Meetings planned in March on value-added funding opportunities
Value-added agricultural operations are an emerging sector of North Carolina agriculture. A series of three informational sessions (two meetings and a webinar) will be held across North Carolina in March to explain and answer questions about several funding programs in place to assist value-added producers.
The series will cover the USDA Value-Added Producer Grant and the new N.C. Value-Added Cost Share Program, administered by N.C. MarketReady.
Following are dates, times and locations:
- March 9, 12:30 to 4 p.m. – Mountain Horticultural Crops Research & Extension Center, 455 Research Drive, Mills River;
- March 10, 12:30 to 4 p.m. – N.C. Cooperative Extension Center, Wilson County, 1806 S.W. Goldsboro St., Wilson;
- March 11, 6 to 7:30 p.m. – Live webinar, accessible from any location using your personal computer and the Internet. Find the link at www.ncmarketready.org.
These meetings will include information on eligibility requirements for funding, definition of value-added, an explanation of how the money can be used, amount of funding available to producers, applications deadlines and other information resources.
N.C. producers, Cooperative Extension agents and others who provide a service to farmers will benefit from these meetings, which are sponsored by N.C. MarketReady with funding from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commision.
The meetings will be led by individuals who work with each program to ensure that each participant leaves with an understanding of the scope of each program.
For more about VAPG and NCVACS, visit www.ncmarketready.org and click on “Value-Added Cost Share” on the left menu bar. For more information about the upcoming meetings, contact brittany_whitmire@ncsu.edu.
