BUCKINGHAM—Virginia farmers brought agriculture’s priorities directly to Rep. John McGuire, R-5th, during an Oct. 2 roundtable in Buckingham County, followed by farm tours of local swine, poultry and row crop operations.
Virginia Farm Bureau members and industry representatives emphasized the need for a five-year farm bill, dependable export markets, farm labor access and relief from sharply higher diesel costs. Farm leaders also encouraged federal attention to drought resilience and policies that give cattle producers greater certainty.
The discussion was hosted by Frankie and Sarah Large at Cherry Hill Farm. Their family operation includes about 300 brood cows and finishes roughly 19,000 replacement gilts for Smithfield Foods each year. Large said drought, high fuel costs and scarce hay have made it a challenging year for producers.
McGuire said he will continue working with Farm Bureau, farmers and agricultural organizations on market transparency, processing capacity and farm bill priorities.
“If you see something in the farm bill you can’t live with, or if you see something that we’re doing that you think is in the wrong direction, we need to know,” McGuire said. “When you guys give me this information, I’m taking it straight to G.T. Thompson.”
Rep. Thompson, R-Pa., is chair of the House Agriculture Committee. The House of Representatives passed his version of the bill in April 2026, but the full Senate has yet to approve its measure. Any differences between the two would need to be resolved before the final package can be cleared for the president’s desk, and lawmakers have limited legislative days left before this Congress ends.
McGuire said he depends on farmers’ firsthand knowledge for practical ideas he can relay to Washington, and asked farm constituents to flag both helpful provisions and potential unintended consequences while legislation is still moving.
Beef cattle farmers also focused on volatile prices and limited market transparency.
“It’s been a trying year, especially for the beef industry,” Large said. “With the droughts, high fuel prices and not much hay around.”
Cattlemen said futures trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange has become disconnected from actual feeder cattle transactions. Greater reporting transparency and contracts tied more closely to physical cattle, they said, could help steady prices that can swing sharply on news or speculation.
Other farmers raised concerns about continued loss of productive farmland, consolidation among major meatpackers and East Coast processing plant closures that increase transportation costs. Buckingham County Farm Bureau president Ivan P. “Chip” Davis noted his family’s century farm is now a fifth-generation operation, underscoring what is at stake when policy and market pressures make succession more difficult.
McGuire also toured Roy Watson’s Cumberland County poultry operation, and the State Fair of Virginia’s agricultural exhibits in Caroline County.
Media: Contact Olivia Gyapong, VFBF national affairs, at 240-483-1932.
