33 minute read
Agriculture teachers educate next generation
Ag educators use variety of methods to teach about farming
Prince William teacher cultivates ag experiences for suburban students
BY ADAM CULLER
Teaching agriculture to Brentsville District High School students who know little about farming is a challenge Amy Beard is happy to undertake.
Located in the suburban sprawl of Northern Virginia, the Prince William County school has few students with traditional farming backgrounds. Among those with some agricultural experience, the extent typically is raising backyard chickens or growing a small vegetable garden.
Beard, a Manassas native, grew up working on her grandparents’ farm in Highland County and continues to work on her family’s Dusty Lane Farm in Nokesville.
As the high school horticulture instructor, she’s using those experiences to connect students to agriculture in a community where farming activities are a rarity.
“We have a lot of students who don’t have any experience at all,” Beard said.
“It’s a good challenge, because we’re able to open these kids’ minds to all the possibilities agriculture holds,” she explained. “It’s amazing when they see those possibilities and realize they can do something in agriculture even if they never thought in a million years they could.”
Horticulture classes are an elective available to all students at Brentsville, which also offers turfgrass management classes. Beard’s students are responsible for everything grown in the school’s greenhouse and raised beds, learning primarily about plant science and small-scale farming.
Beard said she wants students to learn how to grow food for their own families on small plots, so she teaches them vertical gardening and companion planting techniques. Her main goal, she said, is to help students understand the importance of agriculture and recognize that even the smallest operations play a crucial role.
“We don’t all have 100 acres at home,” Beard said. “If we only have half an acre, it’s all about what we can do with that half-acre. It’s definitely important— especially in our area where available land is starting to get smaller and smaller— to realize all the ways we can contribute in our community.”
Amy Beard's students are responsible for the school's greenhouse and raised bed gardens.
BY ALICE KEMP
When students enter Jennifer Bowry’s agriculture class at Powhatan County Middle School, she typically hears, “Oh, this is the class with rabbits,” or “Oh, so we’re just going to grow stuff and look at a chicken.”
But it’s so much more. Under a well-rounded agriscience curriculum, Bowry’s seventh and eighth graders learn real-life applications of what they’re taught in school. These include exercising math skills for woodshop projects, and learning about cellular respiration and photosynthesis while growing plants.
“They’ll start telling me, ‘Wow we just did that in math class’ or ‘Hey, we’re doing that in science.’ It’s really important to me that they find that connection with the other things they’re doing,” Bowry explained.
While the Powhatan native has taught agriculture for over 10 years, Bowry didn’t grow up with a farming background. Her family had a garden, but she wasn’t immersed in agriculture until she took her first agriculture class in high school.
“I was hooked,” she reminisced. “I took ag my entire high school career. If it was available, and it fit in my schedule, I took it.”
Jennifer Bowry's agriscience students learn about raising trout and growing plants.
CHARLIE ATKINS
Teaching students in a rural-suburban area, she tailors her class so everyone gets to experience something new no matter their agricultural background, touching on subjects including animal science, poultry production, forestry, soils, horticulture and landscape management.
“We teach a little of a lot,” she chuckled.
They even raise fish through a program called Trout in the Classroom. The class is given trout eggs to raise to maturity—feeding them, and monitoring the tank for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites and pH levels.
“While the students haven’t fished or spent a lot of time outside, they’re checking on the fish, they’re wanting to feed them, they’re taking out the bad eggs, and they’re watching eggs hatch,” she explained. “It gives them a little bit of wildlife, fisheries management, recordkeeping, along with the science side.”
She also has students explore future career options in agriculture that go beyond their preconceived notions.
“I like them to understand there are a lot of occupations in the ag industry,” she said. “There really is something for everybody.”
Washington County horticulture instructor champions agricultural literacy
BY NICOLE ZEMA
The historically agricultural backdrop of Southwest Virginia has shifted to a more suburban landscape in recent decades. So, when Holston High School freshmen meet horticulture instructor Lawrence Cox, his curriculum and greenhouse projects are often their first exposure to agriculture.
“Even my stepdaughter Jaycie is from Bristol—not exposed to agriculture at all until I married her mom,” said Cox, who grew up on a Washington County beef cattle farm. “If students pursue a career in agriculture, that’s fantastic, but it’s usually because someone before me planted that seed.”
