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NEW benefit exclusively for Virginia Farm Bureau members!
Save on tried, true and new Bush Hog products
Since 1951, Bush Hog has offered dependable rotary cutters, finishing mowers, landscape tools and a wide variety of tractor-mounted implements. Its rotary cutters are perfect for cutting pastures and mowing fields, and they come with a 10-year gearbox limited warranty.
Bush Hog offers Americanmade equipment to meet all your agricultural and landscaping needs— like zero-turn mowers that reduce mowing time and allow you to cut more efficiently.
And now Virginia Farm Bureau members can save $250 when they purchase Bush Hog products valued at $5,000 or more!
Visit vafb.com/benefits and log in as a member or create an account, then print out a Membership Discount Agreement Form and take it to any authorized Bush Hog dealer at the time of sale. The discount must be claimed at the time of purchase.
Spiff things up with Grainger products and supplies
Members are eligible for special Virginia Farm Bureau prices on selected product categories and supplies from Grainger, plus free standard ground shipping on all standard Grainger products*.
Get started with your price savings using one of three easy methods.
Present the Virginia Farm Bureau organization account number at time of purchase. The number is available from your county Farm Bureau, or visit vafb.com/benefits (You will need to be registered and logged in as a member). • Go to grainger.com/farmbureau to establish a new Grainger.com® account using that account number. • Call Grainger customer service at 800-472-4643 to update your existing
Grainger account with the Farm Bureau organization account number.
To be sure you get your Farm Bureau member prices, always reference Virginia Farm Bureau’s organization account number when visiting your local branch, making a telephone order, or ordering with your personal account online. If you have questions or need assistance, contact your county Farm Bureau. *FREE standard shipping on all orders shipped ground transportation. Other freight charges will be incurred for services such as expedited delivery, special handling by the carrier, sourcing orders and shipments outside the continental United States.
Dig into substantial savings at participating Case IH dealers
Members can save $300 to $500 on qualifying products from participating Case IH dealers. You can generate a certificate to present at your local dealership at vafb.com/benefits; have your membership number at hand.
Eligible individual, family or business members receive the following manufacturer discount on purchases of the listed products: Tractors: • $300 off Farmall Compact tractors, A, C and C CVT series • $500 off Farmall Utilities, C and U series • $500 off Maxxum Series and Farmall 100A series Balers: • $300 off Round balers • $300 off Small square balers • $500 off Large square balers Mowers & Utility Vehicles: • $300 off Disc mower conditioners • $300 off Sickle mower conditioners • $500 off Self-propelled windrowers • $300 off Scout utility vehicles
Travel Services
Members receive admission discount to top-rated Dollywood parks
Located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Dollywood is recognized as one of the world’s best theme parks. Spanning 150 acres and located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Dollywood offers more than 40 rides and attractions, including Lightning Rod, the world’s fastest wooden coaster. Dollywood has won more awards than that of any other theme park for its live shows featuring country, bluegrass, Southern gospel and classic rock. Master craftsmen demonstrate the area’s rich artistry, from hand-blown glass to blacksmithing.
Members can now purchase discount tickets to the Dollywood Theme Park. Visit Dollywood.com/Store/ Special-Offers?promocode=VAFARMBUREAU or vafb.com/benefits.
Visit the Biltmore Estate— America’s largest home
Biltmore Estate in Ashville, N.C., is America’s largest home. Built by George and Edith Vanderbilt, this property offers visitors tours, carriage rides, beautiful gardens, kayaking, horseback riding, paddle boarding, biking and much more on 8,000 acres.
Farm Bureau members in Virginia will receive $10 off regular gate admission to the historic Biltmore estate. Members also can realize reduced rates at The Inn on Biltmore Estate, The Village Hotel and a variety of local accommodations.
While there, browse through unique estate shops for wine lovers, gardeners, bookworms and everyone in between. Savor complimentary tastings of more than 20 handcrafted wines; view rare treasures from the Biltmore collection; and learn about the estate’s barnyard animals.
Visit Biltmore.com/corporateperk for more information. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
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Modernized products inventory valued by Farm Bureau members BY NICOLE ZEMA
When will the tires on your tractor need repair or replacement? Virginia Farm Bureau’s products division considered that question when it modernized its inventory last year. Bill Latane, director of member benefits, said Farm Bureau members may expect to replace tractor or equipment components, like tires, after just a few years of heavy use.
“So, we need to make sure we have the parts for what was hitting the market two to three years ago,” Latane said.
Those new product selections, like CEAT Specialty Tires, were the right call.
“It turned out to be a really good product for us—an excellent tire at a little-bit better price point,” Latane said.
Of the variety of products added to the inventory, Latane said the new LiquiTube Balancer and Sealer has been a hit with members.
“LiquiTube Tire Sealant is a product we’ve had a number of years; it’s been a very good product for us,” he said. “And in the last few months, LiquiTube came out with combination balancing beads and sealant for medium truck tires. People like the idea that if they run over a nail and there is a puncture in their tire, they don’t have a $150,000 truck sitting on the side of the road, waiting for someone to change the tire.”
The products division is showing off its facelift—both virtually and at its physical location.
Its new website, products.vafb.com, was launched in 2020. The site lists 1,800 products and inventory status at the Henrico County warehouse, which recently was decluttered and reorganized. The website is currently for informational purposes only, so customers should still place orders at 800-476-8473, or purchase through a Farm Bureau products dealer.
