Governor Spanberger Announces Grants to Support Agriculture & Economic Development in Dickenson, Clintwood, & Waynesboro

RICHMOND, VA - Governor Abigail Spanberger today awarded two Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID) Planning Grants to support local farmers, strengthen regional food systems, and encourage agriculture-based economic development in Dickenson County, the town of Clintwood, and the city of Waynesboro.

"Virginia agriculture is the cornerstone of our economy. With the unprecedented challenges facing our farmers, we need to support local innovation and economic development now more than ever," said Governor Abigail Spanberger. "These investments will help communities identify new opportunities to strengthen local farms, support entrepreneurs, create jobs, and expand the economic impact of Virginia agriculture."

"Congratulations to Dickenson County, the town of Clintwood, and the city of Waynesboro on receiving these AFID Planning Grants as they develop plans to grow agriculture in their communities," said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Katie Frazier. "Identifying market access, infrastructure, and supply-chain challenges requires a thoughtful, data-driven approach to ensure that future investments are grounded in realistic market demand and aligned with regional opportunities."

Dickenson County and the town of Clintwood will receive a $35,000 AFID Planning Grant to support a countywide agribusiness opportunity scan and a focused feasibility study for a community kitchen. This study will assess the viability of a Clintwood Community Kitchen and one additional priority project, such as a producer aggregation hub, agritourism initiative, value-added processing, or farm-to-institution supply chain development effort. This approach ensures that the community kitchen is evaluated in the context of the regional food system it will depend on and that the county emerges from the study with a comprehensive strategy.

A $14,000 AFID Planning Grant will aid the Waynesboro Economic Development Authority (EDA) in evaluating the feasibility of a Waynesboro-based community kitchen located within Vector Industries, a nonprofit organization that trains and employs people with diverse disabilities. Building on the findings of a 2021 feasibility study by the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission, which indicated a need for a commercial, shared-use agricultural enterprise center in the central Shenandoah Valley, the Waynesboro EDA will focus this planning effort on evaluating the feasibility of a commercial kitchen in response to demonstrated local business demand. Vector Industries has expressed interest in expanding commercial kitchen operations within its large facility to support local entrepreneurs and strengthen the region's food economy.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) administers the AFID Planning Grant program and accepts applications for the program on a rolling basis. Successful applications demonstrate a clear need, a proposed solution, and strong support from local government and the agriculture and forestry community. The AFID Planning Grant program requires a one-to-one match, however, allowances for a reduced match are available for economically distressed localities.

Interested localities should contact the VDACS Office of Agriculture and Forestry Development at (804) 786-6911 for more information.