News & Features

Virginia Farm Bureau News & Features is your place for news and information from around Virginia. From gardening tips and recipes to politics and events, stay up to date with what matters to Virginians.

First vegetables of spring sprouting everywhere

Specify Alternate Text
Fresh asparagus is a sure sign farmers are working hard to get the prolific vegetable to market.



Peanut plantings expected to be on the rise in 2017

Specify Alternate Text
Plantings of Virginia peanuts have been on the decline, but for the first time in several years industry analysts expect that to change.



Virginia farm brewery uses homegrown, farm-malted product

Specify Alternate Text
At Wood Ridge Farm in Nelson County, growing barley is the first important step in a hands-on process by which Barry Wood oversees production of craft-brewed beers served at his Wood Ridge Farm Brewery.



Virginia peanut growers to mark National Peanut Month with peanut butter donations

Specify Alternate Text
Virginia peanut producers will take the super-nutritious peanut from the field to the food bank in the form of peanut butter donations during National Peanut Month in March.



Young Farmers seek help from state agency to ship produce across state lines

Specify Alternate Text
The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation wants the movement of Virginia-grown fruits and vegetables across state lines to be regulated by a state agency rather than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.



Farmers, forest landowners can apply for environmental quality incentives

Specify Alternate Text
Virginia farmers and forest landowners can apply for assistance to protect the health and productivity of their land under the federal Environmental Quality Incentives Program.



Grant funding available for Southside vineyard development; additional grapes needed

Specify Alternate Text
The Virginia Tobacco Commission has awarded a grant to help grow Southern Virginia wineries.



Virginia cotton production hit more wrinkles in 2016

Specify Alternate Text
Corn and soybean producers in Virginia managed to have a good year in 2016 despite weather challenges, but cotton growers saw their yields plummet as heavy rain ended the growing season.



USDA reports spike in number or organic certifications

Specify Alternate Text
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has announced a significant increase in the number of accredited certified organic farm operations for 2014 and 2015.



US farmers: GMO crops help reduce inputs, enhance conservation

Specify Alternate Text
A majority of U.S. farmers and ranchers surveyed recently indicate biotechnology and genetically modified crops play an important role in farming more efficiently, according to findings released Dec. 15, 2016, by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and National Corn Growers Association.



Get Recognized

If your publication or radio or television station is delivering stellar coverage of agriculture on an ongoing basis, this is the award competition to enter. Learn More