Virginia’s cool-season grass pastures are highly productive in the spring and fall, but high temperatures and short-term drought stress often limit their growth during summer months. Incorporating warm-season grasses can be a beneficial strategy for meeting feed resources during this period of forage deficit.

The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and some other regions produce more manure nutrients than local crops need. This manure has traditionally been applied to row crops and overapplication has led to soil-test phosphorus (P) being well above agronomic optimum in many cases. In 2008, it was estimated that nutrient-management regulations now require that approximately 85 percent of poultry litter be applied off poultry farms, as they do not have sufficient land to beneficially recycle their manure nutrients.

Harvesting and storing forage at the proper moisture concentration is essential to producing a high-quality product. Ideally, hay forage should have a moisture concentration between 15 percent and 18 percent during baling. Hay baled at higher moisture levels is subject to heat damage, dry-matter loss, mold spoilage, and hay fires. Protein and total digestible nutrient losses are increased for hay baled at lower moisture levels. Baling at the proper moisture level is critical to making quality hay, especially for larger bales (round and square) since moisture and heat dissipate more slowly in comparison to smaller bales.

Hay production and feeding is one of the most expensive components of forage-livestock systems. Specific management practices are necessary to maintain hay quality and minimize hay loss during harvest, transportation and storage of large round bales.

This Extension publication covers the safety aspects of equipment used in large round bale packages such as: balers, front-end loaders, bale handling and transport devices. The key to safe and efficient systems for handling large round bales is an operator who knows the hazards involved and who follows safety practices that can prevent accidents. Operators must be constantly alert for situations that may cause injuries to themselves or others. Besides pain and suffering, accidents contribute to higher costs in terms of unnecessary downtime or costly machine repairs. Alertness and safety consciousness can result in more efficient and profitable baling and handling.

Most Virginia soils are acidic and require lime applications at three- to five-year intervals. Maintaining the correct soil pH has several benefits, such as encouraging healthy root development and making sure nutrients in the soil are available to the plant. For example, low pH can cause aluminum toxicity and can decrease phosphorus availability.

The only way to accurately predict lime and fertilizer needs in forages is through soil testing, as explained in “Soil Test Note No. 1 – Explanation of Soil Tests,” Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 452-701. See www.soiltest.vt.edu.

If your Soil Test Report indicates that one or more trace elements are needed, then go to the related sections in this note for information on the recommended trace elements and the specific rates and methods of application. Apply only those trace elements that are recommended, and only at the recommended rates!

This publication describes procedures for revegetating surface coal mine reclamation sites with grasses and herbaceous legumes.

Domesticated chickens, like their ancestor the Jungle Fowl, will range outdoors when given the opportunity, especially when given shelter or natural overhead cover from bushes and trees. Poultry flocks that get the opportunity to range outdoors can benefit in terms of health and behavioral opportunities. However, many factors impact ranging behavior, including shelters, weather, time of day, early life experiences, fear, group size and genetics. Here we focus on one component that could stimulate poultry to use the range more, which is to provide natural vegetation other than grass.

This introductory information is primarily focused on solar-powered water pumping systems for tenant farmers and for systems designed for use only during freeze-free months. The information and the referenced demonstration systems are to help enhance pasture management options, while excluding livestock from surface streams, in situations where a permanent watering system may not currently be possible for the site. A permanent watering system is needed for ongoing year-round usage. Please refer to the resources listed in this publication for more general information and contact your local USDA Service Center to explore options for permanent livestock watering systems.

Drone based imagery shows the potential to highlight differences in crop status pertaining to nematode populations in soybean. In addition, integrating the imagery with machine learning models enables yield estimation much before harvest up to an accuracy of 87%. This provides growers with insights into crop health and yield conditions prompting for timely management decisions such as application of fertilizer or fungicides and irrigation. In addition, growers would also benefit from preharvest yield estimations for harvest, storage, and sales planning. This helps to realize optimal yield.

"The Agroclimate Viewer & Planner App: NDVI only is a free interactive web-based tool designed to help growers and researchers to monitor crop health in the fields. By leveraging Google Earth Engine (GEE), the application provides insights through satellite imagery. Users can draw field boundaries and generate NDVI visualizations to aid in informed agricultural decision-making.

