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    • Farmer Resources >
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      • WNC Biochar Kiln Loan Program
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Autumn Grant Opportunities: Deadlines Approaching

9/25/2012

 
SUMMARY:
1) For Watauga growers and counties to the south or west, WNC Ag Options now accepting applications for 2013 grant cycle, due 11/16.

2) For Ashe growers & counties to the north & east, RAFI has been funded for producer grants. Details & due date TBA.

3) Southern SARE Producer Grants Available – Due 11/15

4) Organic Farming Research Foundation offers Grants to support Research, Education, and Outreach about organic seed quality or crop breeding.

DETAIL:
 
1) For Watauga growers and counties to the south or west, WNC Ag Options now accepting applications for 2013 grant cycle, due 11/16.

Open to growers in Watauga County, as well as those in Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey counties as well as the Cherokee Indian Reservation, mountain farms will soon benefit from N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission's recent funding of WNC Agricultural Options. With support from the Commission, WNC AgOptions will award area farmers a new round of $3,000 and $6,000 grants, for a total of $145,000. WNC AgOptions is accepting applications until November 16.

WNC AgOptions, a program of N.C. Cooperative Extension and WNC Communities, continues its nine-year history of helping farmers diversify their businesses. "I am excited that the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission funded this program again this year," said Ross Young, Madison County Extension Director and WNC AgOptions steering committee leader. "There is no doubt that agriculture in Western North Carolina has become stronger because of WNC AgOptions and we expect the 2013 program to continue with outstanding applications from farmers hoping to keep their farms strong in these ever-changing times."

WNC AgOptions awards farmers who propose diversification projects that will help their businesses grow and succeed. The seed money offsets the risk of trying something new and gives farmers the chance to demonstrate new farming techniques and marketing tactics to the agricultural community.

Applications are available at

www.wncagoptions.org

and at local Cooperative Extension Centers. Interested applicants should contact their local Extension Agents by October 12 to notify them that they intend to apply. The application postmark deadline is November 16. The WNC AgOptions steering committee strongly encourages eligible farmers who have never received grant funding to apply.

2) For Ashe growers & counties to the north & east, RAFI has been funded for producer grants. Details & due date TBA.

The Tobacco Trust Fund has provided $250,000 to the RAFI Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund to support over 20 cost-share grants to individual farmers and producer groups for innovative projects designed to increase farmer income.  Priority will be given to former/current tobacco farmers. Eligible counties for these grant funds include Ashe, as well as Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Wilkes, and Yadkin.

While guidelines for the 2013 program have not yet been released, we expect to see them soon athttp://www.rafiusa.org/tcrf/apphomepage.html

3) Southern SARE Producer Grants Available – Due 11/15

Southern Region SARE Producer Grant program is requesting grant proposals from producers or producer organizations interested in conducting research or marketing projects related to sustainable agriculture.

The purpose of this grant program is for farmers/ranchers to conduct projects to solve problems they face and develop information on what works and doesn’t work so that other farmers and ranchers facing those same problems can benefit from the results of the funded project.

SSARE Producer Grants are not designed to pay a farmer to farm.  They are designed to take some of the financial risk away from trying a solution.  Most trials to test ideas and solutions to farming/ranching challenges don’t require seeding 50 acres for example.  Make sure that your proposal is designed to test an idea that, should it be successful, you’ll later try yourself on a larger scale. 

Projects must be developed, coordinated and conducted by farmers and/or ranchers or a producer organization.  Producer organizations should be comprised primarily of farmers/ranchers and must have majority farmer representation on their governing board.  Producers or producer organizations must complete a proposal describing their project and explaining how it will help other producers understand and adopt sustainable agriculture practices.

Projects may be funded up to TWO years for a project maximum of $10,000 for an individual producer or $15,000 for a producer organization.

For full guidelines, and to download the Call for Proposals, visit:

http://www.southernsare.org/Grants/Types-of-Grants/Producer-Grants

4) Organic Farming Research Foundation offers Grants to support Research, Education, and Outreach about organic seed quality or crop breeding.

The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) is pleased to announce that, thanks to a partnership with Seed Matters, funding is available for:

(a) Research projects in the categories of organic seed quality or crop breeding,

and

(b)Education and Outreach projects in the categories of organic seed quality or crop breeding.

OFRF accepts proposals via electronic submission.

Proposals are by Monday, November 19, 2012. OFRF will make funding decisions in March 2013 and applicants will be notified of these by March 30, 2013.

