Newberry presents F300 AgTech accelerator launch as part of wider Ag‑tech push

Kamal Latham, the City of Newberry’s economic development consultant, told the City Commission on March 10 that the F300 AgTech Innovation Park initiative has moved into an early “accelerator” phase and will host a public kickoff Wednesday evening at the municipal building. The three‑month accelerator is designed to help ag‑tech start‑ups scale while the city pursues funding for a permanent incubator and infrastructure.

The update matters because F300 is framed by the city and its partners as a vehicle for “high‑skill, high‑wage” jobs and new tax revenue that could support local infrastructure, Latham said. The project’s feasibility study and business plan were funded in part by a $20,000 grant from Duke Energy and a $55,000 USDA Rural Development grant; a followup application to the Governor’s Florida Jobs Growth Grant (a multimillion‑dollar request) remains pending with the Department of Commerce.

Latham said a regional consortium is in place to support the project. Consortium members he named include the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Santa Fe College, Duke Energy, Florida Micro Nano Technologies, the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, the Newberry Area Chamber and other private and nonprofit partners. He said the incubator business plan presented last summer estimated a 20,000+ square‑foot facility with construction costs in the $12–14 million range, but that the city should not wait to support companies while fundraising and construction continue.

"Don't wait until you build the big building to start helping agriculture and food technology companies right now," Latham said. He described the accelerator as a largely virtual, three‑month program with occasional in‑person events in Newberry that will connect companies to mentorship, customers and investors. Latham said two companies had already joined the accelerator and would appear at the kickoff: Pro Feed, a privately financed firm offering an AI‑enabled feed management system for dairy farms, and a University of Florida spin‑out referred to as "MooCanix," a UF student‑founded company developing an in‑vitro cow digestive system to test feed formulations.

Mayor Jordan Marlowe and several commissioners asked how the accelerator and a future incubator would be financed. Latham said the two companies in the immediate program were self‑funded and that the city’s role is to introduce firms to potential investors and customers. The longer‑term plan to build an incubator depends in part on the outcome of the Florida Jobs Growth Grant application; Latham said the grant would pay for underground infrastructure while a private developer would construct buildings and lease space to tenants.

Latham also noted statewide coordination: UF/IFAS and partners are helping create a broader Florida AgTech Accelerator and workforce programs spanning colleges and counties. The city’s kickoff is scheduled for Wednesday, 5:30–7:30 p.m., at the Municipal Building, where the two accelerator companies will be on hand for demonstrations.

If the Jobs Growth Grant is approved and private partners align, Latham said the city could pursue vertical construction; until then the accelerator is intended to seed relationships so companies consider Newberry when a physical incubator is available.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are listed at the end.