Hydroponic grower Salad Days has reached full operational capacity at its newly completed 68,000-square-foot controlled-environment agriculture facility in Flora.
The St. Patrick's Day ribbon-cutting at Flora Industrial Park marked the official launch of the high-tech facility, which uses Prospiant greenhouse systems and FGM moving-table automation to produce up to 3 million heads of lettuce annually for distribution across the Southeast.
© Salad DaysCompany owners Leigh and Jamie Redmond.
State and local officials attending the event included Mississippi agriculture commissioner Andy Gipson, USDA Mississippi director Dane Maxwell, Madison County Economic Development Authority executive director Joey Deason, and Flora mayor Les Childress.
The new greenhouse significantly expands the company's production capacity and enables year-round supply of hydroponic lettuce varieties for foodservice operators and grocery retailers across Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.
The facility uses controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) to deliver pesticide-free leafy greens while maintaining consistent production regardless of seasonal conditions.
© Salad Days
The new greenhouse enables year-round supply of hydroponic lettuce varieties for customers across Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.
"This expansion moves us from a niche grower to a scaled regional supplier," said Leigh Bailey, president of Salad Days. "Demand from chefs and retailers across the Southeast has outpaced what we could produce for years. With this facility fully online, we can finally deliver the volume the market has been asking for."
Product from the Flora operation is now shipping daily to restaurants, foodservice distributors and regional and national grocery chains.
The project received support from the City of Flora, Madison County Economic Development Authority, the Mississippi Land Water & Timber Board, the Mississippi Development Authority, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Deason said the investment further strengthens Madison County's growing specialty food manufacturing and agriculture cluster. "Facilities like this demonstrate that advanced agriculture can thrive in Mississippi."
"A facility of this scale producing fresh food for the Southeast highlights Mississippi's leadership in agricultural innovation," said Gipson.
For more information:
Leigh Bailey
Salad Days
Tel: +1 (601) 209-8611
[email protected]
https://saladdaysproduce.com/
