FREDERICK, Md. – Local farmers are pioneering creative ways to diversify their operations, thanks in part to Frederick County’s Agriculture Innovation Grants. Frederick County Executive Jessica Fitzwater awarded $123,166 in grants for the Fall 2023 grant cycle. Seven agriculture-related businesses will receive funding through the competitive grant program, which is designed to encourage diversification and innovation in farm operations.
“Supporting our farms and our farmers is a priority for my administration,” County Executive Fitzwater said. “I am proud that the County’s grant programs help our agricultural businesses innovate, diversify and generally expand their operations.”
The projects selected for funding are expected to create eight full-time and 27 part-time positions. Grant recipients include:
- Black Ankle Vineyards, LLC, Mount Airy- to implement a keg system for storing and serving high-quality wines.
- Fox Haven Organic Farm and Learning Center, Jefferson- to purchase and construct drying equipment for their organic herb operation.
- Heritage Hills Hops, LLC, Frederick- to purchase hop harvesting equipment to increase efficiency for the expansion of their hopyard.
- Hilltop Blooms & Beef, Ijamsville- to install an irrigation system and service to an existing well for the expansion of their cut flower operation.
- Kemptown Honey, Monrovia- to purchase equipment expanding apiary bottling and efficiency furthering the creation of value-added products from their honey.
- Loew Vineyards, Mount Airy- to purchase a crusher/de-stemmer for harvesting grapes.
- McClintock Distilling, Frederick- to expand cooling and storage capacity, increasing the production capacity and further supporting local farmers.
In this sixth cycle of Agriculture Innovation Grants, 19 operations applied for funding, with requests totaling over $630,000. Twice a year, grants are awarded in the amount of $5,000 or more to help agriculture businesses expand or diversify their operations. Information on the program is available by contacting Becca Tucker, Senior Business Development Manager of Agriculture, at 240-739-2013.
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