Kentucky native Jonathan Webb is turning his dream of a high-tech farming hub in Appalachia into reality with AppHarvest.

The company is building some of the largest indoor farms in the world, combining conventional agricultural techniques with today’s technology to grow non- GMO, chemical-free produce. The company’s first greenhouse will span 60 acres and open in the second half of 2020 in Morehead, Ky.

• Like many Kentuckians, Jonathan grew up knowing of the devastating job losses in the region. His grandmother was raised in Whitley County, where a coal mining accident killed his great-grandfather. Jonathan strives to work alongside the hard-working men and women of Eastern Kentucky and build a resilient economy for the future.

  Before founding AppHarvest, Jonathan worked with the U.S. Department of Defense on what was then the largest solar project in the Southeastern United States. The project aimed to help achieve a White House goal of ensuring the military receives 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

• -  Kentucky native and University of Kentucky graduate

• -  Before starting AppHarvest, Jonathan helped build some of the largest solar projects in the Southeast, seeking to help the military generate 20% of their electricity from renewable sources.

• -  While working on renewable energy farms, Jonathan discovered the high-tech controlled environment agriculture farms of the Netherlands and returned home to Kentucky in 2017 with the dream of building AppHarvest and creating America’s AgTech capital in Eastern Kentucky.

• -  Named Emerging Entrepreneur by the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2019

• -  Selected to be a member by worldwide entrepreneurship network Endeavor.

• The organization seeks out the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world, and, to date, has screened more than 60,000 individuals and selected around 2,000.

• Talking points for agreement

• -  17 organizations signed an agreement committing to create America’s AgTech capital in Eastern Kentucky

• -  Calls for opening a Dutch representative office in Kentucky, creation of a series of research programs at universities, construction of a center of excellence, and the building of additional controlled environment agriculture farms like AppHarvest’s, which is under construction in Morehead.

• -  Dutch are widely recognized as the world’s leaders in AgTech. Even with a landmass just roughly the size of Eastern Kentucky, the Netherlands has become the world’s second-largest agricultural exporter. How? They utilize controlled environment agriculture facilities to grow up to 30 times more fruits and vegetables on an indoor acre compared to a traditionally farmed outdoor acre. And they do it using 90% less water.

• -  Why Kentucky? Our central geographic location, which has attracted the likes of Amazon and UPS, allows fresh fruits and vegetables to reach nearly 70% of Americans in a day's drive. That means fresher food and far less food waste as grocers benefit from the extended shelf life. Eastern Kentucky is also home to a strong workforce that long powered the country and exhibits the faith and grit needed to build a more resilient economy.