A proposed constitutional amendment that would help protect private property rights cleared its next-to-last hurdle when it was passed by the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. Now it awaits approval by Virginia voters in November.

The nation’s largest farm organization has asked the courts to rule on whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to issue land use regulations under the Clean Water Act. The American Farm Bureau Federation and several other plaintiffs say that the EPA doesn’t.

Virginia wines are drawing wine professionals and wine enthusiasts alike to the Old Dominion.

The Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade will take place on March 13 and 14 at the Omni Richmond Hotel. 

Andy Hankins of Virginia Cooperative Extension shows how hoop houses can help grow seasonal foods year-round. 

The event is sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Sustainability  and Virginia Cooperative Extension in conjunction with the Rural Development agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It will feature workshops on how to get local foods into schools and how to better sell and market local food items. 

When the temperature drops, it is even more important to work safely and take your time.

Farmers feed their beef cattle different ways to achieve specific products. Watch our video and visit our Facebook page. Contact Sherri McKinney, VFBF communications, at 804-290-1148.

Young people and the contributions they make as members of farm and ranch families are vital to American agriculture, according to Missouri hog farmer Chris Chinn. Testifying on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation, she told the House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade that proposed U.S. Department of Labor regulations on child labor would have negative impacts on rural America. 

Smaller-scale burley tobacco growers in Southwest Virginia will have to consider their next move in light of the closing of a Philip Morris USA receiving station. 

A state constitutional amendment to protect private property rights is one step closer to getting on November’s ballot

The American Farm Bureau and other plaintiffs filed for summary judgment Jan. 27 in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over the agency’s total maximum daily load for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  

Virginia’s Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition Project has been in development since late 2010, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture gave Virginia Tech a $748,000 grant to get the ball rolling.

The first direct export of Virginia Holstein bulls to Russia has been completed, marking Virginia’s entry into Russia’s growing market for cattle and genetics imports. 

Farmers said their Jan. 24 visits to members of the General Assembly during Legislative Day were a critical step in securing a constitutional amendment to protect private property.

China’s middle class is growing, and so is its demand for U.S. agricultural products.

You might have heard that lean beef is back as a healthy food. Now there’s a study to support that.

Flipping a light switch or plugging in a device is second nature to most people, but it is important to keep electrical safety in mind—both inside and outside the home.

Allowing Sunday hunting would create a lose-lose situation for Virginia citizens, and the state’s largest farm advocacy group continues to oppose it.

Virginia’s aquaculture producers sell clams, oysters and fish worldwide.

Virginia has at least 40 winter farmers’ markets, twice as many as it had in 2010, according to findings of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

U.S. farmers are watching as House-approved HR 1633, the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act, settles in the Senate for consideration.

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced on Jan. 17 the distribution of $1.2 million in farmland preservation grants from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to 13 localities.

A Virginia constitutional amendment to protect private property rights has progressed further than ever before in the legislative approval process.

Seven lives were reported lost due to farm work-related accidents in 2011—one more than in 2010.

Under the leadership of the Virginia Food System Council and the Virginia Tech Farm to Table Team, a variety of groups produced Virginia Farm to Table: Healthy Farms and Healthy Food for the Common Wealth and the Common Good. The plan will be shared with state legislators during this year’s General Assembly.

Jason and Paige Pratt of Pulaski County were named runners-up for the 2012 American Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award Jan. 9 at the AFBF annual convention.

New York grain producers Mary Howell and Klaas Martens will deliver the Feb. 10 keynote address on their transition from conventional to organic farming at the 2012 Virginia Biological Farming Conference in Richmond. The event will continue on Feb. 11.

Chinese trade bans in place as far back as 2007 are hurting the state’s farm economy.

Virginia Farm Bureau is encouraging farmers to make sure their farms are prepared for severe winter weather.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics and the Virginia Port Authority will hold the Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade March 13 and 14 at the Omni Richmond Hotel.

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation leaders will tell their state legislators which issues matter most to the state’s farmers during the annual VFBF Legislative Day on Jan. 24.

The good news is there are plenty of eager young farmers ready and willing to take a stab at making a living in agriculture.

In the middle of a cold winter, it’s difficult to imagine eating fresh summer produce. But if you want to enjoy a bounty of fruits and vegetables as a member of a community-supported agriculture system, or CSA, now’s the time to sign up.

Homeowners who want to learn more about beautifying their property also will have an opportunity to purchase locally grown food and other Virginia food products at the inaugural Virginia Home and Garden Show Jan. 14-16 at the Farm Bureau Center at The Meadow Event Park.

Economic assistance is available for aquaculture enterprises that experienced damage from Hurricane Irene.

When the weather turns cold, some farmers begin working more often in unheated barns and workshops. Many also begin using wood-burning stoves or space heaters, which can present safety concerns.

Virginia representatives will join more than 5,000 Farm Bureau members from across the nation in shaping policies important to farmers and ranchers Jan. 8-11. 

Virginia’s Farm Link program is a decade old, and Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers are working to reboot the program and encourage more farmers and would-be farmers to get connected.

Why do Virginia Farm Bureau producer members support restoring federal funding for horse slaughter inspections?

While prices for basic holiday meal ingredients have risen, the portion of your food dollar that farmers receive has decreased.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency has announced the availability of a new website called Rural Tax Education at ruraltax.org.

Farmers can reduce feed costs and increase their profit by teaching cows to eat more weeds than grass, a nationally known livestock expert says.

Choice cuts of beef such as filet mignon are among the most-shoplifted merchandise in the country, trade publication Adweek reported recently.

Virginia Farm Bureau’s monthly television program will get a new name and new content in January. After a decade on the air, Down Home Virginia, will become Real Virginia and will feature a new chef and a vegetable gardening expert.

Farmers and others who drive commercial motor vehicles will be subject to stricter rules governing the use of hand-held mobile phones starting Jan. 3, 2012.

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance wants consumers to be informed about how their food is produced.

The Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation & Rural Sustainability recently received a $225,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Cooperative Development Grant program.

The winter holiday season is a busy time of the year for gourmet peanut companies like Belmont Peanuts in Southampton County.