Agricultural literacy is Cox’s main educational objective.
“I just want them to understand what it takes to be a farmer—it’s not for everybody,” he said. “And my goal, from a horticulture perspective, is that they understand how to take care of plants. They’ll become homeowners someday, wanting to raise their own garden, remember what they learned, and maybe get their kids involved earlier.”
Critical thinking is essential to Cox’s agricultural-literacy approach.
“There’s a lot of false information on the internet about horticulture,” he said. “So being able to know how to find credible literature, and recognize misinformation, is another goal.”
Cox is only the third horticulture teacher at Holston since 1964, and he’s not going anywhere, he said. The school’s agriculture program is strong, and its FFA chapter is competitive. The organization produced two state officers in recent years, and several students have earned American and State FFA degrees.
“We have somewhere between 80 to 100 FFA members—about 33% of the school,” Cox said. “Eight of the 10 years I’ve been here, I’ve had a valedictorian as a student.”
Students cultivate ornamentals and vegetables for an annual plant sale, where they learn skills associated with public relations, marketing and business. They determine their best sellers, costs and how to set prices.
“We have a lot of community support,” Cox said. “To be able to come into the program is a dream come true. Teaching is where I want to be, and teaching horticulture is my passion.”
Holston High School horticulture teacher Lawrence Cox is pictured with student Billy Trivett for dress-like-a-student day; Cox and his stepdaughter Jaycie Perry, an incoming freshman, work on summer tasks in the school’s greenhouse facilities where they grow plants for the annual FFA sale.
ADAM CULLER
NICOLE ZEMA
Clockwise from top: Bryson Funk feeds goats on his family’s Rockingham County farm. Ryann Bradshaw works with one of her sheep in Fauquier County. Breyon Pierce helps his son, Landon, pick vegetables on the family’s Surry County property.
ALICE KEMP
Farm lifestyle creates options, opportunities for Virginia youth
The average age of the American farmer is now 57.5, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Census of Agriculture. That’s 1.2 years older on average than in 2012, continuing a long-term aging trend.
But that’s a fuzzy snapshot, because the USDA only recently began allowing children to be listed as operators with parents.
The 2017 Virginia profile reported the state has 5,430 farmers under age 35. Sustaining the future of food and fiber will be the innovative young farmers comprising the next generation of agriculture.
They’re young and yet to be counted, but take note of these up-and-coming Virginia agriculturalists bringing fresh perspectives and contemporary values to a changing industry.
ALICE KEMP
Fauquier County teen learns life lessons on the farm
BY ALICE KEMP
Ryann Bradshaw’s chore list is vastly different from other 17-yearolds.
While many of her peers empty the dishwasher or mow the lawn, she helps her mom, Helen Whitney, and stepdad, Tim Mize, maintain three small farms scattered around Northern Virginia. On any given day, she’s washing water buckets, cleaning the barn and checking on their cattle.
“With my personal animals, I’m in charge of buying the feed and making sure they’re wormed and clipped,” she said.
Bradshaw enjoys working with animals, showing her sheep for 4-H, and serving on the Fauquier County Livestock Show and Sale Committee. But staying busy with her animals means she had to make some big decisions early on. When she was 10, she had to choose between sports or committing to agriculture. “I completely gave up on the idea of sports,” Bradshaw admitted. “I really wanted to play a sport, but it was not going to fit in my schedule unless I gave up ag, and I just wasn’t willing to do that.
“Ag is mostly my life,” she added. “I don’t have many extracurriculars.”
Bradshaw is well-versed in the demands and commitment needed to keep things running on the farm. She’s had to learn how to manage her time—balancing a social life, school and farm chores. “It’s harder after school because you have homework you need to do, but your animals are your No. 1 priority,” she said. “I’ve had to make sure that I can get chores done quickly and efficiently and then go focus on homework.”
Farm life also taught her about finances and being aware of her spending. Instead of buying a pair of pricey new shoes, “I’m spending $30 a week making sure I can feed my animals and get them what they need.”
Farm chores might keep her busy, there’s time for fun too.
Pushing round haybales off a trailer and watching them careen down a hill and topple over in a field is one of Bradshaw’s favorite tasks, and something she does with her mother.
