PULASKI, Va. – It’s a first for the New River Valley, home to buildings repurposed for vertical farming.
“It’s nice to work on something that will have an impact in the area,” Cody Journell with Vegg Inc. said.
Journell and a team are looking to transform the former Jefferson School in Pulaski to a vertical farming facility.
“We’re excited about this project,” Journell said.
Journell said vertical farming helps grow an additional 10 acres more produce, which can help with food scarcity in rural and urban areas.
Journell also said, vertical farming can bring jobs to the Pulaski.
“Help with providing food in economically suppressed areas, and even urban areas too, we’re going to need someone managing the building someone growing the crops, which takes a team,” Journell said.
Pulaski County leaders are pleased Vegg Inc. is working to repurpose the former school in the area.
“Once this becomes online it’s really going to put Pulaski County on the map,” Jonathan Sweet Pulaski County Administrator said.
Leaders are pleased because once it becomes operational, it generates more tax revenue.
The main reason leaders are pushing for vertical farming is because Vegg Inc.’s farming model could be the blueprint for other rural areas.
“Climate Smart Tech is something that is going to revolutionize the food industry, it is responsible and sustainable, and we think that is another major market, Pulaski County is a perfect home for these types of investments,” Sweet said.
Vegg Inc. leaders will start revamping the 20,000-square-foot building in phases; the first, which includes the front and about seven classrooms will cost about $1 million.
Leaders hope to break ground and have a farmer in the building by the end of the year.
“I feel like once we get this first phase under our belt, and people see there’s stuff happening in this building it will snowball in the next couple of phases,” Journell said.