Virginia to hold farm transition workshop on February 11

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently announced that it would be holding a workshop for farmers to help them understand issues of farm transition.

The second of three Farm Link and Transition Pilot Workshops will be held on February 11 at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham, Virginia. The VDACS' Office of Farmland Preservation is working with the Virginia Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers Committee to put on the workshop, according to a release.

The goal of the workshop is to inform farmers about how to ensure their farm is passed correctly to whom they intended. VDACS Commissioner Matthew J. Lohr said that doing this properly helps to preserve farmland.

"We are concerned about the loss of working farmland in Virginia, and want to ensure that this land continues to be farmed into the future," he said. "To that end we want to help farm owners set up a plan for a seamless transition from one generation to the next. At the same time, we want to provide assistance to existing farmers interested in expanding their farm operation, and to beginning farmers who are just starting to take the first step."

Ensuring that farmland is properly utilized is essential to Virginia as the agricultural sector has a more than $50 billion annual impact on the state.

West Virginia set to host ag events

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is preparing for two agricultural and farming events in the coming weeks, according to a press release.

The Agritourism Workshop is scheduled for February 29 and the West Virginia University's Extension Service's Small Farms Conference is slated for March 1 through 3. Both events are slated to be at the Waterfront Hotel in Morgantown and require separate registrations.

"Agritourism is a growing niche market that can help farm owners add another income stream to their farm operations," said Gus R. Douglass, commissioner of agriculture. "Besides being an income opportunity, agritourism helps connect the public with the source of their food, which creates a greater awareness of the good work done by farmers everywhere."

The Agritourism Workshop features two speakers, Hugh McPherson of Maize Quest and Donna Alt of Brookdale Farms. McPherson has franchised Maize Quest to more than 70 farms in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Brookdale Farms features a corn maze, interaction with animals and a farm in operation.

Douglass and Tourism Commissioner Betty Carver are scheduled to present 2012 West Virginia Agritourism Awards after lunch at the Agritourism Workshop.

Virginia pushes benefits of Community Supported Agriculture

Now is the key time to enroll in a subscription for Community Supported Agriculture, which the Virginia Department of Agriculture encourages consumers to do, according to a press release.

"The CSA has many advantages," said Matthew J. Lohr, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "Members know where all the food comes from, how it was grown, who harvested it and when. They learn to eat seasonally, enjoying foods that arrive according to nature's timetable. Everything the CSA provides is field-fresh, flavorful and nutritious because deliveries usually take place weekly and the travel time and distance from farm to fork are kept to a minimum."

January is the perfect time to enroll as it provides farmers advanced notice in preparation for ordering, according to Lohr.

Both Virginia and the U.S. have seen CSAs gaining in popularity. Virginia's representation amounts to 86 subscriptions and that figure is projected to grow this winter.

Agriculture is essential to Virginia, as the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services reports that it accounts for a $55 billion impact on the state's economy each year.

Technology helps the the Pennsylvania Farm Show go

Technology has transformed a great many things and now the Pennsylvania Farm Show can be added to that list.

Attendees to the event - which runs from January 7 to 14 - have noticed that exhibitors have been using the latest technology to attract them, according to the York Daily Record.

Booths feature everything from interactive videos to the Wii video game system, which helps engage a modern audience, Cindy Weimer, director of industry image and relations for the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association, told the news source.

"Today, people are several generations removed from the farm," she said. "This is a way for them to see what it is really like on a modern dairy farm."

The Pennsylvania Farm Show, which is in its 96th year, is the largest indoor agriculture event in the U.S. with 10,000 competitive exhibits, 6,000 animals and more than 400,000 attendees. The whole event is spread out over 24 acres in 11 buildings and three arenas. In addition, The Farm Show Scholarship Foundation has given out more than $886,500 in scholarships since it was established 18 years ago.

Calf butter sculpture wows those at the Pennsylvania Farm Show

A 1,000-pound calf is on display at the Pennsylvania Farm Show - but this is no ordinary calf.

ABC27 reports Jim Victor of Conshocken crafted the calf with butter. After beginning work on the creation in the middle of last month, Victor unveiled the fruits of his labor Thursday evening so all could gaze at his handiwork. The calf pays homage to the Pennsylvania 4-H and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs, both of which are marking their 100th anniversaries.

"Pennsylvania has a rich agricultural tradition, and this sculpture pays tribute to the root of the industry - our young people and the educational programs and county fairs that give them opportunities to grow and learn," said Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley, according to the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.

None of the butter will go to waste when the farm show closes next Saturday. Rather, the butter will be sent to dairy farm in Juniata County, sent through a digester and the byproduct of electricity will help the farm function.

The 96th Pennsylvania Farm Show is set to open on Saturday.

Milkman makes comeback in Northeast Maryland

A Northeast Maryland company has brought back a service that is most welcome to many customers: the delivery of dairy products by a milkman.

The Cecil Whig reports Kilby Cream of Rising Sun provides a delivery service that Mary Beth Sniadowski-Cole is very pleased to see continuing. She called to ask about non-homogenized milk and was surprised when met with an inquiry as to whether she would like weekly delivery service.

"Oh my God, it's like heaven-sent. To have it delivered to the house is fantastic," Sniadowski-Cole told the publication about the Thursday delivery service of a gallon of white milk, a gallon of chocolate milk and a quart of heavy cream.
"It's wonderful - we just leave our little box out. I don't have to say to my husband, 'Stop at the store and get milk,' because it's right there."

Cecil County saw the return of milk delivery service slightly more than one year ago when Kilby Cream resumed the time-honored practice.

Kilby Cream has been dairying for more than 100 years, according to the company website.

Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show kicks off in Baltimore

The Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS) - which is known as The Masterpiece of Trade Shows - begins on January 11.

MANTS offers attendees a wide variety of potential purchases to choose from such as nursery stock, equipment (both light and heavy duty), furniture and many more industry and agricultural products.

The trade show began in the early 1970s in Willamsburg, Virginia, and has greatly increased in size in the past four decades. The event is now held in the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore.

Companies from all over the region attend the event and major industry players are on hand to buy items and see exhibits. According to the show's website, 35 percent of attendees are the owners of their operation.

However, MANTS offers a bit more than a standard trade show as a charity auction will be held and a number of major organizations - such as the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association - have their annual meetings at the event. In addition, a gala will take place on January 11 to raise funds for the VNA Horticulture Research Foundation.

The event will run from Wednesday, January 11, to Friday, January 13.