Caneberries, which include blackberries and raspberries, must be picked when the berries are ripe or nearly ripe to ensure quality. Their thin fruit skin, high respiration rate, and high ethylene production make these berries extremely susceptible to postharvest losses. Although both raspberries and blackberries are considered “soft” fruits, raspberries are slightly more perishable in nature. The raspberry fruit is susceptible to greater moisture loss and fungal infection because of its lack of an outer protective covering (cuticle) and the fact that the raspberry fruit is left with a cavity in the center when detached from the plant.

Ability to predict tractor fuel consumption is very useful for budgeting and management. The objective of this factsheet is to develop relationships using field measurements and Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory results to estimate tractor fuel consumption. Using these equations, farmers can estimate and compare the fuel consumption for different operating and loading conditions.

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be made from vegetable oil, animal fat, and recycled cooking oils. Oils produced from algae, fungi, bacteria, molds, and yeast can also be used to produce biodiesel.

This directory is intended to provide contact information for service and equipment suppliers, along with sources for information and education. Every attempt has been made to present accurate information. Contents are for informational purposes only and are based on details provided by the organizations and entities listed. Inclusion in this directory does not constitute an endorsement by the publishers of the products or services of any business organization or individual listed herein.

There are many factors to consider before starting a new farm enterprise. Financial management is an important component in the startup and decision-making processes for beginning farmers. The purpose of this series of publications is to inform Virginia agribusiness owners and managers about farm financial risk management tools, techniques, and resources available to help them prepare and use a financial systems approach for their operations.

There are many factors to consider before starting a new farm enterprise. Financial management is an important component in the startup and decision-making processes for beginning farmers. The purpose of this series of publications is to inform Virginia agribusiness owners and managers about farm financial risk management tools, techniques, and resources available to help them prepare and use a financial systems approach for their operations.

Baitfish farmers raise several different species of fish, often called minnows, to sell as live bait for anglers across the United States. The most popular and commonly raised baitfish species is the golden shiner. Many baitfish farms are located within a major flyway used by migrating birds. A variety of different migratory birds arrive at baitfish farms each fall, feed on fish on the farms, and then depart on spring migration. Baitfish farmers have reported major losses of fish from these avian predators.

Grain and soybean production is a critical component of Virginia agriculture — the state’s No. 1 industry (VDACS 2013). Virginia’s farmers produced more than half a billion bushels of grain and soybeans over the span of 2006 to 2012 (USDA-NASS 2013b)1. The objectives of this publication are to characterize the market for grain production and storage in Virginia.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Virginia, with an economic impact of about $52 billion, and it provides over 357,000 jobs to Virginia’s residents (VDACS 2013). In addition, those value-added industries that depend on the farm products employ an additional 76,000 individuals, which generates another $34.6 billion in value-added revenue (VDACS 2013a). Despite the impact that the agriculture industry has on Virginia’s economy, there are several issues of concern.

This fact sheet is a product of the 2014 Spring Kohl Centre Experience. To find out more about this project team and related information, please go to the Kohl Centre at Virginia Tech’s website: www.kohlcentre.aaec.vt.edu.

This fact sheet is a product of the 2014 Fall Kohl Centre Experience. To find out more about this project team and related information, please go to the Kohl Centre at Virginia Tech’s website: www.kohlcentre.aaec.vt.edu.

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, a project was initiated through a partnership between the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (VSAREC), the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Marine Advisory Program (VIMS MAP), the Virginia Coastal Policy Center (VCPC), and Old Dominion University (ODU) to address a variety of topics related to seafood marketing and new marketing channels. From this project several resources pertaining to direct-to-consumer marketing, online sales, COVID-19 at the workplace, and general requirements within the industry were created and made available to Virginia seafood producers and allied businesses.

