Three Stokes County farmers have received a NC AgVentures Grant, a grant program aimed at supporting family farms. Lauren Slate, Doug Watts, and Benny Hill are among 68 recipients earning grants between $2,000 and $10,000 from the NC AgVentures Farm Grant Program.
The funding for the competitive grant is provided through the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and is administered by NC Cooperative Extension. The grants are awarded for agricultural project ideas aimed at helping family farms increase their capacity.
Lauren Slate, with Slate Farms, raises corn, soybeans, oats, and wheat. Their livestock operation includes beef cattle, meat goats, and hogs. Slate Farms will utilize funding from the grant to help purchase a cattle working system to breed heifers, allowing for safer cattle handling and reduces stress on the animals.
Doug Watts raises commercial Angus beef cattle and hay. In addition, they sell hay and freezer beef. Grant funds will be used to help construct and install fenceline feeders. The feeders will help decrease feed waste and improve farm safety.
Benny Hill, with BD Hill Farms, raises beef cattle, hay, straw, corn, soybeans, and wheat. To improve pasture productivity, the farm will purchase a no-till drill for planting annual and perennial forages with funding from the grant.
In addition, Stokes County Cooperative Extension has received a community grant. With funding from the grant, Extension will construct a metal shelter to house rental equipment (plasticulture, livestock chute, and livestock corral panels) to mitigate equipment degradation and prolong their longevity. The rental equipment is available for those in Stokes County to reserve. Check out their website for additional information: Rental Equipment
The North Carolina General Assembly created the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (TTFC) in 2000 to lessen the financial impact on farmers and tobacco-related businesses caused by the sharp decline of tobacco in the agricultural economy. Through their programs, the TTFC supports local markets, funds training for new jobs, promotes North Carolina products, and makes farms safer.
Cooperative Extension is an educational partnership of the state’s two land-grant universities, North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University, county governments and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA- NIFA). Its mission is to extend research-based knowledge to all North Carolinians, helping them transform science into everyday solutions that improve their lives and grow our state. Read more at: https://agventures.ces.ncsu.edu/grant-program/
