U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the launch of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) resources to provide comprehensive and timely support to veterans interested in opportunities in agriculture, agribusiness, and in rural America. The resources include a new website and a USDA-wide AgLearn curriculum to allow all employees to understand the unique opportunities offered to our nation’s veterans.

“From the beginning of this Administration, USDA has focused on how to best serve our veterans,” said Secretary Perdue. “These men and women of the United States military have kept America free and deserve the utmost respect. Across the country, these veterans are beginning to fill roles that preserve rural communities while providing for their livelihood. Through these resources, USDA is committed to helping veterans in agricultural areas so we can strengthen the American economy and provide assistance for those who have served. Veterans and agriculture are just a great fit.”

USDA supports veterans in the areas of the “three Es” – employment, education, and entrepreneurship, and pulls together programs from the Department’s 17 agencies that veterans may use. Watch this video or view below to learn more about USDA’s new veterans resources.

Veterans who are interested in learning more about opportunities through USDA can visit www.usda.gov/veterans or visit their local USDA Service Center.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the November Crop Production report today, showing an increase in a projected record yield for soybeans, and increases for corn and peanuts from October. Cotton is holding steady, with forecast production still up 90 percent from 2016.
“Yield forecasts improved when compared with a month ago,” said Herman Ellison, Virginia state statistician. “Prospects for corn, soybeans and peanuts all increased based on Nov. 1, conditions. Harvest progress went well during the month of October and is wrapping up.”

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is encouraging producers to respond to two upcoming surveys – the December Agricultural Survey and the County Agricultural Production Survey – that are critical to row crop producers around the country.  The results of the surveys help determine the structure of the 2017 farm payment and risk management programs administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency.

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The sixth annual Virginia Farm to Table Conference will be held Dec. 6 and 7 at Blue Ridge Community College’s Plecker Workforce Center in Augusta County.

The conference is an opportunity for learning, networking and community-building among producers, buyers, restaurateurs, food entrepreneurs, community and agricultural development officials, nutrition and dining service directors, dietitians, policymakers, educators, farm-to-school advocates, technical service providers and food system stakeholders.

Keynote speakers include Diane Imrie, registered dietitian and director of nutrition services at the University of Vermont Medical Center; Anne and Jack Lazor, founders of Butterworks Farm, an organic and grass-fed dairy operation in Westfield, Vt.; and Shorlette Ammons, outreach coordinator for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at N.C. State University.

In addition to the speakers, there will be concurrent sessions where producers and practitioners share their local and regional expertise on topics such as sustaining farms, families and communities; soil health and water quality; organic grain production; market readiness; hospitality and service; and improving food equity and access.

Registration and conference details are available at conference.virginiafarmtotable.org. Registration is $40 per day until Nov. 30 and $60 per day afterward.

The House Ways and Means Committee has released its tax reform plan, the Tax Reform and Jobs Act.   This is the first major tax package since the 1980s and this legislation is expected to move quickly through Congress.  A lot of work remains to enact the bill into law. 

It includes the following provisions important to farmers:

Reduced Business Tax Rates
Immediate Expensing of Business Investments
Continuation of Cash Accounting
Continuation of Section 1031 Like Kind Exchanges
Estate Tax Relief

NOW is the time to tell your legislators we need common sense tax reform to ensure these items remain in the final bill.  

The federal tax code should be simple, transparent, revenue-neutral and fair to farmers, and it should recognize farmers’ unique financial challenges. The Tax Reform and Jobs Act is a step in the right direction.

Click here to Take Action: https://www.fb.org/advocacy/tax-reform-and-jobs-act

Farm Bureau Applauds House Tax Reform Plan.

Click here to learn more about Agriculture and Tax Reform.

The State Fair of Virginia’s 2017 attendance was nearly 250,000, the second-highest since the fair moved to The Meadow Event Park in 2009.

“Our carnival and food gross sales were both records for the State Fair,” explained Marlene Pierson-Jolliffe, the fair’s vice president of operations. “Our new layouts were a success, and it was a very smooth operational fair.”

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Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced an award of $481,410.50 in grant funding for 10 agriculture-related projects from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The grants will promote and enhance the competitiveness of Virginia’s specialty crops and create more economic development opportunities across the Commonwealth. The project awards resulted from a competitive grant process established by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) for the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant funds.

“As one of our largest private industries, agriculture plays a key role in supporting our efforts to build a new Virginia economy and create jobs in every corner of the commonwealth,” said Governor McAuliffe. “Virginia’s agricultural industry depends on 21st century-based research and data to remain competitive in the global economy. These funds will provide necessary support for research in food safety to ensure that Virginia maintains a safe and wholesome food supply.”

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Traveling from Hawaiian papaya groves, to banana farms in Uganda, to the cornfields of Iowa, Food Evolution is set amidst a brutally polarized debate marked by fear, distrust and confusion: the controversy surrounding GMOs and food.

Academy Award-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy partnered with the Institute of Food Technologists, which represents 17,000 food scientists, for the film. It brings to light the environmental, nutritional and economic benefits of modern technology, and supports science in moving agriculture forward.

To spark a fact-based public dialogue about GMOs and our food system, USFRA is engaging consumer audiences and the agriculture community through promotion and enhanced distribution of the Food Evolution film (i.e. college/university campus screenings, a paid digital media campaign, and educational materials).

USFRA encourages you to show a screening of the film in your local area to foster a meaningful dialogue about how food is grown and raised. If you are interested in hosting a screening, contact Jenny Johnson at jjohnson@usfraonline.org or (636) 449-5049.

Food Evolution is available on Hulu and can be purchased/downloaded on iTunes or Amazon.

Robert Mills, Jr., a first generation farmer who grows tobacco and raises beef cattle and pullet breeder chickens near Callands, Va., has been selected as the overall winner of the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year award for 2017.

Mills is a member of Pittsylvania County Farm Bureau and services on the Virginia Farm Bureau Board of Directors.

As an eighth grade student in an agriculture class, Mills decided to become a farmer. As soon as he made that decision, people told him he could never do it. His determination proved the doubters wrong. Mills now offers himself as an example for young people who face long odds in reaching their goals. His life is also an example of the positive impact that agricultural education and the FFA organization can have on young people.

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Join us for a Beginning Farmer Webinar! Tuesday, October 17, 2017 1:00pm to 2:00 pm (Eastern)

Good Harvest: Virginia’s Food Crop Donation Tax Credit Presented By: Representatives from First Lady of Virginia’s office, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, and Department of Taxation

Through Virginia’s Food Crop Donation Tax Credit, farmers have the opportunity to use their excess crops for a purpose: serving the 1.2 million Virginians who go hungry each year. In this webinar, participants will learn more about how they can make use of the tax credit to donate their excess harvest, give back to hungry families, and receive up to 30% of the value of their donation. The presentation will cover background of the program, a walkthrough on filing for the credit, suggestions on connecting with local food banks, and a question and answer session.

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