Upward Farms has announced plans for a new 250,000 square-foot facility in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, slated to be complete and operational in early 2023.

The farm will provide "fresh, locally sourced" microgreens and sustainably raised hybrid striped bass to consumers.

Upward Farms’ aquaponic platform combines the "precision, scalability, and year-round freshness of indoor farming with the benefits of whole ecosystem and microbiome-rich regenerative agriculture".

Waste from the fish is transformed into organic fertilizer for the leafy greens, which are USDA Certified Organic, non-GMO, and free from synthetic chemicals.

Upward Farms’ new facility in Pennsylvania will be 2-4x the size of the next largest vertical farms operated by their sector peers.

The company's facilities are climate-resilient and reduce water and land use by 95%.

The 250,000 square foot facility will conserve more than 100 million gallons of water and more than 120 acres of land on an annual basis, and eliminate 1.7 million food transportation miles per year.

Upward Farms is investing in the local community and workforce, providing vocational training and upskilling along with more than 100 jobs across manufacturing, technology, and business roles, in addition to 400 jobs throughout the course of the facility’s construction.

“Farming is one of the sectors that’s both highly exposed to the perils of climate change and one of its key drivers,” said Jason Green, CEO & Cofounder of Upward Farms.

“With this new facility, we’ll be able to reach some of the most populous areas of the US, and nearly 100 million Americans, within a single day of distribution versus the week it can take to receive products from the west coast.”