Builders broke ground in Chesterfield County, Virginia, to begin construction on a $300 million vertical farming campus that will eventually become the largest in the world.

“Virginia and Plenty are leading the way in the new age of agriculture,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said in a statement. “We are proud that the world’s largest indoor vertical farming campus is being built in the Commonwealth creating as many as 300 new jobs.”

RNC ANNOUNCES CRITERIA FOR SECOND DEBATE DESPITE UNCERTAIN TRUMP PARTICIPATION

Plenty is the agriculture technology company building the project, the first phases of which are set to be ready for use by the winter.

Virginia competed against five other states to be the location for Plenty's facility.

The company will construct 30-foot towers inside a larger facility to maintain a year-round growing season by simulating optimal growing conditions. This form of production enables produce to be grown at scale and away from the elements and would allow for different growing methods, such as hydroponics, which does not require soil.

Virginia Commerce and Trade Secretary Caren Merrick, who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said: “Indoor farming is fundamentally changing agribusiness with environmentally and socially responsible farming technologies that make local, sustainable produce available to more communities."

The first produce planned for the Plenty facility is Driscoll's strawberries, with more phases opening periodically over the next six years. Plenty has been growing strawberries in a research facility in Wyoming, but Virginia's vertical farming campus will be the first endeavor to grow them to scale.

Plenty's technology, which includes machine learning and customized lighting, is said to have 150 to 350 times larger yields per acre than a standard growing operation, according to AgDaily.

Plenty's flagship operation is in Compton, California.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

While the Compton location shows proof of concept, CEO Arama Kukutai said one of the biggest barriers to entry is the cost of building new facilities.

Earlier this year, Realty Income, a real estate investment trust, invested $1 billion into Plenty, $42 million of which is going toward Virginia's facility.