Archived Outdoors
Agriculture grant winners announced
Five local farms are among the 39 businesses awarded a total of $216,000 in this year’s WNC Agricultural Options grant program.
Local recipients include:
- Long Family Farms and Gallery of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which received $3,000 toward production of mushroom and medicinal extracts and oils.
- Dugan Farms of the EBCI, which received $6,000 toward mechanical cultivation for sustainable weed management.
- Two Trees Farm/Sustainabilities LLC in Haywood County, which received $6,000 to create outdoor kitchen and classroom space.
- Rice Family Farms LLC in Haywood County, which received $6,000 for a Bulldog Wrangler portable corral.
- Bateman Girls’ Cattle Farm in Macon County, which received $3,000 for its heifer replacement program.
WNC AgOptions seeks to build sustainable farming communities in the mountain region by providing resources directly to farmers. It’s funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. This year, six of the 39 farm businesses received $3,000 grants and the remaining 33 received $6,000. WNC Communities administers the program.
“The WNC AgOptions program has proven success stories,” said Bill Teague, Chairman of the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. “We continue to be amazed at how these producers utilize these funds to ensure their family farms grow and remain profitable.”
