USDA Invests $20.02 Million to Support Local Businesses, Create Jobs, and Strengthen the Economy in Rural Virginia

Investments support the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to build back better in rural America

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2022 – United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Department is investing $1.4 billion to help a diverse rural America keep resources and wealth right at home through job training, business expansion and technical assistance. As part of this nationwide announcement, 18 projects will receive $20,027,008 in grants and loans to help rural Virginia businesses.

“For some time, rural America has been at the mercy of an extraction economy, where resources are taken from rural lands only to create jobs and economic opportunity in urban and suburban areas,” Vilsack said. “That’s why USDA is committed to doing what we can to change that extraction economy into a circular economy, where value is added closer to home, so the wealth created in rural areas stays in rural areas. Today’s announcement underlines the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to helping transform the economy and bring high-paying jobs and economic opportunities to the people who need it most.”

The funding announced today will help people and businesses in diverse communities and industries throughout rural Virginia. It will help companies hire more workers and reach new customers. It will open the door to new economic opportunities for communities and people who historically have lacked access to critical resources and financing. And it will help entrepreneurs, business cooperatives and farmers in nearly every state create jobs, grow businesses, and find new and better markets for the items they produce.

USDA Rural Development Acting Virginia State Director Terry Rosta said, “the investment in these 18 projects will create or save more than 220 jobs and benefit more than 590,000 people who call rural Virginia home. Changing to a circular economy will highlight the importance that rural Virginia plays for the entire state. We are proud to lead the way by safeguarding wealth and resources created in our rural communities, stay in our rural communities.”

Virginia communities will benefit from a total of $20,027,008 for 18 projects (see chart below for remaining projects). Examples include:

• The Plant Company of Virginia, LLC is receiving $8,400,000 Business and Industry Loan Guarantee. This Rural Development investment will be used to develop a new business on 198.4 acres of real estate and construct 217,800 square feet of greenhouse space (five acres). A barn will be built for office space and loading docks. The facility will have a pond on the grounds to catch rainwater and supply it back to the greenhouse.

• IVOR VA, LLC is receiving a $2,565,000 Business and Industry Loan Guarantee. This Rural Development investment will be used to for the purchase of an existing 4,000 square foot gas station/convenience store in Southampton County. There is also a 2,500 square foot restaurant on the property, which will be renovated to be an American-style diner.

• VA Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation, and Rural Sustainability will use $200,000 Rural Cooperative Development Grant to fund the Cooperative Development Center that will serve rural areas in Virginia. These grant funds will aid the center in facilitating and coordinating technical and financial assistance to advance agricultural economic development.

• Dug In Farms, LLC is receiving $250,000 Value-Added Producer Grant to assist with working capital for market expansion expenses, assistance will aid to hire additional labor, offset new operational expenses associated with expansion and expand marketing efforts. Dug In Farms LLC is a woman-owned and operated produce farm located in White Stone, Virginia. This business serves the Northern Neck Region of Virginia.

• Sapidus Farms Inc. is receiving $250,000 Value-Added Producer Grant to be used as working capital for purchasing packaging and operational supplies, non-family labor to support increased sales, and increase our marketing efforts. Sapidus Farms Inc. is a boutique oyster farm specializing in the half-shell market located in Heathsville, Virginia. Sapidus Farms grows Oysters on their 25-acre farm and serves the Chesapeake Bay area.

Remaining Projects:

*Contact Adam Cyr at adam.cyr@usda.gov for specific project descriptions*

Background:

Vilsack highlighted 751 investments that USDA is making in eight programs specifically designed to create economic opportunities for people and businesses in rural areas. These programs include Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantees, which provided record-breaking investments in fiscal year 2021, and the B&I CARES Act Program, which has helped create thousands of jobs with funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Programs also include Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grants, Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program, Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, Intermediary Relending Program and Value-Added Producer Grants.

These programs are part of a suite of business and cooperative services that are projected to help create or save more than 50,000 jobs in rural America through investments made in fiscal year 2021.

The awards Vilsack announced today are being made in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. USDA Rural Development is prioritizing projects that will support key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help rural America build back better and stronger. Key priorities include combating the COVID-19 pandemic; addressing the impacts of climate change; and advancing equity in rural America. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.