USDA Awards $399,394 in Value-Added Producer Grants to Queen & Comb and Storey Farms in South Carolina

(Columbia, S.C., October 30, 2026) - U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development South Carolina State Director Jacob French today announced the agency is awarding $399,394 through the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) Program to two South Carolina producers: $199,862 to Queen & Comb LLC and $199,532 to Storey Farms LLC, located in Johns Island.

"President Donald Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins have made it a priority to put American farmers and producers first, and that commitment is reflected in these investments. Queen & Comb and Storey Farms are taking what they raise and turning it into stronger brands and wider markets. This will help both businesses reach more customers and strengthen the Lowcountry's local food economy," said French.

French visited both Queen & Comb and Storey Farms to tour their operations and highlight USDA's investment.

Queen & Comb LLC is a beekeeping business that produces, processes and markets locally produced raw honey. The grant will support labor, processing and packaging supplies, and marketing, including an online shop, to expand sales to wholesale and direct-to-consumer customers.

Storey Farms LLC produces local free-range eggs for regional wholesale markets. The eggs are marketed to customers within 400 miles of the farm in Johns Island, South Carolina. The grant will support market expansion to meet the demand for local free-range eggs, through the addition of up to two new wholesale distributors and the growth of wholesale channels. The funds will be used to purchase packing supplies, support labor associated with packing and delivery, and wholesale marketing and distributor onboarding activities. The project will be a phased expansion as new distributors accounts are added over the project period.

USDA Rural Development's Value-Added Producer Grant Program supports agricultural producers as they develop value-added agricultural products, conduct market research, and implement business and marketing strategies. Applications for the VAPG Program are typically accepted for processing from agricultural producers between January and May, depending on when program funding is allocated.

USDA Rural Development recently invested $26.5 million across the country through the Value-Added Producer Grant Program, including $1.4 million in South Carolina.

For more information on USDA Rural Development investments in rural America, visit the Rural Data Gateway . The Rural Data Gateway is an online tool that makes USDA Rural Development investment data available to the public, supporting partnerships with rural residents, entrepreneurs, government officials and Congress.

Learn more online at www.rd.usda.gov/sc and follow us on X at @RdSouthcarolina .

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