All Photos courtesy of DCR
Harvest time on a Virginia farm
Agriculture's Best Practices Virginia farms look to boost productivity and profitability By Gene Marrano It’s not a new program, but there’s more money than ever available to Virginia farmers that keep their land and adjacent water sources cleaner. The Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Cost-Share program (VACS) is ready to dole out $124.6 million in state funds for fiscal year 2024 to farmers – up to $300,000 per recipient. What’s the catch? Those farmers have to adopt best management practices
that keep nutrients, sediment and waste out of streams and rivers that adjoin their land. Many are one time awards – say for fencing erected to keep cattle out of the river, while for other ongoing projects or new ones that funding may be available again. VACS lists more than 70 best management practices that are eligible for funding, including the planting of cover crops to reduce erosion, nutrient management plans, streamside tree or grass buffers, livestock stream-exclusion funding and alternative water systems for livestock. Once again as in the last fiscal year the amount of money available for the program is being called record-breaking. It’s certainly not new and has been around since the mid 80’s.
James Martin
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t AUGUST 2023 / vbFRONT.com
The Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) works with the Commonwealth’s 47 soil and water conservation districts, directly with those farmers, providing technical assistance and distributing funds from the VACS program.