“My mom is like ‘Hey, I’m going to go put hay out, you going to come?’ and I’d be like, ‘Heck yeah, I’m going to come!’ It’s our special thing—it’s really fun and pretty comical.”
ADAM CULLER
Raising animals is a lesson in patience, responsibility for Rockingham teen
BY ADAM CULLER
When the afternoon bell rings to dismiss students at Broadway High School in Rockingham County, 15-year-old Bryson Funk is only halfway done with his day.
His weekdays start at 6 a.m. when he catches the school bus, driven by his dad, J.J. And, with evening chores at the family’s commercial goat operation, there’s not much time for rest after school.
“On a normal day, I’ll go to school and do all of my classes,” Funk said. “Then, I’ll come home and head down to look after the goats to see if anything is wrong. Sometimes we’ll check on them at 10 or 11 p.m. if something that day went wrong.”
Amy and J.J. Funk, Bryson’s parents, started Brock Gap Boer Goats in 2018. The family raises show goats, most of which are shown by local high school and middle school students.
Funk’s normal farm duties include feeding the goats and administering medicine, which frees up J.J. to oversee the operation and manage the herd’s health. Bryson also spends 30 minutes each day training his goats—he competes with two each year—for show. “It’s taught me patience,” he said.
“When I first started, I didn’t have any patience, and I’d just get frustrated,” Funk continued. “Now when I’m doing things, I’ll just say, ‘It’ll get there,’ and it eventually does. Showing goats has really taught me how to be patient, and it’s also taught me a little responsibility.”
Funk admitted working on the farm sometimes cuts into his social life, but said the work is just part of “the way of life” when raising animals. Still, he finds time to participate in activities such as FFA, which he enjoys for its contests and opportunities to meet others involved in agriculture.
As a sophomore, Funk said he isn’t sure what he wants do in the future. He’s thought about careers in forestry and mechanics, but he’s happy to see where his ag education classes take him.
“I’ve still got a while,” he said. “But I love agriculture, and it’s something I think I’d like to do when I get older.”
NICOLE ZEMA
Pierce twins raised with agribusiness savvy
BY NICOLE ZEMA
The Pierce twins are being raised with a sense of agency in agriculture, to create opportunities for themselves.
The 700-plus acres of row crop and vegetable production at Pierce Farms LLC in Surry County are intrinsic to the family’s identity. Nine-year-old twins Landon and London Pierce represent the seventh generation of family farmers—an ancestral tradition their dad Breyon Pierce traced back to his great-great-great grandfather Alexander Gilchrist.
“He was freed in Prince George County when slavery was abolished in 1865, and that’s where he started a farm,” Pierce said. “We try to keep the heritage—all this land—in the family as long as we can. Even if Landon and London don’t go into farming, I want them to know the opportunity they have when it comes to agriculture.”
The twins learn how to grow their own food and care for animals.
And they develop agribusiness acumen assisting their dad at the farmers market.
“I make sure the produce is kept in stock, so I can tell people when something’s about to run out,” Landon said. “We have tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, corn, potatoes, and we’ve got cantaloupes too.”
London added that “the peaches, tomatoes and peanuts are the most popular. And the pet stuff.”
Value-added inventory includes peanut butter dog biscuits and a homemade wildlife mix using farmgrown peanuts, sunflower seeds and field corn.
“We have a grinder to make fresh peanut butter, which we use to make dog biscuits,” London said.
Agriculture is a family lifestyle, and Pierce said he wants his twins to be business-minded and use the resources around them.
London hopes to stay in the industry like her dad. “I’d like to be a vet at a farm because I don’t want to stay at an office; I like to travel,” she said.
But Landon sees a different kind of field for himself. “I want to be a football player.”
Floyd County master agent Ed Terry receives Ralph Stokes Award
BY NICOLE ZEMA
Astrong desire to help people protect their standard of living drove Floyd County master agent Ed Terry to be a consistently high performer for Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.
He was honored for his 31 years of service and received the Ralph Stokes Award at this year’s annual sales conference in March. This is the highest award for career achievement, celebrating a sales agent who supports company policies, is respected by peers, and represents the values of Virginia Farm Bureau throughout their community.