Agricultural Lending Division
Get in touch by visiting www. rstbank.com/ag or calling: Southwest VA area 276.623.0128 | New River Valley area 540.583.5458 | Shenandoah Valley area 540.437.0604
Farm Bureau navigates hybrid General Assembly
It was not business as usual due to COVID-19 restrictions, but legislators, lobbyists and citizens utilized a hybrid virtual and in-person 2021 Virginia General Assembly session to get things done. This year the House met 100% virtually, for both committee meetings and floor sessions. The Senate met in person at the Science Museum of Virginia, while committees listened to public and stakeholder testimonies virtually.
The following is a recap of key issues regarding implementation of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation policy. Specifics on bills with which Farm Bureau was involved are detailed in a comprehensive summary that was mailed or emailed to Farm Bureau leaders who participate in the VFBF Action Alert and legislative update system.
This session, Farm Bureau worked to:
KEY POLICY POSITIONS
Based on information available at press time, here is how 21 key policy positions fared in the General Assembly:
means Farm Bureau policy prevailed.
means Farm Bureau policy did not prevail.
means Farm Bureau was neutral on the final action, or more work needs to be done on the issue to say Farm Bureau policy prevailed.
Clarify the member appointment process to the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board and ensure geographic representation Continue the peanut excise tax to support industry education, research and promotion efforts Defeat a burdensome pre-notification process for farmers for certain environmental permits Ensure all farmers’ ability to be reflected in land conservation decisions Ensure farm equipment is not considered clutter and subject to local ordinance Establish and fund the Dairy Margin Coverage Program Establish the Local Food and Farming Infrastructure Fund and Grant Program Establish the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance Program and Fund Expand tax credits for conservation tillage and include precision ag equipment Expand the agricultural BMP tax credit program Data collection to understand the impact of solar facilities on future availability of land for production agriculture and forestry Increase the minimum fine for littering Inform landowners of the specific intent in a "quick take" condemnation and what their options are ✓ Maintain a farmworker exemption from minimum wage increases ✓ Prevent reinstitution of the estate tax ✓ Protect farmers’ ability to use neonicotinoids ✓ Secure additional funding for the agricultural BMP cost-share program ✓ Secure additional funding for the state Purchase of Development Rights program ✓ Secure additional funding for Virginia Cooperative Extension and its regional Agricultural Research and Extension Centers ✓ Update Virginia’s industrial hemp laws ✓
Remember, Farm Bureau’s work is never done. After the General Assembly session, the organization works to have staff or members appointed to boards and various technical advisory committees or participate in meetings to ensure the proper implementation of legislation.
Additionally, members have begun participating in this spring’s regional policy development meetings to begin determining Farm Bureau’s policy positions for 2022.
If you are a producer member and do not receive Action Alerts but would like to, contact Kelly Roberts, VFBF assistant director for member engagement, at kelly. roberts@vafb.com or 804-290-1293.
Building bridges:
A story of private-public collaboration
BY ALICE KEMP
Through communication and teamwork, a lesson about building bridges turned into reality.
When logger Donnie Reaves was getting ready to harvest timber at a site in Lynchburg last June, he knew the job would be complicated.
“Where the timber was, there was no access to get it out,” explained Reaves, a Bedford County Farm Bureau member who owns around 2,500 acres of forested property. “We had to cross a sewer line and then a stream.”
Crossing the sewer line posed potential water quality risks. The site also was in a visible location, which added an element of public scrutiny. Reaves is a seasoned logger who harvests around 200 loads a year, but he asked the Virginia Department of Forestry for help.
“We just sat down and talked about everything,” explained VDOF water quality specialist Kevin Dawson, who worked with Reaves and forestry consultant Todd Goode on the project. “We figured out the best place to cross the creek, and we decided, ‘OK, here’s what we’ll do; this is what we think will be the best plan.’”
Dawson wrote a pre-harvest proposal involving the installation of two sets of temporary bridges to navigate a crossing at Dreaming Creek—one to cross the sewer line and another the stream. The bridges needed to be stabilized and strong enough to hold heavy logging equipment, so Reaves consulted with Forest Pro Inc., a forestry equipment dealership owned by loggers.
To help cover the construction costs, Reaves secured funding through the VDOF Logger Best Management
Donnie Reaves of Bedford County used this bridge to help harvest timber and worked collaboratively with the Virginia Department of Forestry to implement best practices during the harvest at a site in Lynchburg.
Practices Cost-Share Program. The program helps subsidize practices that improve and protect water quality, covering loggers’ stream crossing expenses at 50% up to $2,500 and $5,000 if the project includes a portable bridge.
The Lynchburg area experienced record rainfalls during the harvest— sometimes as much as 5 inches a day. The bridges held up, and no sediment from the timber harvest entered the stream.
“I’m very happy to say we’ve never had a water quality problem on that job the entire time Donnie was working, and we still don’t,” Dawson remarked.
He fielded frequent calls from citizens about the project, and he regularly stopped by to check on the progress.
“Donnie would always take the time to walk the job with me,” Dawson recalled. “If we saw something that needed attention, we would just deal with it then and there.”
Ron Jenkins, executive director for the Virginia Loggers Association, said the success of this project demonstrates how cooperation and mutual respect go a long way in implementing best management practices.
“This clearly shows that the public and private sectors can work well together to produce a high-quality outcome,” Jenkins said. “When people take time to listen to each other, you learn from each other, and that’s what these two did.”
