Virginia has the materials to build a bridge between its urban and rural districts, and the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee has drawn up a blueprint to get the job done.
Sen. J. Chapman Petersen, D-Fairfax, who chairs that committee, addressed more than 130 county Farm Bureau presidents and other Farm Bureau volunteer leaders who gathered in Richmond Jan. 26 prior to the annual Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Legislative Day on Jan. 27.
“I’ve got to be honest,” Petersen said. “Representing an urban district like Fairfax, I was not expecting to be put on the agriculture committee. And I was certainly not expecting to love it as much as I ended up loving it.”
He said the threefold vision of the committee includes promoting Virginia farm products, promoting exports, and preserving open spaces and natural resources.
Virginia’s farmers have a vested interest in being good stewards of the land and water. And they want to partner with the commonwealth to meet its water quality goals.
The increased visibility and availability of Virginia’s Cooperative Wildlife Damage Management Program has led to an increased dependence on the program among farmers.
Through federal investment and state-awarded grants, almost 60,000 rural Virginia households are expected to get broadband internet services.
Four Virginia young farmers took top honors in the 
Farmer delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 101st Annual Convention today adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2020 on key topics ranging from dairy to labor and climate change to conservation compliance.
The final day of workshops at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention put a focus on the role farmers will play in connecting with consumers on sustainability in agriculture and new technologies like gene editing.
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 101st Annual Convention and Trade Show got underway in Austin on Saturday. In keeping with the theme of this year’s convention, “Sustaining America’s Agriculture,” workshops focused on steps farmers can take to enhance soil health and improve water quality. Many other workshops featured precision agriculture technology’s role in helping with labor shortages; increasing competition; mitigating risk and protecting food safety.
Virginia Farm Bureau received the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Pinnacle Award, the highest honor a state can be awarded for program and membership achievement, at the AFBF Convention in Austin, TX this week. Other winners included Arizona, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Texas, and Utah.
