By Jameson Jones, Tazewell County Young Farmers

On April 20, 2017, the Tazewell County Young Farmers planted a dogwood tree in memory of William “Bill” Osborne, past President of the Tazewell County Farm Bureau.

The planting of the tree took place two days before Earth Day, in order to honor Bill’s service to the agricultural community. Bill was active in Farm Bureau for many years, helping the Young Farmers to become active in 2014.

In addition to his service to agriculture, Bill served as sheriff of Tazewell County and befittingly, the tree was planted in front of the Tazewell County Sherriff’s Office.

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Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced that a new economic impact study, conducted by the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, shows that Virginia’s agritourism industry accounts for $2.2 billion in economic activity. The report also shows that the economic activity attributed to the Commonwealth’s 1,400 agritourism businesses supports 22,000 jobs, contributes $840 million in income, and injects $135 million in state and local taxes. The study is the first statewide benchmark report to measure the economic and fiscal impacts of Virginia’s agritourism sector.

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The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued three primary Secretarial natural disaster designations for Virginia localities for extreme weather-related agricultural losses during the 2016 crop year. In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster. Continue reading →

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just released information on Regulatory Reform. The release follows EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s launch of his “Back to Basics” agenda to refocus the agency’s core mission that also includes returning power to the states and an environment where jobs can grow. He emphasizes the importance of engaging with state, local and tribal partners to create sensible regulations that enhance economic growth. See press release below:

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Virginia farmers are being urged to complete the Agricultural Labor Survey that the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service mailed this month.

The survey, which is sent biannually in April and October, will collect information from more than 250 Virginia farm operators. It contains questions about hired farm labor, including total number of farm workers, average hours worked and wages paid for a specific time period.

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The American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee is offering up to five $550 competitive grants to county or state Farm Bureaus to assist in “Our Food Link” projects. The deadline for applications is May 15. OFL is a year-round program that county and state Farm Bureaus can use to innovatively reach consumers of all ages and backgrounds with information on food production. Continue reading →

The American Farm Bureau Federation is working to ensure a better safety net for farmers, and asked Virginia dairy producers for their input.

Dr. John Newton, AFBF director of market intelligence, met with the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Dairy Advisory Committee March 29 to discuss AFBF’s plans and to seek input on improving the 2018 Farm Bill.

Although dairy accounts for only 1 percent of total farm bill spending, improving the dairy Margin Protection Program is one of AFBF’s priorities. “The dairy safety net is broken, but we’re going to work to make MPP better,” Newton promised.

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~ State Veterinarian’s Office encourages horse owners to check with their veterinarians now regarding vaccination schedule ~

Mosquito season will begin soon in Virginia. That means it’s time to start thinking about vaccinating your horses against mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) encourages all horse owners to check with their veterinarians for vaccination recommendations for their animals. In 2016, Virginia had seven confirmed cases of EEE in horses.

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The American Farm Bureau Federation announces the launch of Market Intel, a new series of market intelligence reports available at fb.org/marketintel and on Twitter (@FBMarketIntel). Market Intel will provide timely market intelligence on the agricultural economy for farmers, ranchers, lawmakers and consumers, according to AFBF.

“Soybeans Trumping Corn in 18 States” by AFBF’s Dr. John Newton, is the first Market Intel report in the new series. It features insights on the implications of the Agriculture Department’s just-released Prospective Plantings and Grain Stocks reports.

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Virginia forest landowners looking to gain an understanding of how to keep their woods healthy and productive can do so in the comfort of their own home.

Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment are offering an online course to help private landowners become better stewards of their land.

The 12-week Online Woodland Options for Landowners course, which runs from May 15 to Aug. 4, teaches basic management principles and techniques for both novice and veteran private forest landowners. Materials provided include four reference books and access to an online a tree identification tutorial.

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