Virginia farmers are celebrating a new clean water rule that brings clarity to the regulatory requirements and enforcement of the Clean Water Act.

The new rule was issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to replace the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule. The Trump administration rescinded that rule last year and implemented the replacement on Jan. 23. The new rule eliminated requirements for landowners to get EPA approval for certain modifications on their own lands. It also removed many seasonal streams, small waterways and wetlands from restrictive federal oversight.

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The impact of a dry spell can last long after it’s over, and Virginia farmers are still feeling the effects of 2019’s drought conditions.

The dry period, which began in the summer and lasted through the fall, caused a domino effect for farmers. Grass dried up, and farmers were forced to start feeding hay to their animals months earlier than normal, depleting their winter inventory.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) this week announced the availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters. A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain, or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available. Producers may apply now, and the deadline to sign up for both programs is March 16, 2020.

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In recent years, Virginia’s farmers have worked alongside conservation groups and soil and water conservation district staff to address barriers to enacting on-farm conservation practices.

On Feb. 4 and 5 they made the case to state legislators for preserving that partnership rather than relying on regulatory mandates.

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Week 4 of the General Assembly was a busy one for Farm Bureau! Check out the update from Andrew and Stefanie.

Check out this week’s Merchandiser Minute!

Pamela Hall, a first-grade teacher at Carrollton Elementary School in Isle of Wight County, has been named Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom 2020 Teacher of the Year.

The award recognizes a Virginia educator for incorporating agriculture into his or her core curriculum.

Hall’s mission is to integrate agriculture into the classroom all year long. She uses hands-on approaches, including studying plant and animal life cycles, taking farm nature walks, visiting with farmers, making ice cream, investigating and raising pollinators, and experimenting with hydroponics.

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Virginia Farm Bureau Federation representatives met with their state senators and delegates to discuss legislative issues Jan. 27 during the organization’s annual Legislative Day.

Meeting with Del. Israel D. O’Quinn, R-Bristol, and Del. Terry G. Kilgore, R-Gate City, a group of Southwest Virginia farmers talked about legislation relating to funding for Virginia Cooperative Extension personnel, pending increases to minimum wage rates, and farmland preservation.

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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.

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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.

Agricultural best management practices are a means to that end, but they’re not inexpensive.

That’s why Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, the state’s largest agricultural organization, is asking that full funding for Virginia’s agricultural BMP cost-share program be included in the governor’s proposed biennial budget.

BMPs include a variety of farm installations and farming techniques that are proven to protect water quality. Farm Bureau is urging lawmakers to include funding for the cost-share program administered by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and distributed through local soil and water conservation districts. The organization also wants to ensure that full funding is provided for technical assistance to local soil and water conservation districts to help farmers meet specifications for conservation practices.

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