The Agroclimate Viewer & Planner App is a free interactive web-based tool designed to help growers and other users monitor, forecast, and analyze agroclimatic conditions for their croplands. By leveraging Google Earth Engine (GEE), the application provides insights through satellite imagery, weather forecasts, soil data, and climate patterns. Users can draw field boundaries, select specific parameters, and generate visualizations to aid in informed agricultural decision-making.

Estimates of the economic damage caused by meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and woodland voles (formerly pine vole) (Microtus pinetorum) exceed $5 million annually to agricultural commodities (e.g., vegetable and grain crops, fruit orchards, flowering bulb production), nurseries, Christmas tree plantations, residential landscape plantings, and woodland parcels recently replanted with pine seedlings. This publication focuses on methods to resolve problems associated with the injurious meadow and woodland voles.

Silvopastures intentionally integrate trees with forage and livestock production in a rotational grazing system. These systems have the potential to improve animal comfort, increase farm resource use efficiency, boost income, and mitigate environmental costs.

Silvopastures — integrated tree-forage-livestock production systems — have the potential to boost farm resource use and income. These systems take advantage of the beneficial interactions among system components, add biodiversity, and increase animal comfort. The intentional and careful combining of trees and livestock in time and space can yield both short-and long-term returns and have positive environmental outcomes.

Allium Leafminer (ALM) (Phytomyza gymnostoma), an invasive pest first detected in the United States in 2015, has spread through onion-growing regions in the Northeast and Midwest. This pest targets commercial alliums such as onions, garlic, leeks, chives, and shallots, causing significant injury to crops.

Fescue is the predominant forage in Virginia because of it is productive, high-quality forage across most of the state. However, the plant's positive agronomic traits are offset by toxins in the plant that cause significant reduction in animal performance and welfare. This article discusses fescue, the sources of toxins and their impacts, and provides some management strategies for addressing toxicosis.

Endophyte-infected tall fescue is the dominant forages in Virginia. As such, it is imperative to manage this important forage resource wisely. Ergot alkaloids produced by fescue’s fungal endophyte create challenges to accomplishing this. Tests for endophyte presence and alkaloid levels are important management tools that producers can use to minimize alkaloid consumption and the negative impacts of on animal performance. Consistent testing methods are important for adequately assessing alkaloid levels and for making comparisons among pastures over time. These results then can be used to develop a custom grazing strategy to avoid severe incidences of fescue toxicosis. Repeated testing during a grazing season can help determine possible benefits to pasture renovation or addition of legumes. Similar to testing forages for nutrient concentrations and devising a winter feeding and supplement plan, testing fescue-based pastures for endophyte infection level and for ergot alkaloid concentrations at various times during the year can facilitate management to reduce alkaloid consumption and also help determine if further mitigation is needed.

Humans and livestock require a broad range of nutrients to maintain a healthy diet. However, the lack of diversity in diets due to price, geography, and availability makes it difficult to create a well-rounded food supply from staple crops. Biofortification is the process of improving the nutritional quality of food and feed through management practices, plant breeding, and genetic modification. The history, types, and implications of biofortification are discussed with an emphasis on producer, livestock, and human health considerations.

This production guide informs readers of production issues and best management practices to effectively grow peanuts in Virginia. This guide contains information regarding variety selection, basic agronomic considerations, plant protection products, weed control products, and insect control measures. This guide helps provide up to date information so growers can make informed choices regarding peanut production.

This publication provides information on giant hogweed identification, including how to distinguish between look alike species, and what to do if you think you have found giant hogweed.

The annual summary of corn silage hybrids testing in Virginia.

The Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation (PVQE) program was created in 1968 as a multi-state program for the evaluation of Virginia-type cultivars and breeding lines. The PVQE is the official “pipeline” for Virginia-type peanut cultivar development for the Virginia-Carolina region. The objectives of the PVQE are: 1) to determine yield, grade, quality, and disease response of commercial cultivars and advanced breeding lines at various locations in Virginia and the Carolinas, 2) develop a database for Virginia-type peanut to allow research-based selection of the best genotypes by growers, industry, and the breeding programs, and 3) to identify the most-suited peanut genotypes for various regions that can be developed into varieties. This report contains agronomic and grade data of the PVQE tests in 2024.

