Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has lobbied on behalf of its producer members this winter for adequate state funding of cost-share money for best management practices.

Virginia has seen far more damaging fall storms than Hurricane Matthew. But on Oct. 8 and 9 that storm dealt some farms significant damage and caused harvest delays in some parts of the state.

Both major-party presidential nominees have answered some of U.S. farmers’ burning questions related to policies affecting agriculture.

State and county Farm Bureau leaders are urging Congress to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement this fall.

Richard Bland College of William and Mary in Prince George County will hold its inaugural Pecan Festival in the Grove from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 29.

Virginia’s oyster harvest rose 25 percent last year, passing the 500,000-bushel mark. The dockside value of that harvest increased to $22.2 million, with an estimated economic impact of over $58 million.

When winter removes much of the foliage from your garden, you can depend on colorful branches to provide visual interest, according to Augusta County horticulturalist Mark Viette.

Most Virginians take the winter off from gardening, but cold months are a great time to test your soil, said Chris Mullins, a Virginia Cooperative Extension greenhouse specialist at Virginia State University.

More farmers and other equipment operators are buying compact tractors instead of full-size machines these days. Joel Hudnall, owner of Turf’s Up Landscaping, said one of his most useful tractors has only 48 horsepower and a smaller frame.

Once a mainstay of Colonial American agriculture, commercial cultivation of hemp in the U.S. ended after World War II under the federal 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. Nearly 80 years later, farmers and researchers in Virginia and other states are working to revive the versatile crop.