Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger announced $507,000 in infrastructure grants to 14 localities to support agricultural producers and strengthen local food systems.
The grants, administered through the Governor's Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, will fund projects including animal and wood products processing facilities, shared-use canneries and commercial kitchens, farmers markets, creamery expansions, produce packing facilities, and a regional livestock marketing complex, according to the announcement.
Funded projects include $50,000 to Appomattox County to construct a multi-purpose agricultural complex serving as a regional livestock aggregation and marketing facility for cattle, swine, sheep, and goat producers; $50,000 to Carroll County to modernize its public-use community cannery with new equipment; and $50,000 to Covington to convert an underused building into a shared-use produce packing and processing facility, according to the announcement.
The funding aims to help small and mid-size farms access wholesale and retail markets by improving infrastructure like cold storage and processing facilities, which reduces food waste and can lower costs for consumers, according to state officials.