FLORA, Miss. (WJTV) – Salad Days Hydroponic Farm announced an $8.5 million expansion in Mississippi.

Located in Flora, the new facility will encompass an additional 65,000 square feet to the farm’s current 21,000 square feet. The state of the art automated greenhouse will employ a minimum of some 20 people.

Salad Days grows a variety of pesticide-free lettuce. Officials said the farm’s increased capacity will allow for greater Mississippi retail penetration, as well as high end restaurants, food service companies and grocers in the state and throughout Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.

“This new state of the art facility will solve the capacity issue we’ve had. We will now be able to meet the volume demands of both our existing clients and clients that have been on the waiting list, in some cases for years,” said Leigh Bailey, president of Salad Days, “It’s the preferred brand for some of the Deep South’s best restaurants and most celebrated chefs.”

The expanded facility received incentives from the City of Flora, the Madison County Economic Development Authority, the Mississippi Land Water & Timber Board, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and the USDA.