Grant Money Available - Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture

Grants up to $5,000 Available to Farmers in a Five County Region
BOONE, NC – Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is releasing a request for proposals for farmers focusing on increasing production through innovation and sustainable methods. Letters of intent are mandatory and will be due by January 16, 2014. Applications will be due by February 6, 2014. Farmers are required to work with their local extension agent on the application and throughout the grant cycle. Please contact the County Extension Agents in your county listed below.
Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) is dedicated to strengthening the High Country's local food system by supporting women and their families with resources, education, and skills related to sustainable food and agriculture. With funding from Heifer International, a global non-profit organization dedicated to working with community to end hunger and poverty while learning to care for the earth, roughly $30,000 will be distributed to local farmers in Alleghany, Ashe, Wilkes, and Watauga counties in North Carolina and Johnson County, Tennessee.
Applicants are able to apply for funds up to $5,000. Those who are interested in grants of $3,001 to $5,000 are required to develop a business plan during the grant cycle. Resources on business plan development are available through BRWIA and local extension agents. This grant program is modeled after WNC AgOptions, exclusively funded by the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
Applicants should be farmers who demonstrate the economic viability of farms in the five-county region. Support is provided to farmers who are diversifying or expanding their operations to increase farm income and encourage the sustainability of the farm businesses. Funding requests should be for items directly related to the growing and harvesting of crops for sale, including livestock.
Please contact Carol Coulter by email (Carol@brwia.org) or phone (828-386-1537) with any questions. Applications for the grant are available on BRWIA’s website (www.brwia.org/direct-to-farmer-grants) or through your local extension agent.