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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

80 Acres Farms Establishes Covington, Georgia, Operations

06/19/2022
80 Acres Farms, an industry-leading vertical farming company, will expand operations in Covington, Georgia. The $120 million project is expected to create 150 jobs in Newton County.

When fully operational, the new facility will generate four times as much food as the company’s current largest and most productive farm, in Hamilton, Ohio, with the capability to grow leafy greens, microgreens, vine crops, and fruits year-round. The site is already under construction with expected completion by August. The farm will be distributed to retailers by early 2023.

“It’s no coincidence that our first next-generation production farm outside the Midwest will be in the heart of Georgia,” said 80 Acres Farms CEO Mike Zelkind. “We went looking for another community where government officials and business leaders were prioritizing the future of farming, and we found that in Covington. This new farm allows us to give consumers in the Atlanta region what they truly want, fresh, local, pesticide-free food.”

80 Acres Farms operates super-efficient vertical farms that can produce up to 300 times as much food per square foot as traditional farms, using 95 percent less water per pound of produce and minimizing food miles and waste. Currently, the company operates eight farms in the United States, built by its technology group, Infinite Acres.

“80 Acres Farms is an exciting and innovative addition to Georgia’s agriculture community, which embraces sustainable farming solutions that push the industry forward,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Vertical farming technology uses cutting-edge techniques to better manage land and resources, increase crop yields, and reliably produce a diverse selection of crops year-round. Georgia’s rich farming history, our innovative AgTech ecosystem, and our strategic geographic location ensures 80 Acres Farms will find all the support it needs to flourish in Georgia.”

Senior Project Manager Kristen Miller represented the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) Global Commerce team with the City of Covington and NOW Covington.

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