Average cost of a Thanksgiving meal declines
Source: VA Farm Bureau RICHMOND, VA — The average price for a 10-person Thanksgiving meal in Virginia is $80.48, down from $81.07 last year. According to an informal survey conducted by the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving meal with items sufficient to make 10 servings is $8.05 per person. Image credit - VA Farm Bureau The survey’s menu consists of turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, rolls, carrots, c
Prices for artificial Christmas trees may be significantly higher this year due to tariffs
Numerous sources including the US Commerce Department, the REAL Christmas Tree Board, and Michigan Farm Bureau November 18 - Based on the current outlook from wholesale growers, the average cost of a live Christmas tree in 2025 is expected to remain stable, likely falling in the typical range of $80 to $100 for a 6-foot tree. Here's a breakdown of the forecast: Stable Wholesale Prices: The Real Christmas Tree Board's annual survey indicates that a large majority of wholesale
Farmers offered incentives to protect grassland birds
October 31 - The Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative recently announced the opening of its incentives program for landowners and farmers. Now through Nov 30, farmers in 16 counties across the Blue Ridge, northern Virginia Piedmont, and now also in the Shenandoah Valley can apply for financial incentives to implement practices that help support nesting grassland birds during the 2026 haying and grazing season. “Delayed haying until at least July 1 is a game changer for birds
USDA: American farmers should see record high yields in corn and soybeans this year
WASHINGTON, DC - After 6 weeks of the federal government being shut down, the National Agricultural Statistics Service released a new crop production report on Friday, November 14th. The report indicates that American farmers should see record-high corn and soybean yields this fall. Corn production for grain is forecast at 16.8 billion bushels, down less than 1 percent from the previous forecast but up 12 percent from 2024. If realized, this would be the highest grain product
United Nations: 2026 will be "International Year of the Woman Farmer"
Source: American Farm Bureau The United Nations is recognizing 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer , with hopes of spotlighting the contributions of women in agriculture and agribusiness. A recent USDA news release states, "women are responsible for roughly half of the world’s food production." The news release went on to say that 2026 will be "an unprecedented opportunity to underscore – and to address – the myriad social and economic challenges that women in
FFA announces new National Officers
Source: National FFA Organization news release Indianapolis, IN -- The 2025-26 National FFA Officer Team was elected during the final session of the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis on Saturday. The National FFA Officer Team from 2025-26. From left-to-right: Trey Myers (Oklahoma), National President; Lilly Nyland (Michigan), National Secretary; Joey Nowotny (Delaware), Eastern Region Vice President; Jael Cruikshank (Oregon), Western Region Vice President;
Farm Credit Council Women's Initiative announced
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In celebration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Farm Credit Council has announced an initiative to provide leadership development training to women leaders across the Farm Credit System: Advancing Women in Agriculture through Resilience & Distinction (AWARD). Participants will take part in a groundbreaking leadership experience at Gettysburg in the summer of 2026. Each of the 55 Farm Credit Associations and four banks, representing all 50 st
Biosecurity efforts intensify in GA as HPAI is found on commercial broiler operation
Source: GA Farm Bureau On Oct. 24, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA - APHIS), confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) at a commercial poultry operation in Gordon County. This is the third confirmed HPAI case in a commercial operation and the fifth overall detection in the state this year. Since the nationwide avian influenza outbreak began in 2022, mo
Training exercises prepare first responders for livestock transport accidents
LEXINGTON, VA — Traffic accidents are already stressful, but when livestock are involved, they can quickly become chaotic and dangerous situations. With hundreds of thousands of farm animals transported on U.S. roadways every day, crashes involving livestock trailers are inevitable. Not only do these incidents pose a host of unique challenges, but many responding personnel may have limited experience handling farm animals. That’s why Virginia Farm Bureau Federation hosted a s
Reports: China to import U.S. soybeans
by Ryan Hanrahan, University of Illinois' FarmDoc project Urbana, IL - Bloomberg's Jeff Sutherland and Ilena Peng reported that "China has agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans this year, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, providing some relief to US farmers who have anxiously awaited the resumption of exports to the Asian nation. For the next three years, China has agreed to buy a minimum of 25 million tons annually, Bessent said Thursday on Fox Business." Ima
