The grant will be provided by the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, which will partner with Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) and the WNC AgOptions program to accept applications and monitor the recipients' projects. Through this partnership, WNC AgOptions, a program established in 2004 and managed by NC Cooperative Extension Centers in the West District, will continue assisting mountain farmers transitioning from tobacco and other crops through 2011.
This grant was put in place to lessen the economic distress caused by soaring input and energy costs and the lingering effects of the state's drought conditions. Current and former tobacco growers are the primary audience for the program; however, any farmers living in tobacco dependent communities are eligible.
In 2009, WNC AgOptions will award demonstration contracts valued at $3,000, $6,000, or $9,000 through competitive application and review process. Awards will total $225,000 each year within 17 western North Carolina counties and the Cherokee Reservation.
The ultimate impact is preservation of the family farm. Award recipients are encouraged to explore crop diversification, ways to replace lost tobacco income, and marketing and production techniques that demonstrate economic sustainability.
Examples of past WNC AgOptions projects include:
- transition from tobacco production to ornamentals, berries, trout farms, or agritourism;
- improvements of existing operations, including horse boarding, mum production, and choose-and-cut Christmas trees;
- creative markets for livestock, including goats for invasive plants removal, grass-finished beef and naturally grown pork;
- beekeeping, including integrated pest management and queen-rearing;
- native plants nursery start-ups; and
- seasonal extension for vegetables.
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