Apple trees can produce plenty of fruits in the first two years of planting. If kept on the tree until harvest, these fruits would have a negative effect on tree growth and structure. Defruting newly planted and young apple trees (e.g., 2nd and 3rd leaf), particularly those on dwarfing rootstocks, allows the trees to fill their allotted bearing space and become structurally capable of bearing a decent crop by the fourth and fifth year. Although defruting can be achieved manually by removing flower clusters and small fruitlets, several chemical options can make defruting much faster and less labor-intensive. This publication aims to provide information about the rates and application timing of chemical materials apple growers can use to effectively defrut young trees.

The purpose of this publication is to provide performance data of the many soybean varieties offered for sale in Virginia. These data should be of benefit to producers and agribusinesses in making selections of varieties for their use. It is realized that not all varieties that are offered for sale in Virginia are included in these tests. There is no implication that varieties not included are inferior in any way, but only that they have not been tested.

In this publication, we describe apple blotch disease, also known as Marssonina leaf blotch, an emerging apple disease in the Eastern United States. This disease leads to severe apple tree crown defoliation that indirectly affects the apple fruit size, color, yield and twig development. The causal gent of this disease is a fungus Diplocarpon coronariae (also known as Marssonina coronaria).

A farmer's experience of converting a tall fescue field into native warm season grasses for improved forage production in the summertime.

This is the thirtieth year of this ongoing annual project. Further work is planned for the upcoming 2023-2024 growing season. The demonstration and research plot results discussed in this publication are a cooperative effort by eight Virginia Cooperative Extension ANR agents, one retired agent, and the EVAREC superintendent. We are proud to present this year’s on-farm small grain plot work to you. We hope the information in this publication will help farmers produce a profitable crop in 2024.

Drone-based spectral imaging is a nondestructive approach for estimating corn grain yield efficiently prior to harvest. Such spatial estimations if done early in the season could help growers to identify lower performing areas of the field. This will guide them to adopt prompt, precise and cost-effective crop management operations (e.g., irrigation, fertilizer or fungicide applications) in the same season or before/during next cropping season. Pre-harvest yield estimates would help in better planning and allocation of harvest, storage, and sales resources for higher profitability and crop value. This article summarizes a recent exploration on drone-based multispectral imagery to estimate grain yield potential of corn.

Native warm season grasses may provide valuable forage resources for farmers in the summer months, while also providing habitat for wildlife, among other conservation benefits. This report provides the results of a three-year forage yield variety trial of 20 different cultivars and ecotypes of native warm season grasses at five different locations in 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.

Native warm season grasses may provide farms with summer forage and improved animal performance, while also providing habitat for wildlife species. This paper describes the conversion process of a tall fescue-based pasture at the Southern Piedmont AREC to native warm season grasses. Subsequent beef cattle performance on this pasture was compared to cattle performance on nearby novel-endophyte tall fescue pastures, indicating the potential for good animal performance in the summer on these grasses.

These demonstration and research results are a collaborative effort of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Agents and Specialists, Virginia producers, and agribusiness. The purpose of this publication is to provide research-based information to aid in the decision-making process for soybean producers in Virginia. It provides an unbiased evaluation of varieties, management practices, and new technologies through on-farm replicated research using producer equipment and time. These experiments enable producers to make better management decisions based on research and provide greater opportunities to improve yields and profits, which improves quality of life for them and their families.

These demonstrations and replicated studies provide information that can be used by Virginia corn growers to make better management decisions on their farm. These results should be used along with data from other replicated studies when making decisions. Refer to individual location results for additional detail.

This publication reviews options for controlling common grassy weeds in grass forages including chemical and cultural management options. Specific weeds are discussed in detail including johnsongrass, Japanese stiltgrass, broomsedge, and foxtail species.

Fall stockpiling for winter grazing has been a common practice for many years to extend the grazing season in Virginia. Despite an abundance of spring pasture growth that is commonly harvested for hay, the need for fall forage often limits the acreage that can be set aside for winter grazing. A novel practice developed at the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SVAREC) called “summer stockpiling” enhances a producer’s ability to maximize fall stockpiled acreage and consistently extend the grazing season.

