Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission recently awarded nearly $575,000 in funding to Danville’s Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The money was among 22 funding requests from groups across Southern and Southwest Virginia.
“I am delighted that we could hold the Tobacco Commission meeting in Blackstone at the recently opened Inn at Blackstone,” State Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Meckenburg, and chair of the tobacco commission, said in a statement. “From supporting our agricultural community to attracting top businesses and ensuring we have the sites and assets to be competitive, the work the commission has done here will have a long-lasting impact on the regions it serves.”
Virginia appears to have become the center for the controlled environment agriculture industry. A $145,841 tobacco commission grant aims to help expand the efforts in Southern Virginia. The funding will establish a testing service for the controlled environment agriculture industry by hiring a research technician. Money also will go toward generating educational materials for producers.
There are matching funds of more than $88,000 from Virginia Tech for the postdoctoral research position and $48,000 from the institute for materials, office, and greenhouse bench space.
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