Legislative Day 2023

Farmers advocate for policy priorities in meetings with state leaders

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY NICOLE ZEMA

To ensure an agriculturefriendly future, 154 farmers from 50 Virginia counties met with rural and urban lawmakers Jan. 23 in Richmond as part of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Legislative Day.

Participants chose key issues among a list of policy initiatives developed through year-round grassroots activities to discuss with legislators.

One of those initiatives is requesting an additional $1.25 million to support the expansion of Virginia’s meat processing industry. When retail meat shelves emptied during the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers sought locally raised beef, and this intense demand created bottlenecks at Virginia’s few processing facilities. Market-ready cattle are still turned away because processors are at capacity.

“As a beef producer, this is a serious situation,” Jessica Pittman of Hanover County shared with staff of Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico. “I’ve had to drive 3½ hours just to get an appointment, while there are processors much closer to my house.”

Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, met with Shenandoah County Farm Bureau members to discuss FFA funding needs.

“Students have to pay membership dues,” said Ashley Kuhler, a former FFA state officer. “We’d like to see that membership 100% paid, because we have over 32,000 ag students in Virginia, but only 13,000 of them are FFA members. It’s a small barrier to entry at $12.”

Obenshain said the initiative is a great way to support the next generation of farmers and industry leaders.

Advocates from Southwest Virginia met with regional lawmakers and discussed a bill more strictly regulating aerial application of crop protectants. Christmas trees grown on the steep pasturelands of Grayson County, for example, are treated by air, since heavy equipment can’t traverse the terrain. A newly introduced House bill says civil penalties will result from improper notification of aerial pesticide treatments.

“There’s a short window of application time,” explained Adam Wilson of Washington County. “And if you have to wait seven days for a permit and then the wind’s not right, they won’t spray, and be booked for other jobs within the next seven days.”

Del. Jeffrey Campbell, R-Marion, said responsible producers should not be penalized for others’ irresponsible actions.

“We want people to have the freedom to farm, obviously,” he said. “But in a responsible fashion so it’s not impacting others choosing to farm in the area.”

Farm Bureau members presented other issues—requesting a delay in

Chesapeake Bay mandates; clarification of 2022’s Farm Use placard legislation; personal property tax exemptions for equipment; changes to sunset dates for the Virginia Cattle Assessment and dairy reimbursement programs; new positions for Soil and Water Conservation District engineering training; and expanded funding for wildlife damage management.

Del. Wendy Gooditis, D-Boyce, who serves parts of Clarke, Frederick and Loudoun counties, earned VFBF’s AgPAC endorsement in 2021. She discussed farmland preservation, renewable energy projects and dairy industry issues with Farm Bureau members prior to the legislative visits.

A member of the Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and Agriculture Subcommittee, Gooditis said she’s passionate about both agriculture and environmental protection.

“We have to work at the intersection of these,” she asserted. “Yes, we have to preserve our greenspace, waterways and climate, but we must not burden our farmers beyond what they can bear. Remember, they feed us!”

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