Conservation, forestry and wildlife control have all taken huge hits in Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s reductions to the state budget.

The governor’s fiscal year 2018 budget appropriated just $7.6 million for the best management practices cost-share program that helps farmers pay for voluntary conservation practices to help the state achieve its water quality goals. “This is dramatically short of the $100 million needed, and Farm Bureau will be asking the General Assembly to look at sources of funding to keep the program moving forward,” said Martha Moore, vice president of governmental relations for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

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Dr. M. Ray McKinnie, who has been serving as the Interim Dean and 1890 Extension Administrator of the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University, has been formally appointed to the position. The appointment is effective immediately.

McKinnie, who arrived at VSU in July 2015 to serve as assistant administrator of Extension programs in the College of Agriculture, stepped into the interim dean position two months later after the resignation of Dean Jewel Hairston.

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From our friends at On the Farm Radio:

It came close, but no cigar. The current world record for corn production yield remains in Virginia.

The National Corn Growers Association has released the official results of the 2016 National Corn Yield Contest and it was Randy Dowdy of Valdosta, Georgia who achieved the highest yield of corn for grain in 2016. Dowdy’s verified entry was grown using AgriGold A6499 STX/RIB seed yielding 521.39 bushels per acre (just 11 bushels short of the standing world record). Dowdy grew the crop using no-till/strip till methods with irrigation.

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Beginning in January, representatives of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will visit dairy farms across the nation, as the agency begins collecting data for the final phase of the 2016 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).

ARMS is a joint effort between NASS and USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). The survey is an annual program that gathers in-depth information on production practices, costs, and financial well-being of American farm families. ARMS targets select commodities on a rotational basis. This year, the survey places additional focus on corn, and conventional and organic dairy sectors. The last time ARMS focused on the dairy sector was in 2010 and focused only on the conventional dairy sector. This will be the first time ARMS will include additional focus on the organic dairy production.

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During the 2016 General Assembly session, Virginia Farm Bureau supported legislation that created an income tax credit for farmers who make food crop donations to a food bank. The guidelines have been released for the program and can be viewed online here.

The new tax credit would equal 30% of the fair market value of the food crops donated by the person during the taxable year not to exceed an aggregate of $5,000 for any taxable year. The bills defined food crops as grains, fruits, nuts, or vegetables. This new tax credit should help encourage more farmers to donate some of their crop to local food banks to help feed the hungry.

To receive the Food Crop Donation Tax Credit, donors must apply to the Department by completing Form FCD-1, which is available to download from the Department’s website www.tax.virignia.gov. This form and any supporting documentation must be completed and mailed no later than February 1 of the year following the taxable year during which the donations were made.

The patrons of the legislation that created the program were Senator Creigh Deeds of Bath (SB580) and Delegate Ben Cline of Rockbridge (HB1093). The bills were also championed by First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe as part her effort to help prevent hungry children.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at andrew.smith@vafb.com.

It’s the season for surprises, and we can’t keep quiet about this one any longer! We’ve re-designed our website. You’ll love how quick and easy it is to find whatever information you need, whether you’re at home or on the go.

Now all members can use the site to:
-Access all the great benefits available to members
-Learn about our agriculture-related  programs and activities
-Discover farmers’ markets featuring local producers nearest you
-Stay up to date on the latest Virginia agriculture news
-Get inspired with recipes and home garden tips
-Update your contact and member information
-Renew your membership online

Have you been keeping up with the VALOR Program? The Virginia Agricultural Leaders Obtaining Results Program has already graduated two classes. The program started with the Inaugural Class in 2012 the program has expanded the world for two great classes of cohorts that not only traveled the Commonwealth learning about our industry, but traveled to various regions of the United States as well as Argentina (Class I) and Vietnam (Class II). The program is two years in length with the class meeting approximately every other month. Class III started their journey in September of this year.  You can follow along with their program on their blog here.

The current class members are:

Class III Fellows

 Kristin Beery of Mt. Sidney, Agricultural Education Instructor, Augusta County Public Schools

Kimley Blanks of South Boston, Agriculture Marketing Director, County of Halifax

William Hatcher of Amelia Courthouse, Virginia Department of Corrections, Quality Assurance, State Farm Agribusiness

Frank Johnson III of Warsaw, Chief Leadership Officer, Hope for Family & Business Prosperity

Greta Liskey, of Harrisonburg, Owner, Liskey Custom Work

Paula Martin of Mount Crawford, AVP/Ag Credit Analyst, First Bank and Trust Company

Christopher Mullins of South Chesterfield, Assistant Professor, Extension Specialist, VSU

Michelle Olgers of Sutherland, Director of Marketing and Communication, VSU

Jennifer Shaver of Abingdon, Attorney, Shaver Law Office

Michael Smetak of New Market, Regional Director, Shenandoah Growers

Linsday Smith of Washington DC,  Coordinator, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, USDA Food LINC

Nathan Walsh of Purcellville, Owner/Winemaker-Vineyard Manager, Walsh Winegrowing  LLC/Sunset Hills Vineyard

Elizabeth “E.B.” Watson  of Bedford, Assistant Farm Manager/District Manager-Conservation Specialist, Dawn Dairy/Peaks of Otter SWCD

Grant Coffee, former Virginia Farm Bureau Young Farmer chair and a tobacco and small grains farmer in Lunenburg County, has been appointed to the American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee.

While serving on the committee, Coffee will help plan the YF&R competitive events at the AFBF Annual Convention, identify programs and potential speakers for the AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference and take part in numerous committee meetings.

“Farm Bureau volunteer leaders, such as those selected to serve on national committees, are the backbone of our organization,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “As advocates for today’s agriculture, they play an important role in building a greater understanding between farmers and consumers.”

Congratulations, Grant!

Identifying veterinary shortage areas is a central component of the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), which helps place veterinarians where they are needed. Farm Bureau members can play a key role by helping their state officials nominate these areas.

Dr. Charles Broaddus, state veterinarian, will submit nominations for shortage designation. Officials may need help in identifying Virginia’s geographical areas that have a shortage of veterinarians or areas of veterinary practice that have a shortage, such as food animal medicine, public health, epidemiology, pathology and food safety. If you are aware of a shortage that ought to be considered, please contact Dr. Broaddus.

Name: Dr. Charles Broaddus

Title: State Veterinarian Agency: Division of Animal and Food Industry Services

Department: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1163 Richmond, VA 23218

Office Address: Oliver W. Hill Building, Room 165 102 Governor Street Richmond, VA 23219

Office Telephone No: (804) 692-0601 Fax No: (804) 371-2380

E-mail: charles.broaddus@vdacs.virginia.gov

Information about the process can be found on the USDA’s website.

Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today the award of three planning grants from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund. The Commonwealth awarded a total of $64,000 to projects by Floyd County and the New River Valley Regional Commission to support the growth of agricultural and forestry industries in the Commonwealth. The AFID planning grant program encourages local governments to promote agriculture and forestry and incorporate the needs of these industries into their overall economic development strategies.

“Continuing to support Virginia’s diverse agricultural and forestry sectors is a key part of my plan to build the new Virginia Economy,” said Governor McAuliffe.  “Local and regional efforts to study and support these industries in Virginia, like those being undertaken by Floyd County and the New River Valley Regional Commission, should be recognized as vital parts of Virginia’s larger economic development efforts. We will continue to identify and support initiatives that strengthen agriculture and forestry for localities and regions, which will ultimately bolster one of the largest industries central to the overall success of our economy.”

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