Virginia Farm Bureau’s annual convention is where delegates vote on policies that Farm Bureau lobbyists will support in the upcoming General Assembly.

This year’s convention took place in Williamsburg. “Farming for Over 400 Years” was the theme of the convention, which was held Nov. 28-30.

Almost 800 farmers, agribusiness professionals and other guests attended the convention, which is the state’s largest annual gathering of farmers. In addition to setting policy, attendees hear from featured speakers and participate in workshops.

Speakers this year included American Farm Bureau Federation Vice President Scott VanderWal; Tyne Morgan, host of farm news television program U.S. Farm Report; and Vance Crowe, director of millennial engagement for Monsanto.

There were two educational conferences offered at the convention. During Cannabis Production: Are there Value-added Crop Opportunities? Kristi Kelly, executive director of the Colorado-based Marijuana Industry Group in Denver, addressed the possibility of commercial cannabis production in Virginia. 

Kelly works for Colorado’s oldest, largest and most diverse trade association for licensed cannabis businesses and is a former licensed cannabis business owner, and her family has been involved in industrial hemp research in Pennsylvania.

A second conference, Lessons Learned on Leases—Solar, Cellular and Others focused on what landowners should consider when asked to lease land for solar panels, cell towers and similar structures. The featured speaker was attorney Mark Botkin of BotkinRose LLC in Harrisonburg.

Botkin was raised on a farm in the Shenandoah Valley and enjoys helping farm families preserve farmland for future generations through conservation easements, zoning and value-added business enterprises.