Hydroponic farming company 80 Acres Farms will open a new $74 million indoor farming facility in Boone County, creating 125 jobs, according to a joint press release from the company and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear's office.
The new farming operation will be located in an existing 200,000-square-foot building at 7455 Empire Drive.
The facility is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2022.
"Opening a farm in Boone County will allow us to grow closer to our retail partners in Lexington and Louisville and introduce our fresh, healthy, locally grown produce to many more Kentuckians,” 80 Acres CEO Mike Zelkind stated. "We’re always looking for ways to increase our impact, and this farm is the biggest step forward for us yet, more than doubling our total production and growing our footprint outside Ohio.”
Hamilton, Ohio-based 80 Acres currently operates eight farms and produces a range of food products, including salad blends, microgreens, tomatoes, basil and cucumbers, with plans to begin production of strawberries.
The company recently opened a $30-million-plus indoor farming complex in Hamilton.
The company specializes in growing crops indoors on an industrial scale without using soil under LED lights that use minimal power and water.
The indoor method allows 80 Acres to skip pesticides and gives it the ability to grow crops anywhere.
Once fully operational, the controlled-environment farm in Boone County will produce millions of servings of local, fresh produce for the surrounding area.
It will offer jobs in indoor vertical farming and harvesting and packaging and distribution.
"Agritech growth is a major part of our effort to create a sustainable economy that works for all Kentuckians, and I am very pleased to welcome 80 Acres Farms to the commonwealth,” Beshear said in a statement. "These well-paying jobs will create quality opportunities for our workforce.''
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