wick applicator.
Chatham County
Local Produce Safety Initiative
Roland McReynolds of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association manages the Local Produce Safety Initiative (LPSI) that will enhance the competitiveness of small-scale North Carolina Specialty crop producers that serve the growing market for locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables by providing a scale-appropriate alternative to USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification. This grant will be used to hire a research staffer, grant manager, and communication manager.
Columbus County
Down East Connect
The Down East Classic community project will provide farmers access to new retail markets using broadband Internet, creating a virtual market between Columbus county farmers with nearby urban chefs and consumers who want fresh, locally grown produce. The grant will be used to pay for sales manager, assistant, payroll taxes, supplies, and the educational advisor in sustainable farming techniques for farmers.
Cumberland County
Farmer’s Market Manager
As a growing farmers’ market in a growing region of the state, Fayetteville Farmers’ Market will hire a market manager to manage and direct certain aspects of the market, which include but are not limited to routine operations, system management, community and event coordination, and promotion of the market. This grant will be used to pay for market manager’s labor and to advertise the farmers market.
Montgomery County
Star Center of Montgomery Heritage and Agribusiness Project
The Star Center of Montgomery Heritage and Agribusiness Project will renovate their facility near town hall in Star to be used for a growing agri-business/heritage center that will provide educational demonstrations, a general store that will specialize in locally produced meats, fruits, and vegetables, as well as baked goods and locally made arts and crafts. This grant will be used to fund renovation, building materials, and advertisements and marketing of this facility.
Orange County
Growing New Farmers in the Piedmont Region: The PLANT @ Breeze Farm Enterprise Incubator
The Breeze Farm Enterprise Incubator’s goal of this community project is to enhance the capacity of a proven new farmer training program to provide improved educational opportunities that improve entrepreneurship for new farmer by enabling these new farmers to pilot and develop new or alternative farm-based enterprises. This grant will be used to purchase a well driller, mentor farmer, and supplies that these farmers need to expand program.
Orange County
Improving Youth Livestock and Dairy Opportunities
The Central Piedmont Junior Livestock Show is an annual show that brings in young farmers from all over the piedmont region of the state that can total to over 200 youth participants in livestock and dairy shows. The grant will be used to fund needed repairs on the Central Carolina Holstein barn in the Orange Grove Community.
Richmond County
Richmond County Beekeeping Equipment Share Program,
The Richmond County Beekeeping Association will be purchasing a mobile honey extraction and bottling unit for small beekeepers in Richmond and neighboring counties. This grant will be used to purchase this equipment and for marketing and outreach opportunities to reach more customers and farmers in the county and surrounding communities.
2010 Projects
Alamance County
Organic and grass-fed meat storefront and butchery
MacLean plans to open a storefront shop to market her grass-fed beef at the newly renovated Saxapahaw Mill in Alamance County. The store will contribute to a community effort to bring jobs and capital into Saxapahaw.
Alamance County Cattlemen's Association (ACCA)
The ACCA is constructing a first class facility that will provide area livestock producers with marketing venue for selling their calves at a significantly improved profitability. Calves can be brought to the facility, sorted, weighed, tagged and placed into pens with like weighted cattle to produce truckload lots of 50,000 lbs to high-value buyers.
Bladen County
Pasture Poultry Production
To meet the growing consumer demand for antibiotic/hormone free meats raised on pastures, Bladen plans to expand his pastured poultry production. Bladen will offer field days on his farm to show the benefits of multi-species grazing on the environment and for sustainable farming.
Cape Fear Farmer's Market
The Elizabethtown Farmer’s Market project is the combined effort of town leaders and farmers in the Bladen county area to aid their local economy through building customer/farmer relations. The market will be located in the old Red and White Gorcery Store and will provide year-round space for local farmers to market produce and other items. Project funds will be used to aid with architectural planning and renovation plans.
Chatham County
Increasing Profitability; Seasons Extension – 3 Tunnel Designs
Jones plan to test and compare three “season extension structure” designs and evaluate the trades-offs observed between the higher up-front capital cost of the permanent structure and lower up-front cost portables.
Grafted Tomato Starts
Greener Visions Nursery plans to renovate an old greenhouse for the production of organic grafted tomato “starts” to sell to customers and to farmers at Carrboro Market. Profitability should be strong as grafted tomato starts are new to the area and are showing yields averaging 30% better which is a good for backyard gardeners and farmers alike.
Small-scale sustainable production model for NC
Edible Earthscapes has developed a small-scale, low impact, grain production model to utilize low value farmlands not suitable for vegetable production. The inspiration for this project came from the eleven years Oatis spent in Japan.
Columbus County
The Farmer’s Barn
Hobbs lives off of a heavily traveled highway between North Carolina and Myrtle Beach. He plans to build an “old time” country store with a petting zoo and picnic areas.
Durham County
Changing face of Durham
Gasson is a small cattle farmer who is working to preserve agricultural life in the city of Durham by sharing her knowledge of animal husbandry to farmers transitioning away from tobacco and to children in the local 4H. If successful, Gasson hopes to establish a local co-op of community supported agriculture (CSA).
Edgecombe County
Pitt farming for tomorrow
The Pitt family is transitioning to new agricultural enterprises adding a pond for Prawn farming and a high tunnel to extend the season for growing vegetables. Prawn production is attractive because there is a high demand for locally cultivated prawn that is free of pesticides and chemicals.
Granville County
Float System/Overhead a Greenhouse Conversion,
Gary Fuller will convert an old style tobacco transplant green house into a structure for growing vegetable transplants. This process will reduce the expense of purchasing transplants and reduce the risk of importing diseases and pests.
