Governor Spanberger Announces 14 Infrastructure Grants to Support Local Food & Farming Projects

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today announced the award of 14 Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Infrastructure Grants to support projects that will establish and expand opportunities for local producers and strengthen local food systems. Grants totaling more than $507,000 were awarded to 14 different localities to fund a range of projects including animal and wood products processing facilities, a shared-use cannery and commercial kitchens, farmers market, creamery expansion, produce packing facility, and the creation of a new regional livestock marketing complex.

"The success of Virginia agriculture depends on the ability of all farmers across the Commonwealth to succeed," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "These infrastructure grants are extremely beneficial for the state's small and mid-size farms, helping to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers. Modernizing local food supply infrastructure is a win-win for Virginia - it supports local agriculture and strengthens communities with improved access to fresh, locally grown food."

"Congratulations to the 14 localities and projects receiving AFID Infrastructure Grant funding," said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier. "Each of these projects shares a common goal of improving and diversifying market access for producers. By growing markets and expanding the customer base, these projects spur economic development, encourage entrepreneurship, and help create new jobs in rural areas of the state. In addition, improving food supply infrastructure like cold storage, transportation networks, and processing facilities, helps to minimize food waste, reduce emissions, lower costs for consumers, and protect against economic instability."

Administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the AFID Infrastructure Grant Program awards reimbursable awards to political subdivisions in the Commonwealth for projects such as farmers markets; businesses or organizations that manage the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of food products primarily from local and regional producers; and locally owned processing facilities. Additional information on the AFID Infrastructure Grant Program is available at https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agriculture-afid-infrastructure-grants.shtml.

The following 14 projects were awarded AFID Infrastructure Grants in this grant round:

Albemarle County, Bellair Farms Coldlink Collaborative - $11,000

Bellair Farms will purchase a refrigerated box truck that will allow the business to increase pork production. By improving transportation between its partner businesses, Stock Provisions and Honest Meats, the farm can better serve its multiple customer channels.

Appomattox County, Appomattox FFA Alumni Agricultural Complex - $50,000

Funding will be used to construct an Appomattox FFA Alumni Association multi-purpose agricultural complex. The 12,500+ square-foot complex will serve as a regional livestock aggregation, training, and marketing facility for cattle, swine, sheep, and goat producers across Central Virginia.

Bedford County, EcoFriendly Foods Initiative - $38,678

The award will fund roof replacement and electrical infrastructure upgrades at EcoFriendly's processing facility. These improvements will allow for more efficient operations, increased meat processing capacity, and expanded cold storage capabilities.

Carroll County, The Cannery Equipment and Learning Initiative - $50,000

Carroll County will modernize its public-use community cannery with the purchase and installation of an extractor, blancher, dishwasher, and sink to increase small-scale commercial food production. The county will also convert the existing break room into a dedicated education and training space.

Covington, The Nettleton Property - $50,000

To assist small growers in accessing wholesale, institutional, and retail markets, the city of Covington is renovating an underused building into a shared-use produce packing and processing facility. The project will support multiple small-scale growers by providing compliant wash/pack lines, cold storage, and business support to improve food safety and expand market access. AFID funds will be used for building renovations and the installation of a wash/pack bay, walk-in cooler, automated packaging, and value-added processing bays.

Grayson County, Farm to School and Value-Added Processing Initiative - $38,595

Grayson County will create a food processing facility in the Grayson Agriculture, Technology, and Educational (GATE) Center. Cold storage and aggregation equipment will be purchased to receive and stage locally procured raw farm products for both direct use in school meals and processing within the existing GATE Center kitchen. The additional cold storage space will also be available for other users of the shared-use commercial kitchen.

Northampton County, Pearl Market - $50,000

The Pearl Market project establishes a shared-use food hub and aquaculture processing facility that will serve multiple agricultural producers. The grant award will support essential infrastructure improvements to meet health and safety standards and support multi-producer use, and equipment purchases including refrigeration systems and processing equipment.

Orange County, Furniture By Design Expansion - $25,000

Furniture by Design's kiln project will create new wood processing facilities for local producers and small businesses to dry their own lumber and buy locally sourced and dried lumber and provide the urban-forest-to-home-goods connection the local community needs. AFID funding will be used to install a new kiln and construct lumber storage buildings.

Page County, Page Valley Food and Visitor Hub - $50,000

Page County is creating the Page Valley Food & Visitor Hub, a fully licensed, shared-use commercial kitchen that is county-owned and locally operated to help expand infrastructure for food businesses and value-added agricultural production. Grant funding will be used for required mechanical work in the kitchen area, grease interceptor hookup, three-bay sink installation, electrical upgrades for commercial appliances, and food-grade flooring.

Powhatan County, Twin Oaks Farm Store - $10,000

Powhatan County is partnering with Twin Oaks Wagyu Beef Farm to purchase and install a backup generator and propane tank in Twin Oaks' new farm store. This will provide long-term protection for perishable agricultural products to withstand power disruptions. In addition to Twin Oaks' products, the farm store will carry products from other local producers such as ice cream and honey.

Russell County, Redbud Creamery - $10,000

Redbud Creamery, a small micro goat dairy that produces cheese, Grade A goat yogurt, and Grade A pasteurized goat milk, is expanding its Nubian and Nigerian Dwarf goat herd. Grant funding will aid in the purchase of two 15-gallon vat pasteurizers, PMO-compliant digital indicating thermometers, a 30-gallon cooling bulk tank, and an additional refrigerator for product storage. Additional milk production will allow Redbud Creamery to expand product lines and hire additional employees.

Kenbridge, Kenbridge Farmers Market Expansion Project - $50,000

The town of Kenbridge will use grant funding to expand and improve the infrastructure of the Kenbridge Farmers Market. The project includes installation of electrical outlets and lighting in vendor spaces, ceiling and circulation fans to improve comfort, concrete flooring to enhance accessibility, and expansion of the market structure to increase vendor capacity.

New Market, New Market Downtown Marketplace - $50,000

The town of New Market is using grant funding to support the construction of a permanent Downtown Marketplace Pavilion that will serve as a year-round marketplace, community gathering space, and event venue. The project includes construction of a 40' x 80' covered open-air pavilion and an ADA-compliant restroom facility to support market operations, vendors, visitors, and public events.

Virginia Beach, Creekmore's Place Farm to Table Project - $24,249

The city of Virginia Beach will use AFID grant funding to support a commercial kitchen for the Creekmore's Place Farm to Table Kitchen Project, purchasing refrigeration units, stainless steel prep stations, cooking equipment, and food-safe storage solutions. Creekmore's Place will purchase products from nearby small farmers and use the commercial kitchen to wash, package, label, and prepare locally grown produce for resale.

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