The president of the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation said that the money the 2023 General Assembly appropriated for agricultural best management practices stands to make a difference in improving the quality of the Chesapeake Bay.

“Thanks to money in the state budget, conservation practices installed on farms during fiscal year 2022 resulted in nitrogen reductions of approximately 11.3 million pounds, phosphorous reductions of approximately 4.1 million pounds and sediment reductions of approximately 847,000 tons,” VFBF President Wayne F. Pryor told farmers from across the state on Nov. 29 during the organization’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Voting Delegates. “We’re here in Virginia Beach, and the beautiful ocean that’s connected to the Chesapeake Bay is a visual reminder of why our farmers are committed to implementing conservation practices on their farms.”

This year’s General Assembly appropriated $249.5 million for conservation practices and technical assistance over the current fiscal year and the next.

“This is critical to helping farmers implement what can be costly practices on their farms, but we all know it is well worth the money,” Pryor explained. He is challenging all Virginia farmers to take advantage of the cost-share money to increase or implement conservation practices on their farms.

He also shared with convention participants that Virginia Farm Bureau staff and volunteer leaders made a point of bringing congressional leaders out of Washington and onto Virginia farms this past year. In 2023, Farm Bureau hosted more than 20 farm tours and roundtables across the state to give representatives a firsthand understanding of agriculture and how federal policy—especially the farm bill—impacts Virginia farmers.

Pryor said that because of the largest-ever turnover in General Assembly seats, Farm Bureau members also made a point of meeting with both urban and rural legislative candidates and incumbents to share information about agriculture and forestry issues.

“These meetings help us build relationships with our representatives, and they allow them to better understand how their voting on certain issues could impact the state’s largest industry,” he added.

Farmers met with 35 candidates in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads area to talk about agriculture and forestry issues and how their interests intersect with those living in urban areas. They also held face-to-face meetings with 47 candidates in rural areas to better explain key Farm Bureau issues.

“Navigating Agriculture’s Future” is the theme of this year’s Farm Bureau convention, which is being held in Virginia Beach through Nov. 30.

Pryor told Farm Bureau’s volunteer leaders that 2023 was a successful membership year for the organization.

Farm Bureau not only met its membership goal for a seventh consecutive year, but then went on to surpass it by 1,640 additional member households, counting 134,804 memberships for 2023. “This is truly remarkable, and we couldn’t have done it without all of your help,” Pryor told county Farm Bureau leaders.

Another success in 2023 was a record-breaking amount of donations raised for Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom, which provides free agriculture-themed resources to educators. More than $500,000 in donations was raised this past year, Pryor reported.



With almost 135,000 members in 88 county Farm Bureaus, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry. View more convention news as it is shared at vafb.com/convention, and follow us on social media via #VFBFannualmtg23.

Contact Pam Wiley, vice president of communications, at 804-291-6315.