Eight days in December turned a sudden warning into a bleak reality, proving that even high-tech indoor agriculture is not immune to shifting investor priorities and unforgiving economics. In rural Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 172 workers were terminated on December 19 as a major agriculture company ceased operations at its Ringgold vertical farm, leaving families without income just days before the holidays.
Facility Goes Dark in Eight Days
On December 11, 2025, the company filed a WARN notice with Virginia’s Department of Workforce Development, stating it would shut down its Ringgold facility effective December 19. The filing revealed that the company’s largest investor had abruptly pulled out, citing “unannounced restructuring and change in priorities.”
Local officials described the speed of the closure as unprecedented. Despite a frantic week of attempts to negotiate an extension or secure bridge capital from lenders, no new funding materialized. By the December 19 deadline, the 140,000‑square‑foot facility—valued at approximately $17 million—was officially shuttered.
The investor’s sudden withdrawal triggered a fatal crisis for the operation. The notice that signaled the end of the Ringgold facility became the final record of its rapid collapse.
Job Losses Just Before the Holidays
The layoff process began with an email on December 11 that started an eight‑day countdown to unemployment. Of the 172 jobs lost, the majority belonged to Virginia residents, many from Danville and Pittsylvania County. In a region where advanced agricultural jobs are limited, the complete shutdown means families are now facing lost income, gaps in health insurance, and the likely need to relocate.
Danville officials moved quickly, coordinating with Virginia Career Works to prepare support services for the displaced workforce. As the December 19 deadline arrived, employees received their final paychecks and separation notices.
Because the funding crisis unfolded so quickly, the company was unable to provide the usual 60 days’ warning required by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. State and federal authorities accepted the argument that the collapse in backing qualified as an unforeseen emergency, allowing the immediate closure to proceed.
A Flagship’s Failure
The Ringgold facility opened in September 2022 as a showcase for vertical farming: stacked growing towers, hydroponic systems, and banks of LED lights raising leafy greens indoors. In April 2023, the company had consolidated its commercial production in Virginia, transferring operations from its New Jersey headquarters.
That optimism collided with financial reality. The company had previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2023, citing “significant industry and capital-market headwinds.” While executives had pledged to keep Virginia operations going during that restructuring, the December 2025 closure marked the end of that promise. The shutdown leaves specialized equipment idle and strips Danville of its status as the company’s official headquarters.
An Industry-Wide Reckoning
The Ringgold closure serves as a stark example of the broader pullback in vertical farming. Several high‑profile companies have closed facilities or sought bankruptcy protection recently. One operator that once drew a multibillion‑dollar valuation shut down in 2024, and others like AppHarvest and Kalera had already entered bankruptcy.
Investment data reflect the shift. The 2025 AgFunder Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report documented a 53 percent year‑over‑year decline in venture funding for novel farming systems. The capital that once drove rapid expansion has evaporated as investors demand immediate profitability.
For the 172 workers in Virginia, the macroeconomic shift has had a tangible, devastating cost: a permanent facility closure and the loss of their livelihoods right before Christmas.
Sources
Virginia Department of Workforce Development WARN Notice Filing, December 11, 2025
Cardinal News, “AeroFarms to close Danville-Pittsylvania location; all 173 employees will be terminated Friday,” December 15, 2025
Virginia Business, “AeroFarms to close Pittsylvania operations; 173 to lose jobs,” December 15, 2025
AgFunder Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report, 2025
Ground News, “After whirlwind week, AeroFarms staves off closure, will continue Ringgold operation,” December 19, 2025
Danville City Manager Ken Larking, Public Statement, December 16, 2025