Federal Grant Award Summary

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University received a $591,500 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Foundational and Applied Science Program (CFDA 10.310), awarded June 15, 2026, with completion scheduled for June 14, 2029. The project, conducted at the university's research facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, develops and validates an affordable pasteurization system for mushroom substrate preparation that costs 60-80% less than traditional systems, along with high-temperature-tolerant oyster mushroom strains specifically bred to thrive in Southeastern U.S. growing conditions.

The grant funds four primary research and development objectives: optimization of the low-cost pasteurization system; pilot production trials with high-temperature-tolerant strains; on-farm testing of both innovations in small farm environments; and economic viability assessment of the integrated production system. Deliverables include technical documentation of the optimized pasteurization system, pilot trial results, field-test data from participating small farms, and economic analysis demonstrating the projected 10-20% increase in farm cash flow. By addressing critical barriers to mushroom farming profitability among small agricultural producers in the Southeast, this project advances NIFA's priorities for sustainable agricultural innovation and rural economic development.