Surry Community College was presented with a $20,000 grant from the Tobacco Trust Fund (TTF) for Project Skill UP. The presentation was made Monday, October 26, 2009 by Mr. Layten Davis at a SCC Board of Trustees meeting.

The purpose of the grant is to provide training and retraining for the local farmers in the Surry and Yadkin county service area and the region. The addition of this program at the college will greatly benefit the agriculture industry, as our region has experienced a significant reduction in the number and size of traditional farms in recent years.

In an attempt to maintain the positive economic contribution that agriculture makes to our area, Surry Community College is seeking to develop other profitable avenues for farmers to pursue, including a partnership with the NC Cooperative Extension Service to offer Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) training and certification. Components of the GAP training include:

• Economically and efficiently producing sufficient safe and nutritious food
• Sustain and enhance natural resources;
• Maintain viable farming enterprises and contribute to sustainable livelihoods;
• Meet cultural and social demands of society.

As the College and the Cooperative Extension Service seek to diversify the agricultural products to meet the needs of commercial and retail consumers in our region, it is important that farmers have the skills necessary to succeed and compete in the marketplace.

About the Tobacco Trust Fund Program
The Tobacco Trust Fund program was created to assist tobacco farmers, tobacco quota holders, persons engaged in tobacco-related businesses, individuals displaced from tobacco-related employment, and tobacco product component businesses in the State due to the adverse effects of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).

This joint project between Surry Community College and the NC Cooperative Extension Service can meet that goal by allowing local farmers to retrain at little or no cost to them.

Pictured: Dr. Deborah Friedman, President of Surry Community College
and Mr. Layten Davis of the Tobacco Trust Fund.