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CONCORD, NH — In case you missed it, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack announced in Manchester yesterday that the Biden-Harris Administration is making key investments to improve farming infrastructure for producers and create more jobs in New Hampshire. The funding will support the building of a 20-acre greenhouse facility in Berlin that will grow leafy greens and lettuce, increasing local food supply and access to nutritious and fresh food. See excerpts of coverage below:
WMUR:
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack announced Thursday in Manchester that hundreds of millions of dollars are being invested into building bigger and better markets for producers.
"Not everyone can start in a large-scale production, so it's important to have a resilient food supply system in this country that we support and advocate for," Vilsack said.
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made a stop in New Hampshire Thursday to announce $320 million in grants and loans for new projects in the US meant to boost small and medium-scale producers, including one in Berlin.
North Country Growers, a Massachusetts-based company, will receive a $19.9 million federal loan to create a 20-acre greenhouse facility in Berlin that will grow leafy greens and lettuce.
The greenhouse will employ 35 people once construction is finished on the first 10 acres of the greenhouse, according to founder and chief operating officer Marguerite Piret. She expects to complete the first 10 acres of the greenhouses by the end of 2023 and start selling produce in the first quarter of 2024.
Once the full 20 acres of construction is finished, she expects the operation to employ 80 people.