Virginia’s horse industry has an annual economic impact of $1.2 billion, according to study findings announced March 17 by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

At the March 20-22 International Boston Seafood Show, the largest event of its kind in the United States, retailers, wholesalers, importers and distributors will be able to sample Virginia aquaculture oysters.

There are many types of mulch to choose from when buying garden supplies. Some is mixed into soil as a conditioner, while other types are used as a top layer that holds in moisture, stabilizes soil temperature and deters weeds.

When Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with potato dishes, they’re not eating Virginia potatoes. That’s because the Virginia potato industry has a special niche in the marketing season—from mid-June to mid-August.

A burn restriction went into place on Feb. 15 in Virginia. Outdoor burning is prohibited if a fire is in or within 300 feet of woodland, brush or fields containing dry grass or other flammable material.

Most of the broccoli sold on the East Coast is grown in California and Arizona and trucked east, arriving in stores as many as 10 days after harvest.

The grand opening of the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex signifies more than just a building opening.

A recent study conducted in 58 schools nationwide found that children choose flavored milk over unflavored milk nearly 70 percent of the time. And when flavored milk was not an option, milk consumption dropped.

Farmers will find it much easier to handle livestock if they understand an animal’s point of view. That’s what national animal welfare expert Dr. Temple Grandin told close to 400 attendees Jan. 20 at the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council’s winter beef conference.

The sales of food crops grown under protection in the United States more than doubled in the past decade as U.S. horticultural operations are becoming more diverse and taking advantage of newly emerging agricultural trends, according to results of the 2009 Census of Horticultural Specialties.