New research conducted by the Virginia Cooperative Extension found that if every household in the state purchased $10 of locally grown food and beverages a week, $1.65 billion would be added to the local economy, the Washington Post reported.

Based on that prediction, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced the $10 Buy Local Challenge to prompt citizens to invest in locally grown food. The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Buy Fresh Buy Local - Virginia and the Virginia Food System Council are all involved in the challenge.

The announcement of the locally grown food challenge follows the news of Virginia's agricultural exports reaching record highs. On Tuesday, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the state exported $2.3 billion in agricultural goods last year, according to the Augusta Free Press.

"Agriculture and forestry are vitally important to economic growth in Virginia," McDonnell told the source.

Some of Virginia's crops that were most in-demand were soybeans, poultry, wheat, corn, fresh vegetables, raw peanuts, cotton, aquaculture products and wine. The state's top three export markets were in Morocco, China and Canada