Join fellow forest landowners and a host of natural resource professionals for a fun and exciting day in the woods learning about forest and wildlife management.

These tours promote wise resource management on private woodlands. Participants will: (1) observe science-based management practices; (2) become acquainted with public and private sources of technical and financial management assistance; and (3) network with fellow landowners, natural resource professionals, and others that share your interest in Virginia’s natural resources.

• October 7 – Essex County
• October 11 – Lee County
• October 14 – Prince William County
• October 20 – Dinwiddie/Nottoway Counties

To view tour itineraries and mial-in resgistration, go here: http://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/content/dam/forestupdate_frec_vt_edu/landownerprograms/events/2016programs/40FallForestryandWildlifeFieldTour.pdf

For online registration, go here: http://forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/onlineregistration.html

There’s a certain allure to the road less traveled. Heavy, saturated traffic gives way to an open road meant just for you. The humdrum path of the interstate is traded in for an unexpected curve or rolling hill. Or maybe it just feels familiar, part of a routine.

But often there’s another characteristic of a rural road: farm machinery donning an orange triangle, marking it as a slow-moving vehicle (SMV). It’s a symbol most of us recognize but don’t always expect to encounter while on a rural road – until it’s too late.

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Last week, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation hosted a Collegiate Farm-to-Table Agriculture Education event at Longwood University. The dinner and panel discussion focused on “Shaping the Future of Agriculture Together” in light of world population projections for 2050.

You can watch it in its entirety here:

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Written by Amy Loeffler

Virginia Tech will host a Precision Agriculture Day on Oct. 12 at Kentland Farm in Blacksburg from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Participants will have the opportunity to get answers to common questions about the benefits of precision agriculture and learn how they can establish cost-effective technologies on their farms.

Precision agriculture is becoming increasingly utilized — and economical — in recent years as producers use technology such as iPads, GPS, and variable rate equipment to increase yields and inform management decisions.

Registration information for the event, which costs $10, can be found online. Kentland Farm is about 8 minutes from the Virginia Tech campus  at 5250 Whitethorne Road.

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Virginia Farm Bureau Federation will host a Collegiate Farm-to-Table Agriculture Education event Sept. 15 at Longwood University. The dinner and panel discussion will focus on “Shaping the Future of Agriculture Together” in light of world population projections for 2050.

“The event is an opportunity for the next generation to discuss the relevance of agriculture, and to be inspired to find solutions for providing a healthy, abundant food supply for future generations. The global population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050,” said Dee Cook, member development specialist for Farm Bureau.

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The new owners of an ethanol plant are convinced that the third time’s a charm.

“We’re here for the long term,” said Jared Gustafson, commodity buyer for Green Plains Inc. of Omaha, Neb. Green Plains purchased the Hopewell plant last October, and production began in March.

The plant previously was owned by Vireol Future Fuels and Vireol UK, which bought it in 2013. In 2014, the companies began converting corn into ethanol under the name Vireol Bio Energy LLC. They produced nearly 4 million gallons of ethanol each month until they closed the plant in August 2015.

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