This report succeeds the Agricultural Land Sales in Virginia report analyzing agricultural land sales in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2010 – 2018 (the “2018 Report”). Similar to its predecessor, this report provides insight into agricultural land sales in the Commonwealth from 2019 through 2020 and summarizes the averages of market-based agricultural land transactions at the multicounty district and statewide levels. The highest growth rate was observed in the Northern ASD district. Statewide, the market-based estimates of farmland averaged $5,533 per acre, a 14% increase from 2019 to 2020.

This site outlines commodity information and resources to help Virginia producers build successful agricultural enterprises. It includes auctions, historical prices, basis, marketing trends, and more.

Every year in August the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) releases cash rental rates for 3 distinct land classes in Virginia as mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill. Rental rates for irrigated and non-irrigated cropland and pastureland were recently released for Virginia counties and cities. Provided below is 2023 rental rates by jurisdiction for irrigated and non-irrigated cropland and pastureland.

There are many factors to consider before you start a new farm enterprise. Labor issues are often underemphasized in the decision-making processes of beginning farmers. It is important to consider who you will hire, where you will find help, how you will manage your employees, and what legal matters are relevant to your farm.

Deciding what career to begin after discharging from the military is an important decision. Because agriculture can often bring a new sense of purpose and leadership to a veteran’s life, many are choosing farming as their new career. Military veterans offer unique skill sets and discipline that are needed in the rigorous daily life of a farmer.

The purpose of the Introduction to Whole Farm Planning module is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in Virginia make informed farm planning decisions by introducing them to the whole farm planning process.

The Land Acquisitions and Tenure module is designed to help beginning farmers and ranchers develop and implement their farmland tenure and transfer goals as part of the whole farm plan. Established farmers who are planning for the transfer of their farm may also find this module useful. The module includes concepts, worksheets, and examples to help you assess your resources and preferences for successful start-up planning.

Starting a farm is an exciting yet challenging opportunity. As with any new undertaking, there is a lot to think about before beginning a farm venture. Gaining access to farmland, viable markets, capital and credit, as well as hands-on training and resources are some of the most important startup issues to consider as part of the planning process. You are likely asking yourself, “Where do I begin?” The purpose of this resource is to help newcomers make informed decisions at the start of the planning process. This “quick guide” is primarily designed for beginning farmers and ranchers, but service providers will also find this resource useful for answering questions about the farm startup process. This foundational work offers a valuable starting point on which to create a successful whole farm plan for a new agricultural venture.

The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Resource Directory is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in Virginia know what resources and resource professionals are available to them as they plan their new farm or ranch. The service and resource professionals featured throughout this directory are Coalition partners and are excellent points of contact for beginning farmers/ranchers and other service providers. The Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition Program is a state-wide and coalition-based Extension program housed in Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Extension Education.

This Virginia Farm to School Resource Guide is designed to help cultivate connections between the many diverse stakeholders that support the Virginia Farm to School Program. This guide is intended to help facilitate locally and regionally-grown Virginia foods to school cafeterias and school-based meal programs. It contains research-based information, resources, and advice that can help start or expand a Farm to School initiative in your community. Farm to School programs locally and nationally come in many different shapes and sizes that are ultimately unique to the communities that develop them. Stakeholders that may find this guide helpful include: Virginia school nutrition directors, farmers, food distributors, Virginia Cooperative Extension professionals, and other school-based and agriculture-based educators and service providers interested in Farm to School programs.

With funding from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program in fall 2010, the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Program aims to meet the expressed needs of Virginia’s beginning farmers and support the development of social networks through which they can gain vital skills, information, technical assistance, and business capacity for long-term agricultural viability (see www.vabeginningfarmer.org).

This publication is a teaching resource (series of lesson plans) developed by a participant in the Graduate Extension Scholars (GES) program.

This publication is a teaching resource (series of lesson plans) developed by a participant in the Graduate Extension Scholars (GES) program.

Extension agents are closely involved in advising farmers and farm families on identification and mitigation of financial risks unique to the agricultural industry. Financial decisions are often time-sensitive and complicated, and the source of many sleepless nights to farmers and advisors alike. This tool is intended for use as a communication aid to foster safe, productive conversations between farmers and service providers. It is designed to complement related resources aimed at supporting the mental health of our farmers who make tough decisions under conditions of uncertainty on a daily basis.