Terry started his insurance sales career in Carroll County in 1990, demonstrating immediate success. He was recognized as the State New Agent of the Year and has maintained that level of achievement, winning numerous contests and incentives and frequently being recognized as one of the company’s top producing agents.
Terry tries to sell the value of working with an agent, even though insurance products are sold online.
“When I started, if you wanted insurance, you’d call an agent,” he said. “Now an individual you know and trust has to tell you about a positive experience with a Farm Bureau agent. But once people have a face-to-face conversation, it’s not a tough sell.”
Terry grew up on his family’s beef cattle farm in Meadows of Dan. He developed leadership skills in FFA beginning in eighth grade, eventually earning the FFA American Farmer Degree. He graduated from Virginia Tech, having paid his own tuition by building houses with his uncle.
Now Terry revels in the fruits of his hard work and dedication. When not at home in Hillsville, he is relaxing at a cabin he built by hand in Carroll County. Char-tinged pine beams from an old tobacco barn and discarded doors from long-shuttered community facilities were repurposed in the cabin he enjoys with his wife, Lora. They relish spending time with their three adult children and two grandsons, with a granddaughter on the way. Farming, missions work, church activities and town council leadership keep him otherwise occupied.
VFBMIC established the Ralph Stokes Award in 1986, the same year Stokes retired after selling Farm Bureau insurance for 32 years. Though he used a wheelchair, Stokes’ physical limitations did not deter him from faithfully serving policyholders in remote areas.
“I only met him a couple times,” Terry said. “But there was humility with which he went about things that is an example to us all.”
Ralph Stokes winner, Ed Terry, stands in front of the hand-built cabin in Carroll County where he relaxes when not serving Farm Bureau members.
Botetourt County 4-H Livestock Club won for its cow display last year, and Louisa County 4-H Livestock Club took top honors for its scarecrow display.
Celebrating imagination, creativity and agriculture, the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Women’s Leadership Committee is accepting entries in its annual Hay Bale Decorating Contest through Nov. 1.
In its seventh year, the competition is open to anyone, including county Farm Bureaus, farmers markets, farm supply businesses, student groups and community associations.
Guidelines and an entry form are available at bit. ly/3icRJqx. Decorators can use round or square bales and other agriculture items to create various scenes— animals, structures, shapes and farmscapes. Participants are asked to submit photos of their displays with an application.
Three Rivers Soil and Water Conservation District created this winning “Bee a friend to agriculture” hay bale display in 2020.
Winners will be selected and receive a cash award in five categories: best promotional display for agriculture business or commodity; best promotional display for community spirit; most creative; best agricultural theme; and best agribusiness, FFA, 4-H or school display.
Winners will be notified by mail. Hay bale photo entries will be displayed at the 2021 VFBF Annual Convention in Williamsburg.
Promoted field staff to provide enhanced member services
Virginia Farm Bureau is committed to offering premium benefits and providing quality service to its members. The following Membership & Field Services Department promotions will enable the company to improve those experiences.
Daryl Butler has been named director of products services and market development. Butler has worked as a district field services director for 10 years, Butler serving members in the eastern part of the state. Prior to his career with Farm Bureau, he was a manufacturing supervisor.
Dennis Jones has been named director of field services. Jones has been with Farm Bureau 47 years, and previously served as assistant Jones director of field services and as a senior district field services director.
Mark Dawson has been named assistant director of member benefits. Dawson has been with Farm Bureau 22 years and most recently served as member benefits coordinator and a senior district field services director. “These three employees will continue their dedicated service to our members, and their collective expertise will further enhance the service we provide to our farmer members,” said Clay Francis, vice president of membership and field services. “Dennis brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our county leadership; Daryl will be working to move our products division to new heights with innovative new ideas and systems; and Mark has developed working relationships with our benefit partners to help build one of the most value-added programs in the industry.”
Dawson
Avoid costly farm equipment claims
BY ADAM CULLER
When it comes to protecting farm equipment from losses caused by fire and mechanical breakdowns, the best way to prevent expensive setbacks is to perform preventive maintenance.
Simple tasks such as cleaning machinery, replacing worn parts and adhering to a regular repair schedule can improve equipment’s durability and help save money when losses occur.
