Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the formation of the Central Virginia Poultry Cooperative by a group of poultry farmers who were affected by the closure of
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The farmer-owned cooperative will produce and sell wholesale cage-free, premium table eggs to Dutch Country Organics, LLC of Indiana. Cooperative profits will be reinvested in people, products, processes, and member dividends.
Establishment of the cooperative restores and revitalizes poultry production in Central Virginia for the benefit of poultry-dependent farms and communities through the production of eggs.
“When we learned last March that poultry farmers in Central Virginia needed our help, I directed our Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry to bring a team together and find a way forward for the family-owned farms of the region,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.
“I am thrilled to share that less than a year later; the Commonwealth is supporting many of these growers in making a bold step forward to a brighter future in the fast-growing market for cage-free eggs.”
Dutch Country recently executed a multi-year agreement with the Central Virginia Poultry Cooperative. Details of the agreement have not yet been released. The cooperative expects to place the first laying hens in members’ converted broiler houses in April 2024.
Founded by Lamar Bontrager, Dutch Country Organics, LLC is an Amish-owned specialty egg business based in Middlebury, Indiana.
Operating under the highest standards of animal welfare practices, the company contracts with over 50 local Amish farm families to produce a variety of high-quality, fresh, cage-free, and other specialty table eggs. Through established contracts, Dutch Country eggs are sold to national retailers such as Costco, Albertsons, Target, Aldi, Walmart, and Kroger, the largest and second largest retail buyers of U.S. eggs respectively.
Governor Youngkin approved a $50,000 grant from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund, with the counties providing matching funds.
The project is also receiving a $1.4 million award from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. The cooperative also is expected to receive an award of $341,750 from the Rural Rehabilitation Trust Fund, which is administered by VDACS. ■