![]() ![]() Upon completion, this facility will be one of the largest greenhouses on the East Coast. Phase two will expand the facility to 640,000 square feet (16 acres), and phase three will complete the facility at 1.2 million square feet (32 acres) total with capacity for leafy greens and a variety of vegetables. The company will construct a 120,000-square-foot greenhouse (three acres under glass) with production focused on lettuce and other leafy greens in its first phase. Sunny Farms will establish its growing, cleaning, and packaging operation in three phases over 36 months. “Through a partnership with our higher education institutions to train the next generation of CEA employees, Sunny Farms will use state-of-the-art technology to provide fresh, Virginia-grown produce year-round, while also creating meaningful employment opportunities for veterans and underserved populations in agriculture and technology.” “I am pleased to see another major project continuing the technology-driven expansion of Virginia's largest private sector industry, agriculture, while also building our most important economic development resource, our workforce,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “Sunny Farms and One Matters are also committed to strengthening workforce development, and we look forward to building a strong partnership.” “Sunny Farms has impressive plans for its greenhouse in the City of Virginia Beach to become one of the largest operations of its kind on the East Coast, enabling the company to provide high-quality, fresh products to more people,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. ![]() I commend all partners involved in making this announcement a reality and am confident Sunny Farms will grow and thrive at its home in Virginia Beach.” “Together with One Matters and our higher education institutions, we are laying the foundation for significant long-term economic and workforce opportunities that will help lift up underserved Virginians in Hampton Roads. “Securing this impactful new project is a reflection of our Commonwealth’s commitment to supporting innovative companies like Sunny Farms that are pushing boundaries in agricultural development,” said Governor Northam. The greenhouse production system will be sourced from Prins-USA, a Virginia-based company. Sunny Farms will grow its products using Controlled Environmental Agriculture (CEA), an advanced method of hydroponic agriculture where plants are grown within a controlled environment to optimize horticultural practices. Virginia successfully competed with Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina for the project, which will create 155 new jobs.įor more than two years, Sunny Farms’ founders Jim Arnhold and Wayne Zinn have been working closely with the School of Plant and Environmental Science at Virginia Tech, as well as industry experts, to develop the company’s state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse. ![]() The company’s location at Taylor Farms will also house One Matters Inc., a new 501(c)(3), not-for-profit entity that will offer workforce development opportunities for underserved populations. RICHMOND-Governor Ralph Northam today announced that startup company Sunny Farms, LLC will invest $59.6 million to establish a state-of-the-art hydroponic greenhouse for production, workforce development, and research in the City of Virginia Beach.
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