Fungal species in the Colletotrichum genus are the causal agents of bitter rot on apples. In Virginia, six Colletotrichum species cause apple bitter rot: C. fructicola, C. chrysophilum, C. siamense and C. theobromicola from CGSC and C. fioriniae and C. nymphaeae from CASC. Over the past two decades, bitter rot infections have been increasing in the Mid-Atlantic region, where these pathogens are becoming more prevalent due to increasingly warm and wet weather conditions that favor Colletotrichum growth. The region produces approximately $500 million worth of a worth of apples every year. Losses to bitter range from 14% to 100% in commercial apple orchards. This publication describes causal pathogens, their biology and management approaches and has practical and scientific significance.

Tarping or occultation is used in farms and gardens to kill weeds and prepare areas for planting without the use of tillage or chemicals. This publication compares different tarping materials and how to use them effectively. Research is shown determining how long different weeds must remain under the tarping material to be killed.

The annual Virginia Turfgrass Variety Recommendation List details the best performing turfgrass varieties as determined over time by replicated field trials conducted by turfgrass scientists at Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland.

The 2023 Virginia performance trials of commercial corn hybrids were conducted at six locations: Blacksburg, Holland, Blackstone, Orange, Shenandoah, and Mt. Holly. Corn was planted with a Wintersteiger PlotKing 2600 planter, and harvested at maturity with a Massey-Ferguson 8XP plot combine harvester. Plot grain weights (lb/ac), grain test weight (lb/bu), at grain moisture (%) were measured with a GrainGage® by HarvestMaster. Plot grain weights have been adjusted to a standardized moisture content of 15.5%. Statistical analysis was done to determine what differences were significant.

The On-Farm Variety and Research Publications are a collaboration between county agents, producers, crop specialists, and agribusinesses to provide research-based information on not only variety selection, but other management practices such as new cultivation, fertilization, planting, and harvesting practices of small grain. It is the intent of all the cooperators involved to provide an unbiased publication that provides assistance in variety selection as well as information related to other current small grain topics. This is the thirty-first year of this ongoing annual project. Further work is planned for the upcoming 2024-2025 growing season. The demonstration and research plot results discussed in this publication are a cooperative effort by eight Virginia Cooperative Extension ANR agents, one retired agent, and the Eastern Virginia AREC superintendent. We are proud to present this year’s on-farm small grain plot work to you. We hope the information in this publication will help farmers produce a profitable crop in 2025.

The purpose of this systems research project led by National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) was to identify and promote practical ways of using regenerative grazing practices to improve soil health and catch and hold more rainwater in soil. Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension’s project team conducted eleven semi-structured interviews and conversations across Virginia to learn and better understand farmers’ and ranchers’ agroecological motivations and overall values related to the protection and conservation of water resources. The project aimed to highlight distinct and diverse farms of Virginia’s agricultural community through a narrative inquiry framework.

Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm is a multi-generation farm located in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Rappahannock County. A core belief for Michael and Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm is having and encouraging a healthy ecosystem where farm and land management reinforce natural processes because a farm cannot be healthy if the land is sick. Sheep and cattle are their primary livestock, but they also have layers for eggs. Most of their meat sales are sold through their on-farm store. In this video, Michael shares about his early career as a researcher and educator with the Rodale Institute but also tells how the gnawing in his gut led him into farming and the move toward more regenerative practices that strengthen biodiversity, build soil health, sequester carbon, and his family’s efforts to mitigate climate change. Farming for Mike is about continuous improvement; assessment of finances and hard to measure ecological metrics; and making management decisions that push forward the adoption of regenerative practices, while being mindful of farm transition and conservation planning.

Bramble Hollow Farm is owned and operated by Brent and Anna Wills and is located along the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Bedford County. Brent and Anna and their family raise pork and chicken on pasture. They have also raised other livestock and poultry through the years. Brett and Anna have and continue to use multiple market channels including farmers markets, on-farm sales, community supported agriculture (CSA) deliveries, participation in a food hub, and affiliation with the Edible Goose Creek farm alliance. Additionally, Bramble Hollow Farm invested in an on-farm commercial kitchen to diversify and add value to what they grow and offer. In this video, Brent shares who (i.e., writings of Gene Logsdon, Wendell Berry, and others) and what influenced him and helped form his vision for regenerative agriculture where soil health equates to plant health; plant health equates to livestock health; and ultimately equates to human and planetary health.

