agriculture

Expansion of High-Tech Indoor Farm in Prince William County 

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Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs CEA legislation and announces expansion of high-tech indoor farm in Prince William County on June 6, 2024. Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Beanstalk Farms Inc. will build its second indoor farm and distribution facility in the Freedom I-66 Industrial Business Park in Manassas. The project includes 18 new jobs and a capital investment of $4.1 million. Beanstalk Farms expects to produce 2.1 million pounds annually of leafy greens and fresh-cut herbs. 

Following the announcement of the expansion, Gov. Youngkin signed House Bill 1429 and Senate Bill 483, which clarifies that the existing classification of farm machinery includes CEA machinery, allowing localities to exempt equipment from personal property taxes, or adopt a reduced tax rate. The same exemption provisions already exist for traditional agricultural operations. The legislation was patroned by Senator Lashrecse Aird, Senate District 13, and Delegate Amy Laufer, House District 55. This is the second year that Youngkin has signed agricultural technology tax exemption legislation. In 2023, legislation was signed to exempt items used in the construction of controlled environment agriculture facilities from sales taxes. 

“Congratulations to Beanstalk Farms for their investment in this community and in Virginia. I am pleased that the Commonwealth’s pro-business climate and partnerships continue to be a factor in securing and scaling up projects such as this,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “The legislation I signed today reinforces Virginia’s position as a top state for the controlled environment agriculture industry.”

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services worked with Prince William County, the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the Industrial Development Authority of the County of Prince William to secure this new expansion project. Youngkin approved a $100,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, which Prince William County will match with local funds.  

“This is a great day for the future of controlled environment agriculture in Virginia. We are providing support for Beanstalk Farms expansion, encouraging investment in Prince William County, and creating high paying jobs to this area through the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund grant award. In addition, Governor Youngkin is helping to spur growth in this industry by expanding tax relief through the approval of the agricultural sales tax exemption legislation last year and his signature today on the tangible personal property tax relief legislation,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr. 

HP Hood to Expand Operations in Frederick County

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HP Hood LLC, will invest more than $83.5 million to expand its dairy processing operations in Frederick County. The expansion project includes upgrades to production and packaging equipment and construction of additional cooler and warehouse space. The project will enable the company to further grow its business while continuing to provide a local market for Virginia dairy farms through its milk cooperative network which includes the Dairy Farmers of America and the Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association.

“I commend HP Hood for their continued investment in Frederick County and in Virginia’s dairy industry, the state’s fourth largest sector in the agriculture industry,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “Supporting companies like HP Hood is vitally important to Virginia’s dairy producers and spurs economic development in this area of the Commonwealth.”

Hood’s Winchester facility, which was constructed in 2000, employs more than 600 people and processes extended-shelf-life fluid milk and nondairy products for Hood’s own brands, private label partners, licensed brands and co-packing partners. The facility expansion will provide increased production capacity that is critical to the company’s operations and fund technology that will enable Hood to produce new products in response to growing customer demand.

“HP Hood has played a vital role in Frederick County’s food manufacturing sector for more than 20 years, providing employment opportunities and contributing to our economic growth,” said Josh Ludwig, Chairman of the Frederick County Board of Supervisors. “We are grateful for their continued investment and confidence in our community.”

“As a lifelong dairy farmer in the Shenandoah Valley, I’m excited to see this level of investment in dairy processing in the Commonwealth. I welcome HP Hood’s investment in the community and look forward to growing Virginia’s dairy supply to meet their needs,” said Senator Timmy French.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) worked with Frederick County and the Frederick County Economic Development Authority to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Youngkin approved a $50,000 Infrastructure Grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which Frederick County will match with local funds.

“I am pleased that the Commonwealth will continue its partnership with Frederick County and HP Hood to increase market opportunities for Virginia dairy producers. This announcement is certainly a win-win for Frederick County, the state’s dairy producers and Virginia agriculture,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Matthew Lohr.

“We proudly selected this location to build a greenfield plant more than 24 years ago and have been grateful for the ongoing support of Frederick County and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Gary Kaneb, President and CEO of HP Hood. “This expansion enables us to continue to grow Hood’s business and accommodate the everchanging needs of our customers and continue to provide a market for local dairy farms through our local milk cooperative network.”

Founded in 1846 in Charlestown, Massachusetts as a milk delivery service, HP Hood is a nationally branded dairy processor with more than 3,000 employees and annual sales revenues of approx. $3.5 billion. The company manufactures conventional, extended-shelf life (ESL) and shelf stable dairy and non-dairy beverages cultured products, as well as ice cream and frozen desserts. The company’s broad portfolio of retail consumer product brands include Hood, Heluva Good!, Lactaid, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze, and Planet Oat, to name a few. In addition to selling its products through traditional retail and wholesale channels, the company also manufactures private-label products and provides co-packing services.

New Funding Opportunity for Climate-Smart Agriculture Practices

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The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture is a pilot program that will incentivize farmers and ranchers to adopt climate-smart agriculture practices that will maintain and improve agricultural productivity, benefit the producer, and improve climate resilience. 

Under the three-year pilot program, The Alliance and its partners will help producers in Virginia prove the value of paying farmers and ranchers $100 per acre or animal unit for stewardship practices that deliver public value through carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, improved soil health, water quality, water conservation, and other environmental services. Direct payments will be issued by Virginia Tech.

Participating Districts: 

  • Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District (757) 645-4895 OR samantha.pereira@colonialswcd.org: Charles City, James City, New Kent, York and City of Williamsburg. For the Alliance grant, Colonial has an expanded service area of: Caroline, Chesterfield, Essex, Gloucester, Hanover, Henrico, Isle of Wight, King & Queen, King William, Mathews, Middlesex, Prince George, Surry and City of Suffolk
  • Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District (434) 975-0224 ext 112 OR agriculture@tjswcd.org: Louisa, Fluvanna, Nelson, Albemarle and City of
    Charlottesville

Eligibility:

  • Farm located within an eligible county shown above
  • Verified Farm Service Agency (FSA) Number
  • Two-acre minimum
  • Land can not be enrolled in another state or federal conservation program in the same practice on the same acres

Applications opening on February 15-March 15. Looking for more information?
Join in to our Alliance Virtual Information Session on Monday, February 5 at 5:30pm! Register HERE!

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RMA Announces Listening Sessions on Livestock Risk Management Products

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The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced they will be conducting listening sessions throughout the country this winter to gather feedback and to discuss policy improvements to livestock products.

RMA will be conducting more than a dozen in-person and virtual workshops this winter for producers to learn about new and expanded livestock risk management products. This “Roadshow” will highlight policy improvements based on the feedback from producers as a way to promote, educate, and broaden RMA’s outreach to livestock producers.

Specifically, RMA will be discussing and soliciting feedback on the following products:

  • Annual Forage
  • Dairy Revenue Protection
  • Livestock Gross Margin
  • Livestock Risk Protection
  • Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage
  • Weaned Calf Risk Protection (New for Calendar Year 2024)

Virtual sessions will take place on January 8 and January 17, 2024. Unfortunately, there are no in-person listening sessions in Virginia or adjacent states. Producers can register for these virtual programs on RMA’s website.

The Livestock Roadshow builds on other recent outreach and education efforts. Earlier this year, RMA held a roadshow highlighting insurance options for specialty crop, organic, and urban producers, drawing more than 3,000 attendees. Additionally, since 2021, RMA has invested around $13 million in partnerships to advance risk management education.