Plenty Unlimited, a vertical farming company, announced yesterday that it will utilize up to 120 acres of land in Richmond, Virginia, to build the largest indoor vertical farm campus to date. The Plenty Richmond Farm Campus marks the company’s expansion outside of the Western U.S. and will supply year-round produce to the East Coast.
“Through more than a decade of investment in research and development Plenty has cracked the code on a scalable platform that makes indoor farming increasingly economical,” said Arama Kukutai, CEO of Plenty, in a statement. “That innovation makes it possible for us to grow a wide variety of crops with a fraction of the land and up to 350x more yield per acre than conventional farms. Channeling that into the largest vertical farm complex in the world propels us to the level indoor farming has to operate at to truly transform our food system.”
The campus' first farm will grow over 4 million pounds of Driscoll’s strawberries per year, and will help to meet the demand for the product in the Northeast, according to a statement by Plenty. The first crop will be ready for winter 2023-2024.
“Plenty’s decision to establish its first major east coast vertical farming campus in Virginia shines a spotlight on the advantages that make the Commonwealth the best location in the nation for companies growing our food safely and sustainably indoors,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin, in a statement. “This transformational project further bolsters Virginia’s agriculture and technology industries and positions the Commonwealth as a leader in this next generation of agriculture. I am pleased to welcome Plenty to Virginia and look forward to the company’s growth and success in Chesterfield County.”
The company expects to bring over 300 jobs to Virginia and invest $300 million in the new location over the next six years.
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