In 2018, the Agricultural Reinvestment Fund received 90 applications and awarded grants to 6 grants to carry out entrepreneurial projects in agriculture. The grants were possible by generous support from the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The projects increased the success of farm businesses in North Carolina in addition to serving as demonstrations of entrepreneurship and innovation for farmers both across the state and the country. Read highlights from 2018 and more about the grantees below!
$225,000 awarded to 26 projects
23 grants to individual farmer projects
3 grants to collaborative farmer groups
Types of projects include: dairy, education, fiber, fruits, grains, horticulture, hydroponics, livestock, marketing, medicinal herbs, poultry and value-added products
10 recipients are current or former tobacco farmers
~ 49% are Beginning Farmers (under 10 years in operation)
~ 42% are Young Farmers (age 35 and under)
~ 5% are Veteran Farmers
~ 36% are Women Farmers
~ 25% are Socially Disadvantaged Farmers
2018 Grant Recipients
Phillip Barker, Olusanya LLC – Granville County Converting Existing Dairy Barn to a Solar Powered Grow Tunnel
Flower seedlings in the greenhouse at Bluebird Meadows made possible by our Agricultural Reinvestment Fund grant program.Kamal Bell, Sankofa Farms LLC – Orange County Project Sanjofa (Bring Life to the Desert)
Chas Edens, Edens Meats LLC – Orange County Scaling Up: Retrofitting Retired Farm Equipment to Increase the Profitability of Pastured Poultry
William Fricks, Fricks Apiaries – Orange County Fricks Apiaries Closed Population Breeding Program
Josh Galloway – Vance County Mobile Honey Extraction Trailer
Austin Genke, Boxcarr Farms – Orange County Boxcarr Farms Pasture and Livestock Management
Michael Goodson, Kidd Farms LLC – Wake County Transitioning from Tobacco to Orchard Grass
Michael Graves, Porte’Lu Farms – Caswell County A Marketable Hops Production
Jesse Hamilton, Broken Spoke Farm – Orange County Broken Spoke Ice Cream Stand
