Pittsylvania County agriculture complex gets another boost

The Olde Dominion Agricultural Foundation received a boost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the agriculture complex.

Pittsylvania County Agriculture Development Director Fred Wydner said the $100,000 Rural Business Enterprise from USDA will pay for construction of the farmer’s market at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex.

“With the farmer’s market, it opens up another avenue to support the community and our farming families by offering a space in which they can fully market products that they grow on their farms,” Wydner said of the farmers market.

The $5.2 million complex, which will be located at 19783 U.S. 29 South at the former Billy’s Restaurant location in Chatham, has been in the works for more than two years.

The complex, which officials hope would be complete by the end of the year, will be located on land donated by the Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau Federation.

Its mission will be to offer a central location for regional farm-product sales, including a farmer’s market and livestock center. It will also offer space for agricultural events, agricultural education, agritourism functions, a business and meeting space and events for horse-related and wine-related activities.

The complex will include a 53,000 square-foot indoor arena for horse and cattle shows and an 11,000-sqaure-foot, 500-seat conference center that can be divided into three classrooms. It will also have office space and a farmer’s market with 40 stalls.

It will also include a 12,000-sqaure-foot office complex to house offices including those for the Pittsylvania County Agricultural Development Office, the Pittsylvania County branch of the Virginia Farm Bureau, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency and the county office of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, among others.

The complex could also be used for receptions, weddings, concerts, graduations car shows and other events.

The Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau bought land north of Chatham for the complex and transferred the property to the Olde Dominion Agricultural Foundation. The foundation continues to seek money and partnerships for the complex’s construction.

So far, the Virginia Tobacco Commission has awarded $1.88 million to the project. Farm Bureau has also put $175,000 toward the project.