NC AgVentures, a program from NC State Extension, is offering grants to North Carolina farmers and nonprofit groups that support family farms. The grants are intended for agricultural projects that aim to boost farm profits. The initiative is sponsored by the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission and will provide at least 50 grants to independent family farms.
Applications are open to family farms in several counties, including Franklin County. Eligible counties also include Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Iredell, Johnston, Lincoln, Martin, Mecklenburg, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union Vance Wake Wayne Wilson Wilkes Warren and Yadkin.
The grant awards can be as much as $10000 per project. Applications open on October 15th 2025 and close at 6 pm on December 19th 2025. The application form is available online at www.ncagventures.org. Farmers interested in applying can attend workshops scheduled for October 22nd November 10th and November 24th.
“This is a great opportunity for any producer who is thinking of diversifying improving or expanding their farm operation.”
For more information about the program or help with applications contact the Franklin County Cooperative Extension office at 919-496-3344 or Extension agent Martha Mobley.
Recent data shows that educational outcomes in Franklin County present ongoing challenges. For example among senior students taking the science portion of the ACT in Franklin County school districts during the 2022-23 school year only about fifteen percent were considered ready for college (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). Similarly among junior students taking the same test just over thirteen percent were deemed college-ready (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). In reading nearly twenty-four percent of seniors and twenty-three percent of juniors reached college readiness benchmarks (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/). For math around thirteen percent of seniors and eleven percent of juniors met college readiness standards (https://www.dpi.nc.gov/).
