Virginia First Lady Pamela Northam, Secretary of Education Atif Qarni, and Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring are calling on the Commonwealth’s school nutrition programs to increase annual statewide local food purchases to at least $22 million by 2022. Mrs. Northam announced the goal last month in Hampton during the annual Virginia Farm-to-School Conference.

”Serving locally grown food products in our schools is a great opportunity to connect our exceptional agricultural resources with Virginia’s greatest resource—our children,” said First Lady Northam. “Children benefit from wholesome and fresh food to nourish their growing brains and bodies while learning the importance of agriculture and food production in their communities and across Virginia.”

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Virginia Farm Bureau Federation recognized three women on March 30 for their service to and accomplishments in agriculture and their communities. The organization held its annual Women’s Spring Conference March 29-31.

Dr. Megan Seibel of Botetourt County was named inaugural recipient of the VFBF Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award. The award was introduced this year to honor women for achievements and contributions to the agriculture industry.

Seibel is a Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and inaugural director of the Virginia Agriculture Leaders Obtaining Results Program. She previously served 18 months as deputy secretary of agriculture and forestry under former Gov. Terry McAuliffe. She has served on the Roanoke County Farm Bureau board for 12 years and is in her third term as that organization’s president. In 2015, she was named America’s Farmers Southeast Mom of the Year in a recognition program sponsored by Monsanto.

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A recent environmental study in Accomack County indicates strict new poultry farming regulations approved by county supervisors are doing their job, local farmers say.

In February 2016 the Accomack County Board of Supervisors approved local zoning regulations for new poultry houses. Two years later a series of tests by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science found little evidence of nutrient contamination in waterways near new poultry farms.

“We required a lot with buffer strips and drainage requirements and designs,” said Lynn Gayle, president of Accomack County Farm Bureau and a member of the county planning commission. The commission spent 18 months developing the new standards, he noted. “We feel this is the best that technology has to offer for preventing contamination away from the houses, and the study substantiated this. They were sampling in areas with large poultry operations and determined there were no water quality issues relative to chicken houses.”

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The Chesapeake Bay Program announced March 26 that water quality in the bay met its highest level since monitoring began in 1985, besting its previous record reported in 2017.

According to preliminary data, an estimated 42 percent of the bay and its tidal tributaries met clean water standards for clarity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a between 2015 and 2017. The 5 percent increase from the previous assessment period is due in large part to reductions in chlorophyll-a, an indicator of algae growth, and increases in underwater grass abundance and dissolved oxygen in open waters. New research conducted by Chesapeake Bay Program experts and published in Science of the Total Environment described the changes as “positive and statistically significant trends” in the bay.

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If you have been following our federal outreach and advocacy related to livestock hauler Hours of Service and Electronic Logging Devices, you know this is a priority issue for Farm Bureau and our members. The ability to safely and efficiently haul livestock is critical not only for animal welfare, but for the viability of Virginia’s livestock operations. Farm Bureau recognizes that livestock haulers need flexibility in the hours they are permitted to be on the road so they can address the unique challenges of hauling livestock. Farm Bureau has been working towards hours of service reform in recent years and continues to push for reasonable and workable reforms.

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The American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Program has launched “Women in Ag,” an online survey that aims to gauge the goals, aspirations, achievements and needs of women in American agriculture in a variety of areas.

All women who are farmers, ranchers, farm/ranch employees, employed in agricultural businesses, pursuing ag-related higher education or supportive of agriculture in other ways are invited to participate in the survey at fb.org/women. Respondents must reside in the United States. Farm Bureau membership is not required to participate.

“This comprehensive survey asks women in-depth questions about how they are connected to agriculture and what leadership skills they think are most important today, as well as the top business challenges they’re facing,” said Sherry Saylor, an Arizona farmer and chair of the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee.  “We are seeking input from all women involved in agriculture – not just Farm Bureau members – for this survey,” Saylor emphasized.

Data collected from respondents will be used to gauge trends related to the achievements of women in agriculture, including leadership positions, business successes and election to public office. Results from the survey are slated for release in the fall and will add to findings gleaned from a similar survey conducted in 2014.

The AFB Women’s Leadership Committee is sponsoring the survey and is working with other farm and agriculture organizations to encourage participation. Participants will be entered to receive one of five $100 gift cards after the survey closes on June 21.

The Board of Game and Inland Fisheries passed the Virginia Elk Management Plan 2019-2028 at their meeting on March 21, 2019. This 10-year plan will guide the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ management of the elk population in Virginia through 2028. The goals set forth by the plan were developed by a 17-member stakeholder advisory committee, representing a variety of interests, including farmers, hunters, homeowners, forest landowners, animal and ecological health interests, business and tourism industries, motorists, and government agencies.

Virginia Farm Bureau State Board Member Emily Edmondson served as a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Committee and worked for many years developing the Elk Management Plan, as well as providing public comments in front of the General Assembly and Board of Game and Inland Fisheries. Thank you to Emily for her leadership on this issue!

Record flooding devastates Nebraska, ag damage could top $1 billion

The Nebraska Farm Bureau has launched relief efforts to aid Nebraska farmers, ranchers and rural communities suffering from the natural disasters that have impacted the state. The relief efforts include the establishment of a disaster relief fund and launch of an online agriculture disaster exchange portal to connect those in need with those who can help.

Money donated to the Disaster Relief Fund will be targeted to aid Nebraska farmers, ranchers and rural communities affected by recent storms and flooding. Priority will be given to efforts to restore health and safety in rural communities and to farm and ranch households that have been damaged or displaced by the natural disaster.

To donate or apply for aid from the Disaster Relief Fund, utilize the Agriculture Disaster Exchange portal, or access other disaster assistance resources, visit www.nefb.org/disaster.