Alumni Grantees Share Good Done with Funding
In 2016, The FruitGuys Community Fund awarded 10 small American farms and agricultural nonprofits a total of $40,133 in grants. The funding allowed the 2016 alumni grantees to implement sustainable agriculture projects in California, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The projects ranged from organic cover crops and urban orchards to owl box and beehive installations.
Enjoy these short videos, straight from the farmer, sharing the impact these projects had on each farm.
Buffalo Street Farm is one of five urban farms in Detroit, MI, that make up the City Commons CSA. Their $5,000 grant allowed them to purchase 100 fruit trees, three honeybee hives, native perennial plants, compost, drip irrigation, and cover-crop seed.
From the Ground Up Farms, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Chico, CA, operates 10 community garden farms located on the sites of homeless shelters, residential treatment facilities, and women’s shelters. Their $4,855 grant allowed them to convert several gardens to raised beds to ensure soil safety, save water, increase yield, and minimize maintenance.
Butterbee Farm, a 2-acre farm in Pikesville, MD, used their $3,200 grant to transition an acre of land adjacent to their current farm. Formerly part of a conventional farm, Butterbee successfully converted the land into sustainable production by applying a cover crop, compost, soil amendments, and pollinator-friendly plants.
Troy Community Farm, a 5-acre farm in Madison, WI, used their $2,500 grant to purchase beehives, bees, tools, supplies, and protective gear. They also incorporated a hands-on beekeeping experience and instruction into their Beginning Farmer Training program.
Turtle Creek Gardens is an 18-acre farm in Delavan, WI. Their $5,000 grant allowed them to construct swales to mitigate rainwater runoff and prevent rainwater flooding on interior areas. The swales were planted with grasses, forbs, perennials, and marketable crops.
FARM Davis, a nonprofit organization in Davis, CA, received a $2,133 grant to establish an integrated natural pest management project. They installed owl boxes on the farm and purchased a mower attachment for their tractor so they could grow cover crop to just the right height to attract pests and allow the owls to find them.
