Food Systems Project
Governor Glenn Youngkin announced grant awards totaling more than $280,000 to support and strengthen local food and agriculture businesses in 10 Virginia counties and cities. The announcement was made today during Virginia Agriculture Week to further highlight the industry’s role in stimulating economic development in Virginia and helping to address food insecurity in the state. (Used under Unsplash+ license)
RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Glenn Youngkin announced grants totaling more than $280,000 to support and strengthen local food and agriculture businesses in 10 Virginia counties and cities. The announcement was made during Virginia Agriculture Week to further highlight the agriculture industry’s role in stimulating economic development and helping to alleviate food insecurity in Virginia.
“We are pleased to support the important work of our local agricultural community through the AFID program, and Virginia Agriculture Week is the perfect time to celebrate these projects,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “By partnering with local governments, we can identify and address critical needs in our local food system and work together to grow agriculture, Virginia’s largest private industry.”
“The food and agriculture sector provides critical solutions to increase access to nutritious food and is a central component of ending hunger in Virginia. In addition to improving access to local food, these grants will strengthen communities’ ability to attract and support small and mid-sized agricultural operations,” said Agriculture and Forestry Secretary Matthew Lohr.
The Governor’s Agriculture, Forestry and Industrial Development (AFID) Fund Infrastructure Grants Program awards competitive matching grants to small farmers and food producers to fund strategic infrastructure investments to expand and improve their operations. Funding awards include producers in meat processing, dairy processing, canning, honey production, and farmers markets. The following projects are being funded under the AFID Infrastructure Grants Program:
Washington County, $50,000
The grant will help Anderson and Sons Meat Processing, a USDA-inspected multi-meat harvesting and processing plant, purchase new equipment to expand capacity and double production.
Shenandoah County, $12,300
The grant will help Corner Market Farm to Table build a new farmers market pavilion that will provide additional space to serve small agricultural businesses and host educational events about agriculture. Corner Market Farm to Table is an expansion of a multi-generational family-owned farm that currently works with more than 40 local producers across Virginia.
Smith County, $20,000
The grant will support Waller Dairy, a first generation Grade A dairy farm, to expand and increase its processing capacity.
Prince Edward County, $28,000
The funding will support the upgrade and modernization of critical food processing equipment within the shared Prince Edward Cannery and Virginia Food Works facility in Virginia.
Food Works, a local nonprofit, helps farmers and small food entrepreneurs produce value-added products from their home-grown fruits and vegetables.
Louisa County, $17,650
The funds will be used to improve freezer and refrigerator capacity at Century Farm Market, which provides locally grown produce to consumers in the Louisa and Lake Anna areas.
Albemarle and Fluvanna counties, $26,000
The grant will help Siller Pollinator Company, LLC build a mobile honey processing facility to assist local beekeepers in producing value-added beekeeping products such as creamed honey, infused honey and wax products.
Franklin County, $50,000
The grant funds will support essential equipment upgrades and facility repairs at Callaway Community Cannery and Glade Hill Community Cannery.
City of Buena Vista, $50,000
The grant will help purchase equipment for the Virginia Innovation Accelerator Commercial Kitchen, a new shared kitchen facility that will serve as a business incubator focused on agricultural innovation. The project, done in partnership with the Advancement Foundation, will enable small and mid-sized agricultural producers in the southern Shenandoah Valley to start and sustain value-added product companies.
In addition to announcing the infrastructure grant awards, Governor Youngkin also announced the award of a $30,000 AFID Planning Grant to Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. The two jurisdictions are partnering with the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District (NVSWCD) to establish an Urban Agriculture Roadmap Working Group to develop a plan to identify and mitigate barriers to food system resilience through urban agriculture. Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax are matching the grant with $8,500 and $7,000 in local funding. NVSWCD provided an in-kind contribution of $14,500 to support the project.
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services administers the AFID Infrastructure Grant Program and the AFID Planning Grant Program. The next semi-annual infrastructure grant round will accept applications from October 1 to November 15, 2024, and applications for planning grants are accepted on an ad-hoc basis. For more information on the AFID Infrastructure Grant Program, visit www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agriculture-afid-infrastructure-grants.shtml. For more information on the AFID Planning Grant Program, visit www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agriculture-afid-planning-grants.shtml.
–Michael Wallace, VDACS
