Author: VFB Governmental Relations

Beginning farmers encouraged to attend seminar

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Educational workshop will be held on April 25.

There are many components to starting a farm operation, with access to financing being one of the biggest challenges. To assist new agricultural producers in finding financial sources, the Virginia Secretariat of Agriculture and Forestry, in partnership with key lending institutions and state and federal agencies, will host a Farm Finance and Conservation Planning Seminar.

The educational workshop will be held on April 25 at Virginia Tech’s Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena in Blacksburg, Va. New and beginning farmers are encouraged to register for this free networking and learning opportunity. Please register by April 22, by emailing Josie.Rao@Governor.Virginia.Gov.

“As agriculture is the Commonwealth’s top private industry, Gov. Glenn Youngkin is committed to the industry’s continued development as a growth engine and source of jobs throughout rural Virginia,” said Matthew Lohr, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Lohr says the free seminar will provide critical farm financing and cost share conservation opportunities to help the next generation of agricultural producers find success.

FARM FINANCE & CONSERVATION PLANNING SEMINAR

April 25 · 9 am–2:30 pm

Virginia Tech, Alphin-Stuart Livestock Arena, 500 Plantation Rd, Blacksburg, VA 24061

Hosted by the Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry

Join this free networking event for beginner farmers to discover farm financing options and cost share conservation opportunities.

Presentations by:

  • Colonial Farm Credit
  • First Bank & Trust
  • The Bank of Southside Virginia
  • USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
  • Virginia Soil & Water Conservation Districts
  • Virginia Cooperative Extension
  • USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)
  • VSU Small Farm Outreach Program

Register Today! Please register by April 22, by emailing Josie.Rao@Governor.Virginia.Gov.

Heirs Property Seminar

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What Is Heirs Property 101

Tuesday, April 16 • 9AM – 1PM VCE Greensville Office, 105 Oak St, Emporia, VA

Register

What is Heirs Property 101? Estate planning, land transition, land access and land succession. This training will equip extension staff with the tools to provide education, training and outreach to underprivileged producers and landowners to improve their understanding of Heirs Property at the community level. The workshop will also offer land inheritance education and resources to disadvantaged landowners and their heirs.

Special guest presenter Lillian “Ebonie” Alexander, the Executive Director of the Black Family Land Trust, Inc., lives on her family farm in rural Southside Virginia. She will discuss the challenges families face in retaining land and family communication surrounding land inheritance. She will also share resources and steps for successful family land assets building and succession.

The VSU Heirs Property team consists of the Small Farm Outreach Program, The Black Family Land Trust, The Tennie Group, S. Miller Law Firm and our Virginia Tech Extension Partners. The VSU-SFOP Heirs Property Train-the-Trainer model will be used to educate other extension professionals who work with landowners and underserved communities. For more information, contact Marilyn Estes at 804-481-0485 or mestes@vsu.edu.

Center for Rural Virginia Renamed as the Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia

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Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation this week to rename the Center for Rural Virginia as the Sen. Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia. Surrounded by Senator Ruff’s family and General Assembly colleagues, Youngkin also announced Ruff’s appointment as a citizen member to the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.

“Today presents a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to a lifetime servant leader, Senator Frank Ruff, whose pivotal role in founding the Center for Rural Virginia will be commemorated in its name,” said Youngkin. “I am delighted to sign this legislation and turn the next chapter for this center as the ‘Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia.”

“I have been a proud supporter of the Center for Rural Virginia since its creation twenty years ago,” said Ruff. “I am pleased with how the Center continues to make rural Virginia a place where people can grow up, learn, get a good job, and raise their families. I look forward to being a part of the next phase of the Center.”

Former Sen. Frank M. Ruff Jr. was also honored with the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. The award was presented to Ruff during a private event with his family on March 26.

Ruff has a long track record of supporting the state’s No. 1 industry and has historically sought to understand the unique needs of the farming population.

He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1994 until 2000, when he was elected to the Virginia Senate. He retired from the Senate in December. Ruff held seats on key committees in the Virginia General Assembly that influenced policy impacting farmers, including the Agriculture, Appropriations, and General Laws & Technology committees. He also chaired the Virginia Tobacco Region and Revitalization Commission and the Center for Rural Virginia board of trustees.

Martha Moore, VFBF senior vice president of governmental relations, added that Farm Bureau is grateful for Ruff’s 100% voting record with Virginia Farm Bureau Federation AgPAC for the last decade, “and we are pleased that he continues to be a true advocate for farmers. Without his leadership and seniority, Virginia Farm Bureau would not have been as successful on numerous critical issues.”

In the last few years, Ruff introduced budget amendments to provide funding for FFA, the Center for Rural Virginia, the Wildlife Damage Cooperative Fund, the Forest Sustainability Fund, soil and water conservation districts, Virginia Cooperative Extension and the state’s agricultural best management practices cost-share program.

He carried legislation on industrial hemp and patroned a bill that increased state matching funds for the Reforestation of Timberlands Program. He also co-patroned legislation that amended Virginia’s Right to Farm Act. Additionally, he previously sponsored legislation to create Virginia’s Century Forest Program.

“In 2013, Senator Ruff was the main advocate in the Senate to support Farm Bureau’s position on keeping the moratorium on uranium mining,” Moore added. “And those are just a few of the Farm Bureau-backed budget amendments and policy initiatives he supported in his 30-plus-year legislative career.”

Applications Due for Grant & Loan Repayment Opportunities to Address Large Animal Veterinarian Shortage in Designated Areas of Virginia

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The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is currently accepting applications for two financial assistance programs to support qualified veterinarians in 5 nominated areas in Virginia experiencing large animal veterinarian shortages. The Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) assists veterinarians repay up to $75,000 in student loans if at least three years are served in a designated veterinary shortage area. The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) provides funding between $75,000-$250,000 for veterinary education and practice enhancement initiatives. 

VDACS has nominated five veterinary service shortage areas in Virginia eligible to apply for these funding opportunities:

Deadlines & How to Apply:

The deadline to apply for the VSGP program is Thursday, March 21, 2024. Click here to apply. 

The deadline to apply for the VMLRP program is Friday, April 12, 2024. Click here to apply. 

2024 General Assembly Update: Week 9

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Session adjourned on Saturday, March 9 and has sent almost 2,280 bills and a biennial budget for the governor to amend, veto or sign. We are pleased to share that Farm Bureau policy prevailed on 35 out of 42 policy issues this session. For our final update, it is time for everyone’s favorite video, the smiley face wrap up.

2024 General Assembly Update: Week 8

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This week in a House Counties, Cities and Towns subcommittee, SB697 (VanValkenburg) was continued to 2025. The subcommittee expressed concerns about the bill’s impact on their localities and wanted to continue the conversation on how to meet energy goals imposed by the Virginia Clean Economy Act while respecting local government authority. This discussion is not over, and Virginia Farm Bureau will continue to advocate for the maintenance of local government authority and placement of solar facilities on subprime lands to protect our farm and forest lands. More than 700 of you responded to the Farm Bureau action alert on this bill, and your voices were heard! Thank you for your participation.