Farmers nationwide are experiencing socio-economic crisis and Virginia’s farmers are no exception. Farmers in Virginia are under immense stress due to various threats including social threats (within the family or community), economic threats (including land or market loss and associated financial stress), political threats (such as systemic discrimination, racism, and disadvantageous political policy), and environmental threats (like drought, flooding, or pest infestation). Farmers in Virginia experience overwhelming feelings of stress and may encounter associated mental health issues due to the current crises and the threats they face.

You are likely asking yourself, “Where do I begin?” The purpose of this tool is to help you gather a solid basis of information as you consider your “start-up” situation. Once you have completed as much as you can of this worksheet (or if you have any questions along the way), please bring it to your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office to get guidance on where to go next: http://www.ext.vt.edu/offices/index.html. Good Luck! We look forward to helping you bring your farm vision to life!

The objectives of this publication are (1) to outline some climate-related challenges facing agriculture, (2) to address challenges in communicating climate change issues, and (3) to propose best practices when attempting to communicate climate change issues to agricultural stakeholders. Extension educators and agricultural service providers can use the information presented here to develop outreach and educational programs focused on the impacts of climate change, the effects of climate change on agricultural production, and the best ways to motivate behavior change.

Row crop agriculture in Virginia and other Eastern states is largely rainfed, but there is increasing interest in irrigation as a way to manage dry periods and weather variability. However, irrigation systems require substantial installation and operating costs, and it can be very difficult to determine if yield improvements will be sufficient to justify these costs. This publication provides an overview on the Irrigation Financial Estimator Tool, which was recently developed to help row crop producers estimate financial aspects of supplemental irrigation. The tool estimates installation and operating costs, as well as revenues from improved yields, using user-supplied information and historic data on weather and prices for crops and fuel. It accounts for uncertainty in these estimates by presenting a range of values for each cost.

Row crop agriculture in Virginia and other Eastern states is largely rainfed, but there is increasing interest in irrigation as a way to manage dry periods and weather variability. However, irrigation systems require substantial installation and operating costs, and it can be very difficult determine if yield improvements will be sufficient to justify these costs. This publication provides an overview on the Irrigation Financial Estimator Tool, which was recently developed to help row crop producers estimate financial aspects of supplemental irrigation. The tool estimates installation and operating costs, as well as revenues from improved yields, using user-supplied information and historic data on weather and prices for crops and fuel. It accounts for uncertainty in these estimates by presenting a range of values for each cost.

Virginia farmers sell their produce through many venues including on-farm sales, farm stands, and farmers’ markets. Wherever the produce is sold, it must be sold by weight, count, head/bunch, or dry measure. If the produce is sold by weight, the produce will be weighed on scales that have been certified by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Weights and Measures.

Dairy farmers are usually subject to net income fluctuations due to volatility in both milk and feed prices. Risk management tools, such as hedging milk prices in the futures market, may be used to protect dairy farmers against milk price volatility. Alternatively, dairy farmers selling milk in Virginia can buy Virginia milk commission base (MCB) to obtain higher milk prices and, therefore, sustain or increase net cash flows.

Typically, feed costs are directly related to milk production, so the more you feed, the more you produce. However, milk production is not necessarily related to profitability. Production-oriented management, which focuses on maximizing outputs (i.e., milk yield) through increased utilization of inputs (i.e., feed), does not necessarily ensure the dairy business will be profitable.

In this issue: Too Busy to Plan: Estate Planning and My Spice Cabinet; Transcriptome analysis of the bovine mammary gland under heat stress conditions; Upcoming Activities

In this issue: Beef-on-Dairy Calf Production in Virginia; Cash-basis Schedule F Income Statement—Friend or Foe?; Upcoming Events.

