With Democrats in control of Virginia’s government for the first time in a quarter of a century, political analyst Dr. Robert Holsworth told farmers they need to educate legislators about the importance of agriculture.

“The education of legislators is going to a be a critical issue both during the General Assembly session and outside of it,” Holsworth said Dec. 4 at the 2019 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in Norfolk. “You need to impress upon them the absolute economic contributions that agriculture makes to Virginia.”

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Glenn and Amanda Dye of Stafford County have been named the 2019 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Achievement Award winners.

The Dyes were recognized Dec. 4 at the 2019 VFBF Annual Meeting in Norfolk.

The Achievement Award honors young farmers who are successful in production agriculture and provide leadership on and off the farm. The Dyes raise corn and soybeans in Stafford and Appomattox counties and have served on the VFBF Young Farmers Committee. Additionally, Glenn Dye serves on the Stafford County Farm Bureau board of directors and has been active in leading efforts for farm equipment highway safety in Virginia.

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Bedford County Farm Bureau and King William County Farm Bureau were honored Dec. 3 by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation for projects conducted in their communities in 2019.

The two organizations were recognized at the 2019 VFBF Annual Meeting in Norfolk.

Bedford Farm Bureau, whose president is Dr. Amy Johnson, received a first-place VFBF County Award of Excellence.

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Sarah Rudolph of Wythe County took top honors Dec. 4 in Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Young Farmers Discussion Meet, held at the organization’s 2019 Annual Meeting in Norfolk.

First runner-up was Jonathan Grimes of Wythe County. Other finalists were Thomas French of Shenandoah County and Brandy Puckett of Carroll County.

The Discussion Meet competition is designed to simulate a committee meeting in which discussion and active participation is expected from each contestant. Competitors are judged on their discussion skills, understanding of important agricultural issues and ability to build consensus. This year’s topic was “How can Farm Bureau build upon collaborative relationships such as Farm Town Strong to combat nationwide crises such as opioid dependence and addiction and mental health issues?” It references a campaign by the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union to address opioid concerns in rural America.

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The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Committee honored Scott Sink of Blacksburg with their 2019 Warren Beach Award for his contributions to the VFBF Young Farmers Program.

Sink is the current VFBF vice president, as well as a producer and entrepreneur, and a past chairman of the VFBF Young Farmers Committee.

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“We’re going to talk about something a little uncomfortable,” announced agriculture communicator and social media influencer Janice Person.

She was leading a Dec. 3 discussion titled Stepping into the Uncomfortable at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation 2019 Annual Convention in Norfolk. Person was teaching farmers how they can have productive discussions about modern agriculture with friends, family and strangers.

“It’s like you’re an awkward kid in the first day of junior high again. It’s so hard to step up and have conversations with people who don’t understand modern agriculture,” Person said. “But the 98% of Americans who don’t farm for a living can really have an impact on our businesses and lives,” so it’s important for farmers to engage them.

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American Farm Bureau Federation’s 5.9 million member families have a unified voice that is growing bigger and stronger in the face of economic uncertainties.

Dale Moore, AFBF executive vice president, said he works to ensure that voice is amplified throughout the corridors of Congress.

Moore was the keynote speaker Dec. 3 at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in Norfolk. He touched on a breadth of topics important to farmers—from the anxieties surrounding U.S. trade, to the mental health of individual farmers.

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Sharing her story and that of her late husband, Minnesota grain farmer Theresia Gillie addressed the topic of Stress on the Family Farm Dec. 3 at the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in Norfolk.

Gillie recounted diminished harvests in 2015 and 2016, when the couple lost $500,000 at their farm in Hallock, Minn. Faced with mounting financial losses and the prospect of losing the farm his family had operated since 1899, Keith Gillie took his own life on April 1, 2017.

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The Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg captured Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s 2019 Ishee-Quann Award for Media Excellence, the top honor in Farm Bureau’s annual Journalism Awards program. The newspaper, which serves one of the state’s most vibrant agricultural centers, also won in the award program’s daily newspaper category.

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A moment 10 years in the making occurred Oct. 14 when seven bronze statues of Virginia women were unveiled in Capitol Square.

The statues are the first of 12 that will form the Virginia Women’s Monument, the nation’s first installation on the grounds of a state capitol to showcase the full range of achievements and contributions made by women. Voices from the Garden also features a wall of honor inscribed with the names of 230 notable women.

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