Agriculture

As Smokey Bear has told Americans since 1947, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.” Turns out, he’s right because fires are often preventable.

Virginia is full of beautiful countrysides—and farms. For travelers looking to explore, disconnect and enjoy rural living, or learn more about farming, there are farm families who offer lodging or bed-and-breakfast accomodations.

More consumers are keeping chickens in their own backyards, but the desire for fresh eggs can come with some risks.

A long-term study on the use of the weed killer, glyphosate, by U.S. agricultural workers has found no firm link between exposure to the pesticide and cancer.

A recent report from the Animal Agriculture Alliance found that livestock producers are making strides in animal care, environmental sustainability and food safety.

Clay Jackson likes to describe his beef cattle operation as a large family farm.

On a sweltering June day, 10-year-old Audrey Bennett was busy in Knoll Crest Farm’s air-conditioned office. She answered phones and ran errands and would later help move rocks.

The popularity of Virginia wine continues to grow, and October’s 29th annual Virginia Wine Month is the perfect time to sample some.

Walk into Keystone Tractor Works in Colonial Heights, and you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The 70,000-square-foot museum has 160 antique tractors in its main showroom, along with an antique tobacco exhibit, antique gas pumps and displays of vintage tools, toy trucks and soda bottles.

While Kellogg’s Froot Loops’ mascot, Toucan Sam, encouraged cereal eaters to follow their noses, the Nelson County Department of Economic Development and Tourism is encouraging people to follow a trail of farmers growing more than a dozen varieties of fruit.