New farm use placard requirements delayed

Last year the General Assembly passed legislation to establish a formal process for Virginia farmers to acquire permanent farm use placards. However, it was discovered that a few clarifications were needed, so a new bill postpones implementation of that law.

HB 1806 and SB 1057 were introduced in this year’s General Assembly by Del. Robert Bloxom Jr., R-Mappsville, and Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr., R-24th, to delay vehicles claiming a farm use exemption to obtain a formal placard from the Department of Motor Vehicles. The bill changed the implementation date from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024.

In recent years, an increasing number of drivers have purchased and utilized farm use tags on their vehicles when they do not meet the required uses. Virginia Farm Bureau members want a program that eliminates abuse by individuals not meeting the criteria. This updated legislation creates clear parameters for eligibility and uses of the placard while simultaneously protecting farmers’ personal information.

to July 1, 2024

The bill clarifies that the farm use exemption applies to all pickup and panel trucks, sport utility vehicles, trailers or semitrailers, and vehicles other than pickup and panel trucks, sport utility vehicles, trailers or semitrailers having a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 7,500 pounds. However, the only vehicles tasked with obtaining the placard are pickup trucks, panel trucks and sport utility vehicles. Trailers, semitrailers and vehicles over 7,500 pounds can continue operating as is under the farm use exemption without getting a new farm use placard.

HB 1806 and SB 1057 also authorize the use of an agricultural or horticultural vehicle for disposing of waste or procuring supplies, and a seasonal transportation vehicle for driving to storage houses, packing plants or markets—regardless of distance.

Starting July 1, 2024, farmers will be required to obtain farm use placards from the Virginia DMV. Virginia DMV may charge $15 for the new placard. The tags will have an alphanumeric identification number, are nontransferable and must be displayed at all times.

When applying for the placards, farmers must provide the name of the owner or lessee of the vehicle; the location and approximate acreage of each farm where the vehicle will be used; and the type and approximate amount of agricultural commodities produced annually.

The application also will require a signed statement that the vehicle will be used only for the exempted purposes currently in the Code of Virginia, such as transporting supplies to and from fields and transporting product to market and return trip. It also requires a signed statement that the exempted vehicle is insured with liability coverage. If pickup trucks under 7,500 pounds, sport utility vehicles and panel trucks do not have a title, then the owner will need to get one. However, any information required for the placard will be kept confidential.

New field director will enhance member services

Gracie Anderson of Louisa County has been hired as the new district field services director and special programs assistant for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s District 4.

Anderson will work in conjunction with board director Jeannie Dudding to provide quality service to Virginia Farm Bureau members in Alleghany, Bedford, Craig, Franklin, Henry, Patrick and Roanoke counties. She currently resides in Blacksburg.

Anderson is completing a master’s degree in public administration with a focus on agricultural policy and advocacy. She previously served as a VFBF intern in the summer of 2021.

Sussex County farmer named National Peanut Board chair

Paul Rogers of Wakefield was elected the 2023 National Peanut Board chair in December 2022. Rogers will serve as chair through December 2023. He previously has served as vice chair, treasurer and secretary of the board.

Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology from Old Dominion University and has been farming since he graduated in 1997. He is a member of several agricultural organizations, including the Surry County Farm Bureau, the Virginia Crop Improvement Association, the Virginia Cotton Growers Association, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Cotton Advisory Board and the Virginia Cotton Board. He currently serves on the board of Colonial Farm Credit, and as past chair and current director of a local Southern States Petroleum Co-op.

“I’ve served alongside Paul on some of the same boards that he has, and I know he’s a strong advocate for sustainable agriculture,” noted M.L. Everett Jr., chair of the VFBF Cotton Advisory Committee.