Virginia State University’s Aquaculture Program will hold its 29th annual Aquaculture Field Day on Oct. 20 beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Randolph Farm, 4415 River Road, Ettrick.

Participants will learn about pond aquaculture and aquaponics production, marketing and harvesting.

A $10 per person registration fee includes lunch. To register for this event,  contact Debra B. Jones at (804) 524-5496 or email dbjones@vsu.edu. If you need further information or are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Debra B. Jones at (804) 524-5496 dbjones@vsu.edu or call (804) 524-5496 / (800) 828-1120 (TDD) during business hours of 8 am. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations no later than five days prior to the event.

State and county Farm Bureau leaders are encouraging the nation’s farmers to urge Congress to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement this fall.

“Our farm and ranch businesses lose when our nation leaves trade deals on the table that would level the playing field,” said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. “American-grown and -made means quality, and customers around the world know this. But high tariffs and other trade barriers put in place by countries like Japan will keep shutting out American businesses and agricultural goods if we refuse to lead the way in approving trade agreements that would move us forward.”

Continue reading →

Hunters play a very important role in managing deer populations in Virginia.  In addition to helping support management by purchasing a hunting license, hunters have a direct impact on the deer management goals in Virginia by hunting and harvesting deer.  Landowners urban, suburban and rural alike; often have issues with deer damaging their property.  In many cases there are simply too many deer to accommodate the landowner’s goals for the property.

Continue reading →

Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation asks the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees to address the issues that concern farmers and ranchers the most. We asked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump the same questions.

By Cody W. Lyon, the Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

We all deserve to have confidence that our food is safe.  PERIOD.

American consumers need to know that the best science is used to ensure that the most wholesome product possible is produced and offered.

America’s farmers and ranchers have always been and will always be committed to producing safe and affordable food for consumers in the U.S. and around the world. There are several reasons for their strong support for food safety:

• Farmers and ranchers share the same desire as other consumers to have a safe, abundant and affordable food supply.  Many eat and feed their families the food grown or raised on their own farms and ranches.
• Farmers and ranchers also have an economic interest because the demand for their products is determined by consumer confidence.

Continue reading →

Individual farmers, as well as state Farm Bureaus, are invited to participate in a survey the National Weather Service is conducting about the use of NWS watches, warnings and advisories. The survey is part of the NWS Hazard Simplification Project, which is analyzing the use and effectiveness of NWS watches, warnings and advisories, and evaluating possible alternatives to these terms. The survey will assess the extent to which organizations at all levels and in various sectors have formally incorporated watches, warnings and advisories into decision-making processes via policies, protocols, laws, etc.

Survey answers will help the NWS understand the potential policy impact on various key partners if it significantly changes watches, warnings or advisories, such as altering the meaning or name of a particular watch, warning or advisory.

The survey closes after Oct. 31.

National Weather Service Survey

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation named 17 winners of a student essay contest that focused on the future of agriculture in light of population projections for 2050.

The winners received an opportunity to attend the nation’s only Vice Presidential Debate for the 2016 general election on Oct. 4 at Longwood University.

The essay contest was the culmination of a Collegiate Farm-to-Table Dinner and Agriculture Education program held Sept. 15 at Longwood.
Continue reading →

Every four years, the American Farm Bureau Federation asks the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees to address the issues that concern farmers and ranchers the most. We asked Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump the same questions.

Both candidates explained their positions on biotechnology, trade, immigration reform, regulatory reform, food safety and more. That the candidates took the time in the throes of this very competitive election season to go into such detail in their responses says as much about the importance of these issues and the farmers and ranchers who care about them as it does about Clinton’s and Trump’s political platforms.

The responses below, on the topic of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act, are the second in a series of responses that will be released over the next week. To read about Trump’s and Clinton’s positions on regulatory reform, click here: http://fbnews.fb.org/Templates/Article.aspx?id=40434

Continue reading →