N.C. MarketReady Newsletter
July/August 2010
Gov. Perdue Expands Value-Added Cost Share Program
Gov. Beverly Perdue, on August 2, 2010, announced a package of programs, the Family Farm Innovation Fund, to help North Carolina farmers rebound from the recession. The N.C. Value-Added Cost Share program (NCVACS), administered by N.C. MarketReady, will receive $150,000. The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) will match with another $150,000. This $300,000 will be used to expand the current $350,000 equipment cost share program funded by NCTTFC.
Under the Family Farm Innovation Fund, five state and federal programs will help farmers
lower energy costs, launch renewable energy projects, implement value-added production and develop other sources of farm income. Over the next year, they are expected to provide grants for up to 1,500 farm projects and energy efficiency training for an additional 2,400 farmers. The following programs will administer the funds:
• Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
USDA-Rural Development
• Value-Added Producer Grants
USDA-Rural Development
• Farm Energy Efficiency Project
N.C. Farm Bureau
• Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund
RAFI-USA
• N.C. Value-Added Cost Share Program
N.C. MarketReady
“This initiative builds on the legacy of innovation in North Carolina’s family farms, and it is another step forward in our JobsNOW economic recovery efforts,” Perdue said in making the announcement at the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center.
The funding appropriated to NCVACS is being used to increase cost share availability to producers and develop a cost share option for processors of N.C. agricultural commodities.
Guidelines and applications are available online at www.ncmarketready.org, under “N.C. Value-Added Cost Share” in the left column. Applications for the equipment cost share are due by December 31, 2010. For more information, contact Brittany Whitmire, NCVACS program coordinator, at
brittany_whitmire@ncsu.edu or 919-830-9557.
N.C. Value-Added Cost Share Program Helps N.C. Farmers
The N.C. Value-Added Cost Share program (NCVACS), administered by N.C. MarketReady and funded by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, assists value-added producers by helping them apply for USDA Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) funding. Currently, 12 N.C. producers are receiving financial and professional grant writing and business assistance through NCVACS in preparation for the 2010 VAPG, which is expected to be announced later this year.
“The development of value-added agricultural operations is an emerging sector of North Carolina agriculture,” said Brittany Whitmire, program coordinator of NCVACS. “The NCVACS program works hand-in-hand with the USDA VAPG by reducing the costs associated with professional services and equipment purchases
that are not funded by the USDA grant.”
“We are anxious to soon see the results and successes of the various projects that are part of the program,” said Billy Carter, chairman of the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. “When this grant was approved, a key goal was to see how the project funds could be leveraged with a substantial amount of other funds through the VAPG program, and there’s no doubt the various projects will be successful in doing just that.”
The current NCVACS recipients fall into three categories of cost share funding.
Grant Writing
• Lee Swinson, a peanut farmer who also owns Golden Grove Candy Company in Warsaw, N.C., produces the Carolina Crisp Peanut Bar and other peanut candies from his peanuts. He received $3,500 in NCVACS funds to assist with grant writing for a 2011 VAPG proposal.
Grant Writing and Matching Funds
The following recipients have received grant writing assistance ($3,500) and, upon receipt of a VAPG, they also will receive matching funds of $10,000 each to help fulfill a matching requirement from USDA.
• Smoky Mountain Native Plants Association (SMNPA), based in Robbinsville, N.C., consists of producers throughout western
North Carolina who grow and harvest ramps, which are wild mountain leeks. SMNPA members process the ramps for seasoning packets and ramp meal, a mixture of dehydrated ramps and stone-ground cornmeal.
• Jon Dorman and Della Williams, dairy goat farmers located in Pelham, N.C., produce a variety of artisan goat cheeses that they direct market as SleepyGoat Cheese in north central North Carolina and south central Virginia.
• Jack and Grace Bishop, of Columbia, N.C., own and operate Vineyards on the Scuppernong, a muscadine vineyard and winery
with a nearby retail shop. The Bishops produce 10 varieties of table wine with their grapes, including Simply Scuppernong.
• Ron Cottle, of Faison, N.C., grows muscadine grapes and processes a whole grape puree, which can be utilized in frozen treats.
Grant Writing, Matching Funds, Feasibility Assessments
The following producers have received cost share funding for grant writing ($3,500), matching funds ($10,000), and feasibility
assessment (up to $20,000).
• Mary Betty and Ossie Kearney, along with their son, Andrew, own and operate Nooherooka Natural in Snow Hill, N.C. The Kearneys direct market all-natural, Black Angus beef products to wholesale and retail outlets throughout eastern and central North Carolina.
• Mary Roberts owns and operates Windcrest Farm in Monroe, N.C., a certified organic farm offering tomato transplants with heirloom tomato scion grafted onto disease-resistant rootstock.
• Richard Parker, in Mt. Ulla, N.C., owns an organic cow dairy and plans to partner with Chuck Moore, owner of a dairy goat herd, to produce a line of artisan and specialty cheeses.
• Wilson and Debbie Daughtry, of Alligator River Growers, are one of four producer families who grow vegetables in northeastern
North Carolina and cooperatively produce and market ready-to-cook, bagged snapbeans along the East Coast.
• Henry and Tracy Moore own and operate Bobcat Farms in Clinton, N.C., a diversified beef and swine operation that direct markets beef to retail customers in central and southeastern
North Carolina.
• VanVooren Game Ranch USA, located in Winston-Salem, N.C., raises pheasants from hatch to harvest, producing all-natural fresh and frozen game meats.
• Steve and Sally Eason own Sunburst Trout Company in Canton, N.C., where they produce a variety of trout food products including trout fillets, smoked trout, trout caviar and ready-to-cook, marinated trout steaks.
A second round of funding for assistance with 2011 VAPG proposals is currently under way. Eligible producers who are interested in applying for a VAPG planning or working capital grant should review the NCVACS materials online at www.ncmarketready.org under N.C.Value-Added Cost Share in the left column.
We Need Your Help!
Help identify potential candidates for this innovative program that offers financial assistance to N.C. producers. Our goal is to help N.C. producers become more competitive.
Ways you can help:
• Visit www.ncmarketready.org and become familiar with the N.C. Value-Added Cost Share program.
• Identify producers in your area who may qualify for a VAPG and an NCVACS award.
• Discuss funding opportunities (NCVACS and VAPG) with producers. Provide them with resources or direct them to the applicant resources on www.ncmarketready.org. Information about NCVACS can be found under “N.C. Value-Added Cost Share” in the left navigation column.
• Encourage producers to contact Brittany Whitmire, program coordinator, at brittany_whitmire@ncsu.edu or 919-830-9557 prior to submitting an application to verify eligibility and funding for the inquiry.
