AppHarvest?s new farming facility offers a sustainable spin on rural economic growth Coal country in eastern Kentucky has been pitched numerous business ideas meant to jump-start the ailing Appalachian economy. A new proposal from a native son offers a unique spin on rebuilding the local economy, starting with tomatoes and cucumbers.
Jonathan Webb, a Kentucky native, has an expansive vision to turn a former cattle ranch in the city of Morehead into a 2.76-million-square-foot greenhouse, which will be North America?s largest. It?s part of a high-tech roadmap for the rural economy being advanced by his company AppHarvest.
The huge complex, consisting of glass-and-steel greenhouse technology imported from the Netherlands, will be built upon a 60-acre site and utilize some artificial lighting, as well as hydroponics and cutting-edge irrigation technology that will require 90 percent less water than traditional methods. Since the entire system is enclosed, the AppHarvest method eliminates the need for pesticides. Webb expects to grow roughly 40 million pounds of produce a year when the facility, which breaks ground this fall, is completed in 2020. ?Controlled environment agriculture is what wind and solar power was 15 years ago,? Webb says. ?We?re still able to capture the sunlight and rain while layering on technology that aligns ourselves with nature and boasts yield in a natural way.?
Webb?s premise offers a new take on geography and economic destiny. Kentucky?s locati...