WAVERLY—Love geocaching? Want to visit Virginia farms and rural areas? Look no further than AgCache.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure-hunting game played worldwide by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

Chris and Jennie Simms of Southampton County enjoy geocaching and wanted to add agriculture locations to the options in Virginia. They are the Southeast District co-chairs for the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers Committee and live on Chris Simms’ family’s farm.

"Several years ago we saw an article in a food magazine about geocaching," Chris Simms said. "Fast-forward a couple years later, and we started doing a few geocaches and enjoyed it.

"Part of doing it is all about going to places you don’t usually think of or don’t usually see. We thought we could use geocaching as a way to promote Virginia agriculture."

Simms said geocaches are usually in more urban areas, so he and his wife came up with AgCache. He talked to fruit and vegetable producers Steve and Jordan Berryman of College Run Farms in Surry County, and they agreed to let the Simmses put an agcache on their property.

Information is available at agcache.com and on the official geocaching website, geocaching.com. The agcache was uploaded to the site July 17, and by 8 a.m. the next day someone had already found it.

"Every weekend since we put it on the geocache website someone has been out to find it," Simms said. "People have also been purchasing produce while at the farm, promoting agritourism and becoming more exposed to farms," Simms said.

The Simmses are working on a few more locations for Virginia agcaches.