Gov. Terry McAuliffe was joined by Todd Haymore, secretary of agriculture and forestry, to announce increased funding for agriculture and forestry programs on Tuesday in Chatham.
McAuliffe said funding for the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, which provides economic development grants for two of Virginia’s largest industries, would be doubled from about $2 million to $4 million. He said it would add four positions to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services staff, which administers the grants.
In its first two years of existence, McAuliffe said, grants totaling $2.1 million were awarded to 28 agriculture and forestry companies in 22 localities across the state, resulting 768 new jobs.
