PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – Gov. Ralph Northam, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and other elected officials from the state joined local leaders as they welcomed AeroFarms representatives for a groundbreaking ceremony for its newest 136,000-square-foot indoor vertical farming facility in Ringgold – the world’s largest aeroponic vertical farm.
AeroFarms has developed its own proprietary growing technology to be able to grow produce all year round with annual productivity up to 390 times greater than traditional field farming. Once completed, the new facility, located in the Cane Creek Industrial Centre, will be the largest and most sophisticated aeroponic vertical farm in the world, and is part of AeroFarms’ expansion plans to address some of our most pressing agriculture and environmental challenges.
Rep. Bob Good said Virginia’s tax laws and worker rights make the state attractive for new industry – measures he hopes will attract other companies.
“I think it’s a reflection of the investment by the local community as well as the state in improving the conditions here in Pittsylvania County to make it attractive for businesses. As I stated, I hope our state will remain a state that is a low tax state, a state that has reduced regulations and protects rights to work that make businesses like this one expand and relocate here too,” Good said.
AeroFarms is investing over $53 million and creating more than 100 jobs.
Agriculture is the state’s no. 1 industry, and Northam said this investment continues to grow a region of the state that is already an agriculture leader.
“It’s all about jobs in the commonwealth of Virginia and making sure people are trained for those jobs. What is so important is that when we talk about businesses like Aerofarm, businesses that are already here, businesses that want to come to Virginia, it is that workforce that is so important,” said Northam.
David Rosenberg, AeroFarms CEO & Co-founder, said the facility plans to hire most of its staff locally.
The facility is slated to begin production in the summer of 2022.