Newport Business Awarded TUFF Funds

A Cocke County business is among five recipients of funds from the Tennessee Urban Farm and Forestry (TUFF) cost share program….better known as TUFF. The funding from that program administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture contributes to production increases for small farming and forestry businesses and increases access to nutritious food in Tennessee’s urban areas. Among the recipients for this round of funds is Demcor Inc. which operates in Newport. They are a company that manufactures pallets. The funds from the TUFF program will go to purchasing mulch producing equipment.

The Department of Agriculture says they received 19 applications for TUFF funds this period and the funding requests exceeded $3.3 million. $4 million had been set aside by the state for the TUFF program.