Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division gives us this week’s market update.

Below is our General Assembly update featuring our “smiley-face scorecard.” Thanks for watching!

VDACS has announced that effective March 17, 2022, the fee for pesticide applicators to renew their certificates has been eliminated.

While there is no fee to renew their certificate, pesticide applicators are still required to take one recertification course every two years, before their certificate expires. Applicators whose certificates expire on June 30, 2022 who have not yet attended a recertification course, are encouraged to view the list of currently approved recertification courses. Applicators who are unsure if they need to take a recertification course, can check the status of their recertification credit on the List of Certified Pesticide Applicators.

Applicators whose certificate expires on June 30, 2022 and who take the required recertification course, will have their certificate automatically renewed and a new certificate will be sent to them. For applicators who do not take a recertification course by June 30, 2022, their certificate will expire. If a pesticide applicator applies a pesticide without a current certification, they are in violation of Virginia’s laws and regulations and subject to enforcement action. Applicators who do not take a recertification course by August 29 of the expiration year are required by law to retest which requires submission of an application and fee.

Applicators whose certificate expires on June 30, 2022 will receive a letter with additional information about the renewal process. We will also update our website with the most current information as of the effective date. Questions can be directed to opsclrt.vdacs@vdacs.virginia.gov

As Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division explains, this week’s market is experiencing extreme volatility due to the crisis in Ukraine. May corn is up 97 cents at $7.52. May soybeans are up 72 cents at $16.56. July wheat is up $3.20 at $11.70.

Are you ready for 2022 and the coming decade? Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension is offering a virtual program on March 14 at 6:30 p.m. to help you prepare your agriculture business. Experts from Virginia Tech will cover:

— Ag commodity outlook

— Tobacco, peanut and hemp market situation

— JBS legal settlement

— Changing consumer demand for seafood

— Farm and food policy update.

To register for the virtual program, please visit here.

USDA Rural Development is making $150 million of American Rescue Plan Act funding available through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). USDA is offering grants of up to $25 million each to expand processing capacity through a variety of activities, including but not limited to construction, expansion of existing facilities and acquisition of equipment.

USDA encourages applications that benefit smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, Tribes and tribal producers, socially disadvantaged producers, military veteran producers and underserved communities.

USDA will host two informational webinars to provide information on MPPEP. The first, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, will provide an overview of the program. The second, March 7 at 2 p.m., will cover application requirements. Registration information for the webinars is available on the MPPEP website.

For additional information, applicants and other interested parties are encouraged to visit the MPPEP website: www.rd.usda.gov/mppep. Questions may be submitted through the website or sent to MPPEP@usda.gov.

All application materials can be found at http://www.rd.usda.gov/mppep or at http://www.grants.gov. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 11, 2022, through www.grants.gov.

Full Release: USDA Commits $215 Million to Enhance the American Food Supply Chain

Here are this week’s market updates with Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division.

Here are the highlights of Week 7 of the Virginia General Assembly along with an overview of our policy development process.

Robert Harper with Virginia Farm Bureau’s grain division explains this week’s market updates. March corn is up 3 cents at $6.54. March soybeans are up 18 cents at $16.01. July wheat remains at $7.98.