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Homestead Creamery to expand Franklin County facility
Dairy products maker Homestead Creamery will carry out a $2.5 million renovation and expansion of its Franklin County production facility, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. The company will build a new ice cream production room and install additional production and refrigeration equipment and freezers. The expansion is in response to growing customer demand for the […]
Tazewell indoor salmon farm adjusts course
The $228 million Pure Salmon facility on 200 acres straddling Tazewell and Russell counties has hit a snag with construction delays and is pushing back its expected timeline. Tazewell County Administrator Eric Young says construction progress has not proceeded as anticipated on the Virginia branch of the United Arab Emirates-based Atlantic salmon farming and processing […]
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers CEO to retire
Jay Bryant, CEO of Herndon-based Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA), is retiring at the end of this year, and Jon Cowell, MDVA’s current chief financial officer, will succeed him, the cooperative announced Friday. Bryant has worked at the MDVA, a cooperative of more than 900 dairy farm families in 10 states, for […]
Va. Tech receives two $1M endowment commitments
The Public Service Education Institute has endowed two $1 million funds at Virginia Tech to support internships, the university announced Tuesday. The endowments, each created with a $1 million commitment, will support students who have secured internships with federal, state or local government agencies, including the Virginia Cooperative Extension. One endowment will support students in [&hellip[...]
Russell County farm to invest $1M in expanded manufacturing
Goat milk products maker Bates Family Farm will invest roughly $1 million to relocate its manufacturing facility to a Russell County-owned building in Lebanon, a project expected to create 12 jobs, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday. “We’re creating agriculture-based jobs and selling Virginia-made products,” Bates Family Farm co-founder and CEO Joseph “Joe” Bates said. T[...]
October 2023 Virginia 500 Spotlight: NEIL HOUFF
FIRST JOB: Feeding calves on the family farm MOST VALUED POSSESSION: My faith in Jesus. All else will be gone at some point. HOW I UNWIND FROM WORK: Mowing the lawn or mowing pastures on our farm HOW I BALANCE MY WORK AND PERSONAL LIFE: My work and personal life have always been intermingled and […]
German yeast upcycler building plant in Rockingham
Leiber, a German manufacturer that processes brewers’ yeast into animal food, biotechnology and supplements, will invest as much as $20 million to establish its first U.S. operation in Rockingham County’s Innovation Village, adding an estimated 35 jobs. Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced the new facility Monday. It will be completed in phases and increase the company’s […]
Growth industry
Prompted by shifts in consumer buying trends, Shenandoah Valley farmers are investing heavily in automated systems and cutting-edge growing processes to position themselves for the long haul in an industry that’s changing rapidly. Once dubbed the “breadbasket of the South” because of its bountiful wheat crops, Virginia’s northwestern region has remained an agricultural powerhouse. [...]
Agriculture 2023: JOHN KING
Turkey growers in the Shenandoah Valley formed the Virginia Poultry Growers Cooperative in 2004, after Pilgrim’s Pride announced it was closing a processing plant in Hinton, a major economic hit to the region. Approximately 200 farmers own 100% of the co-op and receive a portion of profits based on how much business each farm does […]
Agriculture 2023: WAYNE F. PRYOR
Pryor was elected in November 2022 to his ninth two-year term as president of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “Advocating for Virginia’s farmers is extremely important to me,” says Pryor, who has a hay and grain farm in Goochland County. “We make up a relatively small portion of the overall population, but we are providing […]
Agriculture 2023: MATTHEW J. LOHR
Lohr has worked in agriculture and public service for his entire career. As Virginia’s secretary of agriculture and forestry since January 2022, he manages an 810-employee department that oversees Virginia’s largest private sector, which has an annual economic impact of over $105 billion. A three-term state delegate and former commissioner of the Virginia Department of […]
Agriculture 2023: CORWIN HEATWOLE
In February, Heatwole announced a $17.8 million expansion to Farmer Focus’ organic poultry processing facility, backed by a $3.6 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. The expansion will nearly double the number of chickens processed weekly to 630,000 when it starts operating — probably in early 2024, Heatwole said this spring. Farmer Focus, already one […]
