Startup backed by Vance had ‘nightmare’ conditions with workers toiling in 128-degree heat, ex-employees say

Former employees of an indoor farming startup, backed by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, have described appalling working conditions at the company, with staff toiling in triple-digit heat.

Vance was a board member, early investor, and public advocate of AppHarvest, a tech-infused farming operation in eastern Kentucky, according to CNN.

Founder Jonathan Webb wanted to create an indoor farming hub to grow fruits and vegetables, in a region with plenty of water and land available, within a day’s drive of most of the US population.

Vance called the company a “good investment” on Fox Business when it went public in February 2021, and lauded it for “making a big difference in the world.”

The company declared bankruptcy in 2023 as it faced debts of hundreds of millions of dollars.

While Vance has portrayed himself as a champion of the working class, a dozen former AppHarvest workers told CNN that the company was an awful place to work at times.

They said that conditions inside the company’s greenhouse were brutal, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Complaints were filed with the Department of Labor and a state regulator between 2020 and 2023 stating that workers were not given sufficient water breaks or proper safety equipment.

Documents reveal that state government inspectors visited the site on at least three occasions but issued no citations. However, some staff said they experienced heat exhaustion or injuries.

Several former staffers told CNN that while the company made promises of creating local jobs, they soon started hiring migrant workers from Mexico and Guatemala.

Crop care specialist Shelby Hester told CNN that when Kentucky’s Republican Senator Mitch McConnell toured the