Halifax County
Bobwhite Quail Hatchery
Purvis is converting old tobacco barns into hatcheries to raise Bobwhite Quail. The market for the mature birds is to the Licensed NC Hunting Preserves throughout North Carolina.
Purchase fodder feeder system for grass fed beef
Francis plans to incorporate a livestock feeding system that is specifically developed to sprout grain and legume seed in a hydroponics growing room. This project reduces the need for supplemental feeding of hay and demonstrates a new type of technology in low cost feed production and its effect on calf daily weight gain.
Harnett County
Meat market goats dba Hot Shot Goats
Kay Doby was a contract poultry farmer with Pilgrim’s Pride who is converting her old poultry house to a goat nursery. Doby has been growing meat goats for 16 years on a small scale and has established markets in North Carolina and Virginia.
Lee County
Flavored Roasted Dry Soybeans
Gaster will purchase equipment to commercially produce a healthy and flavorful snack made from soybeans, a commodity normally grown for its oil and meal resources. This is the only company in the area manufacturing this particular product.
Moore County
Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative
The goal of this project is to significantly increase the amount of local produce purchased by local households and to increase the farmers’ share of consumer food dollars. The grant will fund design, start-up and operations of a cooperative enterprise that sells and delivers boxes of local food to consumers in Moore County.
Nash County
Honey Bees
Wrenn is a 16-year-old Bee Keeper and a fourth generation farmer. He plans to expand his operation so that he can rent bees for pollination. The potential for profit looks good as there are only a few other people in this state renting bees, and he has the support of his family.
Orange County
Market Poultry Processing
Parker plans to increase profits by adding meat birds to his farming operation and by selling at the State Farmers Market. Since there are no meat processors nearby, Parker will purchase his own equipment which will reduce the time and cost of traveling to a processing facility and will enable him to offer fresh instead of frozen meat.
Value-Added juicing/UV at Piedmont Food
The goal of this project is provide local farmers and other producers with low-cost access to simple, easy to use juice production equipment, enhancing post-harvest opportunities to create value- added products.
Market Payment Program
To increase farmer sales, the Carrboro market plans to institute wireless capabilities for processing credit and debit cards as well as electronic benefits (EBT) from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program (SNAP). They are planning an outreach campaign to community centers of diverse populations, promoting the health benefits of buying locally grown produce.
Person County
Roxboro’s Farmers Market
Town and county staffers have worked together to build a new farmer’s market in a location that would be more convenient to and attract a regular customer base. They plan to build a 40x100 structure near Wal-Mart in Roxboro.
Sustainable Agricultural Farm Lending Tool Library
This group of young produce farmers is building an equipment lending library that will allow association members to expand their farming operations without adding the financial burden that would come from purchasing individual farming equipment.
Randolph County
Goat Lady Community Support Agriculture
The Tate’s operate a successful goat and cheese farm and have developed a strong customer base through their agri-tourism projects. With his grant they plan to grow high quality, certified organic vegetables and will provide employment for beginning farmers and interns interested in learning about organic production and farming.
Sampson County
Transfer Water System
Jacobs is a successful freshwater prawn producer in Sampson County. She plans to install a pumping system that will allow water to be moved more rapidly and efficiently when harvesting the prawn and will also provide the ability to conserve and recycle the water for next year’s production.
Wake County
Muscovy duck
The Spain’s are raising Muscovy ducks, a healthy alternative to traditional meats that are marketed to restaurants and through the farmers market. In addition to filling a niche market, the ducks are beneficial for sustainable farms as the naturally control insects and pests through their foraging.
Wilson County
Mathew Garrett, Mathew Garrett Organic Transition
Garrett is slowly transitioning a tobacco farm into an organic, diversified family farm. He has been expanding his operation over the last three years and has never been able to meet demand for his products.
Jerry Coleman, High tunnel season extension
Coleman is a former tobacco farmer who now works as a licensed residential contractor. In 1990 he purchased a small tract of land and quickly realized that vegetable production was the only profitable solution. He plans to construct a high tunnel to provide spring vegetables for his roadside stand.
Wilson Farmers Market Program Marketing
The Wilson’s Farmers Market is a past recipient of a community grant which was used to expand the market shelter. Hoping to increase their customer base, the market staff plans to purchase billboard, radio and newspaper space to advertise the market.
for additional information contact Julius Tillery at 919-259-4101 or email julius@rafiusa.org
2007
Nursery Improvement and Expansion
This project provided infrastructure that enabled Carver to add berry production to his nursery operation. The operation already produced strawberries and he added blueberries and blackberries as a complement to the strawberry production. (information: 919-621-0534)
Maples in Bags
This project enabled the further development of Autry’s high-value Japanese maple operation by helping him to invest in an innovative growing system that combines the advantages of pot grown and field grown systems. This enterprise is crucial to help supplement income from Autry’s row crop operation, and provides a future direction for the farm in a region where competitions for land is increasing due to development. (information: 919-621-0534)
Developing Infrastructure and Markets—Prize of the
Harvest—Granville County
This project will provide for continuing development of vegetable
distribution infrastructure. The purchase of an ice machine will
enable the Prize of the Harvest growers to provide a higher quality
product and access markets that are currently not an option.
2005
2004
2003
1998
Improved Profits through Hay Production
Johnston County
This project seeks to take advantage of the growing market for horse and other livestock hay in the area. Johnston County has a growing population of hobby livestock farms. The project will convert unused chicken houses for storage.
Operation Grain Storage
Johnston County
This project will add value to his soybean and grain crops by producing and storing seed for market. he has six years experience growing soybean seed for companies and predicts that other farmers can change from conventional production and marketing to higher value seed production. This project will demonstrate methods of production, harvesting, variety selection, adaptation of existing storage facilities and direct sales.