ROCKINGHAM — Smaller chicken farms in the Sandhills will soon have an opportunity to process their poultry on site.
The Richmond County Cooperative Extension was recently awarded a grant of $8,033 from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission to purchase a mobile poultry processing unit.
“Poultry production makes up the lionshare of agricultural/farm income in Richmond County,” said Extension Agent Anthony Growe.
According to Growe, Richmond County farmers raise around 40 million chickens each year with a market value of more than $300 million.
However, Growe says it has been difficult in recent years for young and aspiring farmers to break into large-scale, integrated production.
“Additionally, there are currently no state-inspected poultry processors that provide custom butchering services for small farmers,” Growe said.”This grant will provide small-scale poultry farmers in the Sandhills with the opportunity to rent poultry processing equipment.”
Growe said the Richmond County unit is one of 13 in the state “and will give farmers the chance to operate the equipment before choosing to invest thousands into their own unit.”
Once the small producers obtain their certification from the N.C. Department of Agriculture — which Growe describes as a “relatively simple process” the Extension office can assist with — they will be able to rent the unit and process chickens on their own farm, as well as legally market and sell their product to consumers in the state.
“We are excited to get this opportunity off the ground for our small farms in the region,” Growe said.
The grant to Richmond County was one of 26, totalling $6.4 million “aimed at strengthening the state’s agricultural economy and supporting rural communities.”
Some of the funding went to community colleges and universities, as well as other regional and statewide efforts.
“North Carolina’s agricultural community continues to face mounting challenges, from unpredictable weather to rising operational costs,” Bill Teague, chairman of the NCTTFC, said in a press release issued Oct. 30. “These grants represent an investment in resilience and innovation, supporting the people and projects that will lead agriculture forward in our state.”
The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission was established in 2000 “to address the economic impact of the tobacco industry's decline,” and was initially funded by the Master Settlement Agreement with tobacco companies but now receives state appropriations.
The commission has awarded more than 475 grants to public and nonprofit organizations since 2002.
