

Winter storm damage to Shenandoah Valley farms now exceeds $13 million
by Jeff Ishee Early assessments show the region’s agriculture sector suffered far more damage than was first believed. ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA — Farmers across the Shenandoah Valley are still digging out after a late January winter storm. Early assessments show the region’s agriculture sector suffered far more damage than was first believed. Image credit - Farmer who would like to remain anonymous Officials with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the USDA’s Farm Service Agency


USDA: The United States lost 14,950 farms in 2024
A new report published by USDA on Friday, Feb. 14 shows a significant loss of farms in 2024. Highlights include: The number of farms in the United States for 2024 is estimated at 1,880,000, down 14,950 farms from 2023. Total land in farms, at 876,460,000 acres, decreased 2,100,000 acres from 2023. The number of farms decreased in all sales classes except the $1,000,000 or more sales class. In 2024, 48.1 percent of all farms had less than $10,000 in sales and 78.9 percent of a


Elisha Barnes' 'Shocking' Success Story
By John Markon, Virginia NRCS Public Affairs DECEMBER 23, 2024 - One reason “conservation” is such a useful word is that so many things can be conserved – everything from time and energy to plums and peaches. But how about a method? Visitors to Elisha Barnes’ Pop-Son Farm in Southampton County often remark on the unusual appearance of his peanut fields, which are staked every year in the fall with five-foot poles. Freshly unearthed nuts are left on the vine and wrapped around


Virginia farmer David Hula records highest yield in NCGA Corn Yield Contest
Source: National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) news release December 16 - The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is excited to announce the winners of the 2024 Yield Contest. Participants delivered outstanding yields, once again showcasing the ingenuity and resilience that define U.S. agriculture. The highest yield for the year came out of Charles City, Virginia at 490.6276 bushels per acre in Class H (strip-till irrigated) for David Hula. Hula set a new world record


