In the mid-Atlantic U.S. vegetable crops are attacked by several different stink bug species (1). The primary pest species include: the invasive brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys, which has become the dominant species in most landscapes (2), brown stink bug, Euschistus servus Say, which is the most common species attacking tomatoes; green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris Say (3); and harlequin bug, Murgantia histrionica, which is primarilly a pest of brassica vegetables only (4). All stink bugs are piercing sucking feeders that insert their stylets into the fruit, pods, buds, leaves, and stems of plants.

Container-grown plants are constrained with regard to root growth, and are affected by factors including container size, substrate, weather, nutrition, and irrigation. Typical soilless substrates will hold less plant-available water than a typical field soil, making water management a critical component of any container-grown plant production system. A well-designed and managed irrigation system, which works in concert with the aforementioned factors, can provide the necessary quantity of water to support plant growth in an efficient manner.

Planting trees in pastures may seem counter-cultural to many forage-livestock producers, but it’s receiving interest as a means to achieve several outcomes. In this video, we illustrate two methods that have been shown to successfully protect growing trees from livestock.

DuraCor is a new herbicide currently registered for use in pastures and hayfields. ProClova is a new herbicide expected to be registered for use in January 2021. Both DuraCor and ProClova are used to control broadleaf weeds, however, a major benefit of ProClova (but not DuraCor) is the preservation of white clover. The objective of our research was to evaluate the efficacy ProClova on broadleaf weed species and safety on white clover.

Strip grazing summer stockpiled fields allows maximum utilization of the forage. Temporary fencing must be installed through taller residue, much of which is tall fescue seed heads. Several products were identified which effectively reduced the number of tall fescue seed heads.

In spring 2020, a small solar-powered pumping demonstration system was installed at the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research & Extension Center. A description of the purpose and construction of this system is provided in this video.

Feed additives are included into beef cattle feedlot diets with the objective to improve cattle growth and feed efficiency, resulting in enhanced productivity and profitability in feedlot. The objective of this research was to evaluate the impacts of supplementing a yeast-derived product, Celmanax, during the finishing period on performance, physiological responses, and carcass quality of feedlot cattle. Including Celmanax into finishing diets containing monensin did not result in additional benefits on cattle performance or carcass traits. Celmanax could be tested as a natural feed additive alternative to monensin with the objective to improve animal growth performance and health in a complete natural diet.

Pasturelands provide valuable ecosystem services including: erosion protection, climate mitigation, food and products for human use, habitat for wildlife and pollinators and aesthetic value. The capacity of pastures to provide ecosystem services is limited by lack of plant biodiversity. We recently completed preliminary studies at the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley AREC funded from a NRCS- Conservation Innovation Grant. This work evaluated ways to establish native warm-season grass and wildflower

The Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center hosted its biennial Field Day on August 5, 2020 at 2 pm. This online event featured videos of current research projects at the Shenandoah Valley AREC. The topics covered during this field day included establishing and protecting trees in pasture, establishing biodiverse pasture systems for pollinators and cattle, new herbicide options for pasture weed control (while still preserving clover), cow and calf performance on summer-stockpiled tall fescue pastures, supplementing yeast-derived products to feedlot cattle, the Asian longhorned tick and Theileria, standardized performance analyses for benchmarking cow herd productivity, and the Smart Farm Innovation Network.

According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, U.S. greenhouse vegetable farms more than doubled from 2012 (USDA 2019). Virginia fell within the top 10 states for acreage of vegetables and berry crops grown under protected culture. Protected culture includes greenhouses and structures like high tunnels. With close to two and a half million square feet devoted mostly to tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, and strawberries, the value of Virginia greenhouse sales in 2017 was over 31 million dollars! A lot of this increase in square footage was due to the addition of large operations coming into Virginia.

Demonstration and explanation of operation and use of a stone burier implement for tractor. The tool buries stones in a field and makes raised beds at the same time. Burying stones prevents cultivation and planting equipment from skipping and causing loss of production. The stone burier can also be used to bury cover crops allowing quicker field turnovers.