Cattle Run Farm LLC is a third-generation family operated and veteran owned farm located in Greene County and the central Piedmont region of Virginia. Sarah Morton and Ralph Morton seek to carry on the tradition of their family and expand the concept of an agrarian lifestyle and business to the community. Sarah shares about her families’ roots in farming and how asset mapping played a critical role when her father wanted to transition to the next generation. Sarah and Ralph raise cattle, chickens, produce, blackberries, hogs, cows, and more as they continue to look to add value and diversify their operation. Sarah and Ralph are active members in the Minority and Veteran Farmers of the Piedmont and work closely with several other community-focused organizations. Sarah emphasizes that Cattle Run Farm’s story is one of resilience, scale, diversification, and fortitude to keep farming and reaching towards sustainability and empowering others. Like many multi-generational family farms, sustainability, resilience, and viability are forged out of necessity. Sarah reiterates the critical importance of community in farm viability and similarly how farm viability strengthens community viability beyond the farm’s gate. Overall, the story gives a glimpse into Sarah’s and Ralph’s ecological and social consciences, and how reconnecting to the land instills passion and power.

Gil Yearwood of Ellett Valley Beef Company reflects on his time raising beef since 1975. Ellett Valley Beef Company is in Montgomery County in southwest Virginia and specializes in South Poll cattle because they are excellent for grass-based grazing systems and have relatively small frames, easy dispositions, and are tender. Gil admits he has tried every variation of rotational grazing, and that rotational grazing is significantly better than continuous grazing. Gil took an interest in cattle and grazing as a teenager. He has been a mentor for many young and second career cattle farmers. Gil demonstrates that regenerative agriculture and grazing is a journey and an adaptive lifelong process. Gil openly shares his overarching goals, challenges, the lessons he has learned, and what gives him hope with soil health, water quality, and regenerative grazing adoption as he interacts with other farmers and visitors to his farm.

Becky Szarzynski is the owner and operator of Ember Cattle Company in Fairfield in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Becky as a grazier has honed her grazing management skills over the past 15 years in working with her father, attending conferences, being mentored by other farmers, and serving in a coordinator role of the farmer-to-farmer mentoring network with the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council. Becky raises South Poll cattle as a cow-calf operation, breeds replacement heifers, and sells seed stock on 160-acres of land. Becky practices rotational grazing with a diverse forage base that includes native warm season grasses, summer annuals, and cool season perennials. Becky tends to prefer the term adaptive grazing versus rotational grazing because conditions are constantly changing and you must be very observant of the interactions between soil health, plant diversity, livestock, pollinators, the weather, stocking density, and overall system. Becky shares her motivations, lessons learned, aspirations, and ongoing research and study of grazing and of course her fascination with dung beetles.

Glade Road Growing is a small family farm within the town limits of Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia. Sally Walker and Jason (JP) Pall started the farm operation in 2010, building on their experience with home gardening. Sally and Jason did not grow up on farms but have learned through internships, conferences, reading, YouTube videos, farm visits, and their own experiences as the farm has grown the past 14 years. Sally and Jason and their growing full-time and part-time staff raise certified naturally grown produce and pasture-raised organic-fed pork, poultry, and eggs. Sally and Jason have worked with the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Services on several cost-shared soil and water conservation practices. Glade Road Growing started marketing their produce at the Blacksburg Farmers Market, but their sales now include a farm stand and a season-long farm share and community supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions. Nutrition, health, and connections with community are critically important to Glade Road Growing’s mission and vision. Although JP and Sally are not quick to use the term regenerative for their vegetable production practices and livestock rotations, respect for their soil, water, animals, staff, and customers is always at the forefront of their thinking and that they are growing together with the community in mind.

Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a fourth-generation family farm that has been in operation since 1951. Jacob and his wife Jennifer and children operate the farm in Orange, Virginia. Jacob is a first-generation farmer. Jacob is thankful for the support of his parents and credits his involvement in 4-H showing cattle as a teenager for his career in farming and conservation. Jacob continues to learn and study through reading and visiting with other farmers. Heaven’s Hollow Farm is a commercial Black Angus cow-calf operation that also includes pastured poultry and pork. Most of their beef, poultry, pork, and eggs are marketed directly to consumers and local restaurants. Jacob and Jennifer take a holistic approach to managing their farm and seek to improve soil health, water quality, bird and wildlife habitat, and pollinator diversity as much as possible. Jacob describes their thinking about these processes and their rotations. Soil health, profitability, and quality of life must be balanced and should not be too complex. Being flexible and adaptable is important for Jacob and Jennifer, particularly with grazing, raising a family, and managing the farm holistically.

Holsinger Homeplace Farms is a family farm in Rockingham County in the central Shenandoah Valley. Buck and Amand ‘AJ’ Holsinger and their children are the tenth and eleventh generations to live on the farm. Buck and AJ started farming with the goal of feeding their family the healthiest food possible. Their animals are raised humanely and given the freedom to roam and obtain a nutritious diet from the forage base and their silvopasture system that includes black locust, black walnut, pine, cedar, and other mast, fodder, and shade producing trees. Holsinger Homeplace Farms now provides other families excellent grassfed beef and eggs from free-range laying hens. Buck and AJ share their motivations and how they have a generational perspective. J. Russell Smith’s book Tree Crops was an early influence and motivation for Buck, along with his experience visiting other countries as a veteran and pilot. AJ’s background in dietetics and nutrition has influenced her perspective on soil, plant, and animal health. Silvopasture management is a centerpiece of their farm as they seek a system that is multi-functional and provides multiple benefits across time. USDA and state conservation and cost-share programs have helped them financially in getting started and allowing them to set a pathway for transforming the farm and achieving their long-term holistic vision.

Shamoka Run Farm is a modest family farm in northern August County operated by Leo and Judy Tammi. Leo grew up in Delaware on a small, diversified farm with a few milk cows, hogs, sheep, and poultry. Leo and Judy moved to the Shenandoah Valley region in 1981. Leo learned very early to farm with nature and what the land is best suited. Shamoka Run Farm is a sheep and lamb farm that includes about 240 acres of hay and pasture, along with 60 additional acres of rented land. Leo was a founder of the early Virginia Lamb Cooperative, is an active member of the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council and has worked with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Services and Headwaters Soil and Water Conservation District on a variety of best management practices like riparian buffers, bird and pollinator habitat, and native grass plantings. Leo shares several epiphanies and observations on rotational grazing, resilient, aesthetics, marketing, and wildlife habitat, and the need to educate people about the complexity of farming and the services farming and good land productivity provides to the broader community. Leo reminds us that regenerative and soil health-building principles must be internalized, require inquisitiveness, energy, resilience, and continual observation.

Adam Taylor and Elizabeth Spellman-Taylor co-operate Singing Spring Farm, which is in the Sinking Creek Valley in Craig County, Virginia. Adam and Elizabeth’s goal is to be a whole, complete diet farm that offers heirloom fruits and vegetables; goat milk, kefir, and cheese; culinary and medicinal herbs; eggs; and pastured, lamb, goat, and poultry. Agroforestry and permaculture are important themes on their farm as they seek to protect the Singing Spring on their farm, create community, and live out paradise gardening. Adam’s experience interning on a farm in southwest Virginia and being a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia profoundly impacted how he views farming, while Elizabeth has a deep conservation ethic in agricultural land protection and agrarian commons. For each of them, Joe Hollis’s essays and musings on Paradise Gardening were instrumental for their vision of a family lifestyle that was balanced with everyday practices. Adam Taylor and Elizabeth Spellman-Taylor co-operate Singing Spring Farm, which is in the Sinking Creek Valley in Craig County, Virginia. Adam and Elizabeth’s goal is to be a whole, complete diet farm that offers heirloom fruits and vegetables; goat milk, kefir, and cheese; culinary and medicinal herbs; eggs; and pastured, lamb, goat, and poultry. Agroforestry and permaculture are important themes on their farm as they seek to protect the Singing Spring on their farm, create community, and live out paradise gardening. Adam’s experience interning on a farm in southwest Virginia and being a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia profoundly impacted how he views farming, while Elizabeth has a deep conservation ethic in agricultural land protection and agrarian commons. For each of them, Joe Hollis’s essays and musings on Paradise Gardening were instrumental for their vision of a family lifestyle that was balanced with everyday practices.