For full guidelines on how to apply, see:

http://ofrf.org/research/grants

Bioprocessing & Fermentation ScienceĀ (October 18, 2012)

9/21/2012

 

SCIENCE IN THE MOUNTAINS WORKSHOP SERIES PRESENTS:
BIOPROCESSING WORKSHOP AT BROYHILL CONFERENCE CENTER IN BOONE, NC

Fall 2012: Bioprocessing & Fermentation Science (October 18, 2012) The focus on this Science in the Mountains workshop is Bio-processing and Fermentation Science. Presentations and discussions will range from fermentation science and bio-processes related to food and beverages, applications in bio-fuels production, bio-manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, and basic biological and chemistry research. The objective is to bring together scientists from industry and academia along with production and laboratory professionals to discuss commonalities across these seemingly disparate fields. This Science in the Mountain conference will provide insight for prospective students and researchers into the potential for careers and business development in these areas. There will also be discussions centered on engaging students to pursue career paths in these fields and how to best prepare them for successful ventures in North Carolina.
 
Attend this workshop to discover:

  • Diversity of applications relating to bioprocessing and fermentation science technology
  • Advances in research and development directly related to fermentation and bioprocessing and indirectly linked through novel uses of microbial metabolic processes
  • Technology, skill-sets, and educational platforms that are tangential between seemingly disparate disciplines and industries
  • Novel technological advances that may be transferable to your own applications or research and development efforts
  • Opportunities for entrepreneurial enterprises related to bioprocessing of natural products or waste streams

The bioprocessing workshop will be of interest to and especially useful for undergrad and graduate-level university students and winemakers, microbrewers and even biofuels researchers.

Registration will open on September 1, 2012. Register Here.

When?

October 18, 2012
8:00am-5:30pm

Where?

Appalachian State University
Broyhill Conference Center
755 Bodenheimer Drive
Boone, NC

REGISTER HERE


More information can be found HERE

WNC AgOptions Announces Grant Program for Regional Farmers

9/18/2012

 
Picture
Mountain farms will soon benefit from N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission's recent funding of WNC Agricultural Options. With support from the Commission, WNC AgOptions will award area farmers a new round of $3,000 and $6,000 grants, for a total of $145,000. WNC AgOptions is accepting applications until November 16.

WNC AgOptions, a program of N.C. Cooperative Extension and WNC Communities, continues its nine-year history of helping farmers diversify their businesses. "I am excited that the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission funded this program again this year," said Ross Young, Madison County Extension Director and WNC AgOptions steering committee leader. "There is no doubt that agriculture in Western North Carolina has become stronger because of WNC AgOptions and we expect the 2013 program to continue with outstanding applications from farmers hoping to keep their farms strong in these ever-changing times."

WNC AgOptions awards farmers who propose diversification projects that will help their businesses grow and succeed. The seed money offsets the risk of trying something new and gives farmers the chance to demonstrate new farming techniques and marketing tactics to the agricultural community. Applications are available at www.wncagoptions.org and at local Cooperative Extension Centers. Interested applicants should contact their local Extension Agents by October 12 to notify them that they intend to apply. The application postmark deadline is November 16.


Eligible farms are in: Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey counties as well as the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The WNC AgOptions steering committee strongly encourages eligible farmers who have never received grant funding to apply.

The administrator of WNC AgOptions is WNC Communities, a non-profit organization that has roots as far back as 1947 and hands in the development of such influential regional projects as the N.C. Arboretum, the WNC Agricultural Center, and, most recently, the WNC Regional Livestock Center. WNC Communities is dedicated to providing a unique forum for leaders in western North Carolina to carry out innovative programs to improve the quality of life for rural communities and to enhance the agriculture economy.

Members of the WNC AgOptions steering committee include: representatives from N.C. Cooperative Extension, N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services–Marketing Division, WNC Communities, Appalachian Sustainable Agricultural Project and other leaders in agribusiness. RAFI-USA's Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund manages a similar grant program for farmers in the Piedmont, Central and Coastal regions of North Carolina. 

For more information, see the following: WNC Agricultural Options: www.wncagoptions.org; N.C. Cooperative Extension Centers: www.ces.ncsu.edu; N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission: www.tobaccotrustfund.org; WNC Communities:www.wnccommunities.org. 

Farm Work Day - Everyone is Invited!

9/11/2012

 
WHEN: Sunday September 16

WHERE: Against the Grain Farm, 619 Camp Joy Rd., Zionville, NC
              Meet in the Courthouse Parking Lot on Water St. at 12, OR meet at the farm at 12:30. 

WHAT:  A bit of farm work
             A little yoga
             A lot of fun!
             Plus, the enjoyment of helping a local farmer, building community, making new friends, & learning   
             about food!



WHAT TO BRING: Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Bring a water bottle, sunscreen, snacks, and garden gloves. Children are welcome.

Scholarships Available: National Young Farmers Conference

9/7/2012

 
 
On December 12-14, over 250 young farmers from across the United States will gather at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture to learn from agricultural luminaries, peers, and advocacy organizations at the National Young Farmers Conference: Reviving the Culture of Agriculture.

The Growing Farmers Initiative is offering a limited number of scholarships for the 5th Annual Young Farmers Conference. For consideration, applications must be submitted by September 15, 2012. 

Click here to apply and learn more.




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