North Country Growers LLC, the developer of a $58 million hydroponic greenhouse complex in Berlin, expects it will employ more than 80 people.

The facility is being developed by the subsidiary of Cambridge, Mass.-based American Ag Energy on the site of the former Berlin municipal landfill on East Milan Road.

In January, North County Growers completed its purchase of the 172-acre parcel from the city, and A.B. Excavating of Lancaster recently completed clearing and also installed erosion controls on a 22-acre portion of the property. The company expects the greenhouse to open next year.

Richard Rosen, CEO of American Ag Energy, told the Berlin Sun the greenhouses are expected to be operational “approximately a year from now,” and to annually produce 8 million pounds of tomatoes and 15 million heads of lettuce a year for the New England market.

North Country Growers said it expects to achieve “industry-leading profit margins and yield increases in excess of 30% compared to standard greenhouses.”

The Berlin greenhouses will create more than 80 good-paying jobs with benefits, said Rosen, something that will help the economically challenged North Country.

— JEFF FEINGOLD