The 2020 Virginia Ag Expo has been canceled to ensure the health and safety of exhibitors and guests as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Farm Bureau is asking Senate lawmakers to make several changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to make it more workable for farmers and ranchers.

“While the PPP is providing vital assistance to farmers and ranchers who were able to receive loans, more funding is needed to support those shut out of the program and significant changes are necessary for agricultural producers to fully participate in the PPP,” AFBF President Zippy Duvall said in letter to Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

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While DMV Customer Service Centers are reopening, the staggered openings and services by appointment only have implications for pesticide applicators and their ability to take the certification exam(s).  To address the issue, the Administration has again extended the expiration date for all Notices of Authorization to tests issued on or after December 20, 2019.  All authorization letters for prospective applicators to take the exam(s) to become certified issued on or after December 20, 2019, will now expire on October 31, 2020, or the current date of expiration, whichever is greater. Prospective applicators that do not take the exam(s) by October 31, 2020, or the current date of expiration, whichever is greater, will be required to submit a new application with appropriate fees to take the exam(s).

The most current information related to applicator certification can be found here: https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pesticide-applicator-certification.shtml.

Check out this week’s Merchandiser Minute!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released an initial list of additional commodities that have been added to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) and announced other adjustments to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organizations and review of market data.

Producers will be able to submit applications that include the new commodities on Monday, July 13, 2020. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting applications for CFAP through Aug. 28, 2020. USDA expects additional eligible commodities to be announced in the coming weeks. Continue reading →

County Farm Bureau Women’s Committees across Virginia are banding together to help the hungry in their communities with a classic lunchtime staple—peanut butter and jelly.

Sponsored by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Leadership Committee, participating county Farm Bureau women’s committees are collecting peanut butter, jelly and other non-perishable food items to help support regional food banks, local food pantries and Virginia families.

The idea for the statewide effort started when Faye Hundley, chairman of VFBF Women’s Leadership Committee, heard about the spike in people seeking food assistance and wanted to help. She reached out to the women’s committees and began organizing the effort.

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The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) goes into effect July 1, at a crucial time for farmers struggling to recover from COVID-19 losses and a depressed agricultural economy. The expected $2 billion annual increase in U.S. agricultural exports and overall increase of $65 billion in gross domestic product will provide a welcome boost.

USDA estimates COVID-19 contributed to a $50 billion decline in commodity value alone for 2019, 2020 and 2021 production totals. This does not include all of agriculture’s losses, which would be billions more.

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Farmers are invited to submit nominations for the 2021 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest, with support from Purina. This is the third year of the contest, which celebrates farm dogs that work alongside farmers and ranchers to produce nutritious food for families and their pets across America.

The grand prize winner – Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year – will win a year’s worth of Purina dog food and $5,000 in prize money. The winner will be recognized at a Farm Dog of the Year award ceremony at the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in January. Up to four regional runners-up* will win $1,000 each in prize money.

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Farm Bureau is backing two recently introduced bills that would help more small meat and poultry plants sell their products in other states and better meet nationwide demand for beef, chicken and turkey.

Introduced on July 2, the Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants (RAMP-UP) Act would establish a program to make facility upgrade and planning grants to existing meat and poultry processors to help them move to federal inspection, which will allow them to sell their products across state lines. The legislation would also require USDA to work with states and report on ways to improve the existing Cooperative Interstate Shipment program.

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