Ten and 20 grand grant opportunities

The Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Project is accepting grant applications until Nov. 11 from individual producers, community groups and farm support organizations in Alamance, Bladen, Caswell, Chatham, Columbus, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, Orange, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Vance, Wake, Warren, and Wilson counties. Grants of up to $10,000 to individuals and $20,000 to groups and organizations will be awarded for proposals with potential to fill the farm-income void resulting from lost tobacco revenue in the region. Projects involving products, services and on-farm resources are eligible, along with new crops and innovative farm-based enterprises. To qualify, producers must be full- or part-time farmers who were depending on tobacco crops for a significant amount of their farm income coming at the time of the Master Settlement Agreement (crop years 1997 and 1998). Community groups must include farmers from the target counties and have farmers active in group leadership.