While still in the design phase as of right now, Ramsay Agriculture is set to take over two sites in the city, one on 65 River Street and a second site at 40 Winsor Street, or the former Crawford Furniture facility.

Project Manager for Ramsay Agriculture, Ross Ramsay, said that the indoor hydroponic farm will produce fresh food including leafy greens, herbs, mushrooms and strawberries. He said Ramsay Agriculture wanted to come to Jamestown because of the real estate being cheap, the ability to serve customers up to a 250 mile radius, along with the available infrastructure, labor supply and tax incentives.

Even though everything is still in the design phase, Ramsay said there are some preparation steps that have already been taken.

“We have a business plan that has been prepared and is ready,” Ramsay said. “We have investors on board and are finalizing procedures. We should see a construction start date closer to the end of the year, and right now we are in the stages of cleaning and securing the building, finalizing contracts with the city and finalizing our finances.”

Pictured are Tom Bollman and Ross Ramsay in front of one of the future Ramsay Agriculture sites at 65 River Street. P-J photos by Sara Holthouse

Being an operation that is able to serve within a 250 mile radius, Ramsay said New York City will be included on this list, and that initial estimates see Ramsay Agriculture producing up to 2 million pounds of food per year, along with being an energy producer as well.

In Ecklund’s state of the city, it is noted that the facility plans to implement innovative energy-harvesting technologies in its waste management systems, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions while generating renewable energy.

The state of the city also notes that Ramsay Agriculture will have a significant impact on Jamestown’s economy. Ramsay said the initial estimate is that the operation will create around 100 to 125 jobs overall.

Contracts with the local labor force are currently being worked out for the installation of things like heating and plumbing in the building. Tom Bollman with Bollman Plumbing has been contracted for the plumbing work and is helping with other contracts for those in the local labor force and trades.

Overall, Ramsay said the company is excited to be in Jamestown and get to work.

“Everything is still in the preliminary stages and we’re still getting it all together,” Ramsay said. “We have worked diligently with the mayor and support from the city and Chautauqua County IDA. We’re excited to be here, and it should be a good opportunity.”

For more information on Ramsay Agriculture, visit ramsayagriculture.com.