Governor Ralph Northam has announced an award of $541,467 in grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for ten agriculture-related projects. 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.

“Agriculture is Virginia’s largest private industry, and to ensure this sector stays at the forefront of our economy, we must continue to support research and technological advancements that enhance the competitiveness of our specialty crops,” said Governor Northam. “These grants fund important projects that will help improve food safety for growers, boost agricultural development, and create new market opportunities, especially in our rural areas.”

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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced that registration is now open for the Congressionally mandated Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.  Commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders, employers, medical review officers, and substance abuse professionals can now visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov and register to create a secure online user account.

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Farmers are being denied due process as part of an abuse of discretion by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, according to a scathing ruling by the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. The ruling is highlighted in a letter from the American Farm Bureau Federation calling on Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to enact much-needed reforms in the agency.

The letter focuses on the case of an Indiana farm owned by David and Rita Boucher, and Mrs. Boucher’s 17-year saga of unfair treatment at the hands of the NRCS staff. The Bouchers removed nine trees on 2.8 acres and NRCS, in turn, demanded they plant 300 trees per acre as compensation.

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This week, all members of the House and Senate returned to Washington from their August recess. Members of Congress took time to conduct town halls and meetings in their districts, and better get to know the people, industries, and communities that they represent. Virginia Farm Bureau took full advantage of this month-long opportunity to meet with legislators and their staff, and host roundtables and farm tours. We met with members of the House, the Senate, Democrats, Republicans, and representatives from rural and urban districts. We found common ground on issues like broadband expansion, free trade, rural health, nutrition, and transportation issues.

We hope that Virginia’s delegation has returned to Washington with firsthand knowledge and experience of the issues facing agriculture and the rural economy, and will use this to better represent our industry. It is also our job, as Farm Bureau members, to ensure that our voice continues to be heard in Washington and the issues most important to us stay at the forefront of political dialogue.

Below you will find a rundown of top issues facing agriculture, with ways that you can directly engage and advocate. Regardless of your commodity, the size of your farm, or where in the Commonwealth you live, at least one of the following issues will impact your operation. Continue reading →

Use your Farm Bureau membership to save $5 on State Fair of Virginia tickets. Then use it again at the fair to save on food and beverage purchases.

To use the admission discount, present a coupon available from your county Farm Bureau office to get discounted tickets. Coupons will be available starting Sept. 1 and are good for $5 off adult, child or senior ticket purchases on any day of the fair. The discount coupons must be presented at the fair’s Ticket Plaza, along with a Farm Bureau membership card, when purchasing a ticket at the gate. Limit: two discount coupons per transaction per membership card.

To use the food and beverage discount, show your membership card when placing your order. Participating vendors will display signage indicating their special pricing available to Farm Bureau members.

There’s a lot to consider when selling timber, and landowners unfamiliar with the process could find themselves at a loss.

To help landowners navigate the process, the Virginia State University Small Farm Outreach Program is offering three workshops to share insight with farmers and landowners interested in selling timber.

Dr. Jerry L. Bettis Sr., Virginia Cooperative Extension forestry specialist at VSU, will lead the workshops. He will cover topics like selecting a professional forester for consultations, and understanding the local timber market and pricing.

The free workshops are open to the public and will be held Sept. 18 at the Appomattox County Extension office, Oct. 9 at VSU’s Randolph Farm Pavilion; and Nov. 6 at the Emporia/Greenville Extension office. Pre-registration is required. To register online, visit ext.vsu.edu/calendar. For more information, contact Bettis at jbettis@vsu.edu or 804-524-6967.

Visitors to this year’s State Fair of Virginia will have the chance to learn about agriculture from the state’s largest farm advocacy group.

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation will have indoor and outdoor displays at the Meadow Pavilion during the fair, which will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 6.

“Just look for the big red barn,” said Kelly Roberts, VFBF assistant director of member engagement and co-chair of the fair exhibit. “You can’t miss us.”

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The Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund reached a milestone by securing more than 100 conservation easements for working farm and forest land.

Through matching funds that support local purchase of development rights programs, the farmland preservation program empowers localities to limit development on the farm and forest land that each community has deemed a priority for conservation.

Jimmy Messick, a Fauquier County farmer and owner of Messick’s Farm Market, has enrolled 700 acres of farmland in the program. His farm was where Gov. Ralph Northam announced the achievement and issued a proclamation commemorating the milestone.

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Virginia’s largest agricultural advocacy group has mixed feelings about Gov. Ralph Northam’s recently released restoration plan for Virginia’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

“There are a lot of positive elements in the plan, but some of the mandatory requirements concern us,” said Martha Moore, vice president of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

The plan, referred to as the Phase III Watershed Implementation Plan or WIP III, was designed to meet the state’s commitments to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and restore the health of the bay and its tributaries by 2025. The recent version was released April 5, and public comments were accepted through June 7.

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