MOREHEAD, Ky. — AppHarvest Inc. has started construction on two new high-tech indoor farms in Central Appalachia in Eastern Kentucky. The company’s new farms, located in Somerset and Morehead, Ky., will grow berries and leafy greens, respectively.
The high-tech Somerset farm marks the company’s expansion into growing berry crops. The Somerset indoor farm will be 30 acres. The Morehead farm will be the second AppHarvest farm in Rowan County to date. The new Morehead facility will produce leafy greens and will be about 15 acres.
AppHarvest’s newest indoor farms in Morehead and Somerset are preceded by the company’s flagship 2.76-million-s.f. facility growing tomatoes in Morehead; a 15-acre facility in Berea that will grow leafy greens; and a 60-acre facility in Richmond that will grow vine crops.
The company’s goal is to operate 12 high-tech indoor farms by the end of 2025, and today’s groundbreaking means five of those now have been put on the map. Construction for both the Somerset and Morehead facility is anticipated to finish by the end of 2022.
AppHarvest’s newest facilities will provide hundreds of well-paying jobs to Eastern Kentuckians in and around Somerset-Pulaski and Rowan counties. Both the Somerset-Pulaski and Rowan County facilities will produce non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) fruits and vegetables free of harsh chemical pesticides, to be distributed to top U.S. grocers and restaurants.
Because of the company’s strategic location in Appalachia, AppHarvest can reach nearly 70% of the U.S. population in a day’s drive, with up to 80% less diesel fuel compared to existing growers in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.
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