Jerry Swisher is a cattleman, farm consultant, and a retired Senior Extension Agent for dairy sciences. Jerry continues to own and operate his family’s farm in Fairfield and Brownsburg in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Throughout his career with Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension, Jerry served in many capacities to support Virginia’s dairy farmers, 4-H youth, and industry. Jerry designed and developed the Dairy Rotational Loafing Lot System, which became a standard best management practice for dairy farms to prevent soil erosion, protect natural resources, and enhance cow comfort and performance. Jerry was instrumental and a key resource for Virginia and Mid-Atlantic dairy farmers who desired to transition to grass-based dairy systems. He led multiple educational tours regionally and internationally so farmers could learn from other grass-based farmers in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia. Jerry provides an historical perspective and motivated farmers to transition to grazing systems rather than conventional confinement with limited access to pastures. Jerry documents farmers’ motivations for grazing in an era of high costs and frantic industrial change, the pushback from the dairy industry, and frequently asked questions about grass-based regenerative dairy farming.

Along with agronomic and grade information, data on kernel and pod quality are essential for release of new peanut cultivars to ensure acceptability by the entire peanut trade. The present report contains the quality data collected on 5 Virginia-type cultivars that currently are on the market and 29 advanced breeding lines tested in the Peanut Variety and Quality Evaluation (PVQE) small plots in 2023

This report presents results from barley and wheat trials conducted in Virginia in 2023-2024. In Virginia, small grain cultivar performance trials are conducted each year by the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. The trials provide information to assist Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agents in formulating cultivar recommendations for small grain producers and to companies developing cultivars and/or marketing seed within the state. Yield data are reported for individual locations, and across locations and years. Performance of a given variety often varies widely over locations and years which makes multiple location-year averages a more reliable indication of expected performance than data from a single year or location. Details about management practices for barley and wheat are listed for each experiment location.

These demonstration and research results are a collaborative effort of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Agents and Specialists, Virginia producers, and agribusiness. The purpose of this publication is to provide research-based information to aid in the decision-making process for soybean producers in Virginia. It provides an unbiased evaluation of varieties, management practices, and new technologies through on-farm replicated research using producer equipment and time. These experiments enable producers to make better management decisions based on research and provide greater opportunities to improve yields and profits, which improves quality of life for them and their families.

The research and demonstration plots discussed in this publication are a cooperative effort by Virginia Cooperative Extension employees, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, numerous producers, and many members of the Virginia agribusiness community. The fieldwork and printing of this publication are mainly supported by the Virginia Corn Check-Off Fund through the Virginia Corn Board. This is the forty-first year of this multi-county cooperative project. Further work is planned for 2025. Anyone who would like a physical copy of this publication should contact their local extension office, who can request a copy from the VCE Northumberland County Extension Office.

Mid-season heat and drought stress (HS+DS) severely impacts peanut growth, slashing yields by up to 50% and degrading kernel quality—key factors in market pricing. For Virginia-type peanuts, which command premium prices due to their large kernel size and superior grade (especially the "fancy" classification), HS+DS reduces both yield and percentage of total sound mature kernels (TSMK). This dual loss directly undermines profitability, as poor grades can offset gains from high productivity. With grade standards serving as a critical benchmark for growers and shellers, mitigating HS+DS is essential to preserving both yield and market value. This article discusses the effects of HS+DS on peanut yield and grade and highlights the importance of this combined stress.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) has a spreading growth habit with lateral branches completely covering the ground at harvest. The current Virginia-type cultivars Bailey II, Emery, Sullivan, N.C. 20, and Walton have shown abundant vine growth under Virginia climate. While this is a positive thing, e.g. more biomass production can support higher yields, growers that do not use RTK guidance may be unable to see the rows for efficient vine digging and inversion. In short, under pressure from inverter set off the rows, pods can shed from the vines and yield can be lost.

This publication is the 2024 results for the Official Cotton Variety Testing Program and On-Farm Testing Program.

No-till seeding has become accepted practice for establishing forage grasses and legumes for a number of reasons. Foremost among these is that no-till management helps keep soils in place. Tilling soils to create a seedbed for new forage stands greatly increases the risk of soil erosion during the establishment period.