Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin was in Danville on Thursday to visit Aerofarms. During Youngkin’s visit he issued a proclamation for March to be Controlled Environment Agriculture Month.

“One of the things that we felt was so important to do was to recognize that Virginia is the leader in controlled environment agriculture and we do not plan on letting anyone catch up,” said Youngkin, “we are working together with industry and our educational institutions and our great work force to drive this leading industry further.”

The Aerofarms location in Danville is the worlds largest indoor vertical farming facility. The company officially opened the 140,000 square foot facility in September at the Cane Creek Centre in Ringgold.

During the event Youngkin also noted that he wants to bring this industry into schools.

“It can start right out of the box with students experiencing what the science is all about, yes the agriculture and biology, but also the engineering and the coding and the robotics,” said Youngkin.

“I have a long term vision for Virginia, by the time I’m done in my four years I want every Virginia high school student to graduate with an industry recognized credential and how about a credential that’s targeted towards the controlled environment agriculture industry so that we can have people prepared for great careers and they can come work right here at Aerofarms.”