“You’ve got to be really diligent with maintaining your equipment—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Scott DeNoon, farm product and underwriting manager for Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.
“The challenges of farming are tough enough without having to worry about whether your equipment is going to break down and delay your planting or harvests,” he explained. “Because if that equipment is out of service, you’re either going to have to rent or borrow equipment to get that work done. That’s only going to add to the headache and overall expense.”
A strong maintenance program is key to avoiding costly insurance claims, DeNoon said.
He noted farmers should conduct routine maintenance when required, and should regularly inspect equipment for loose parts, bad bearings and disconnected hoses to mitigate the risk of fire.
Farmers also can prevent fires by checking their equipment each morning to make sure it’s in proper working order before it’s used. Any accumulated debris should be removed from the equipment, and any fuel or oil leaks should immediately be repaired.
It’s also important to ensure safety guards and shields that assist with safe operation and worker safety are in place.
“If you see any issues that could add fuel to a fire, you need to make sure those problems are addressed before you start your day,” DeNoon said. “You also need to make sure you have fire extinguishers that are easily accessible on your equipment. That way, if a fire does occur, you at least have an extinguisher to put it out, if possible.”
While regular maintenance can help prevent loss claims, farmers also should be aware of equipment hazards that could result in a liability claim. Those who plan on taking farm equipment onto public roads should equip their vehicles with slow-moving vehicle emblems and flashing lights. These practices will help ensure equipment can be seen by other drivers and help avoid collisions.
“We’ve seen a number of claims with vehicles colliding with farm equipment because they’re not able to see it in time to stop,” DeNoon said. “If a driver rear-ends you, one of the first things law enforcement will look for is whether an SMV emblem was properly displayed and is in good condition. That’s why it’s important that you make sure your equipment and those emblems are clearly visible to everyone on the road.”
Farmer David Black makes repairs to a combine at Heritage Farms in Charles City County.
RICKY GIBSON
Fire extinguisher access can save farm equipment
BY NICOLE ZEMA
“Do you smell smoke?” Those four words are a combine operator’s biggest nightmare, said Appomattox County farmer Glenn Dye,
a member of Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s Farm Safety Advisory Committee.
Dye was harvesting soybeans last fall and had just unloaded when he smelled smoke. His dad was there and confirmed he smelled it too.
“Then we’ve got a problem,” Dye recalled saying. “I started pulling shields off the combine, because we keep everything covered up so well. I didn’t see anything immediately. But when I climbed up to go in the cab, I could see the glow of the flames because it was dark out.”
Dye kept a fire extinguisher in the cab for easy access. It had been provided free by Virginia Farm Bureau’s fire extinguisher program.
“I’d never used a fire extinguisher before,” Dye confessed. “And I hoped I’d
Virginia Farm Bureau members are eligible for a free fire extinguisher for equipment insured by the company. A combine fire burned a wire harness and soldered wires together.
The fire burned inside the bearing housing, which was obscured from sight.
PHOTOS BY GLENN DYE
watched enough movies to do this right, because it was now or never! One quick burst, and the fire was out. Fortunately, it was a small, localized fire.”
A bearing had gone out, and the heat caused chaff that was stuck in the combine to burn.
“Thankfully I blow the combine off every single night, so it didn’t have much to burn,” Dye said. “I’m very fortunate, because it could have been so much worse. It’s a true Farm Bureau safety success story!”
Equipping farm machinery with an extinguisher could help save equipment and keep equipment insurance rates low. Free for members, Farm Bureau will provide one 10-pound fire extinguisher to mount on eligible equipment insured by the company.
Eligible equipment includes self-propelled grain combines, haybines, forage harvesters, cotton pickers, peanut combines and track-type bulldozers, loaders and excavators. If the extinguisher is used or develops a leak, Farm Bureau will have it recharged at no cost.
For more information on the fire extinguisher program, contact your county Farm Bureau office or visit vafb.com/
membership-at-work/ benefits/fire-extinguisherprogram.
Use caution when working with power takeoffs
BY ADAM CULLER
Spinning between 540 and 1,000 revolutions per minute, a tractor’s power takeoff is the last thing in which farmers want to find themselves tangled up.
Equating to 17 revolutions per second, the PTO’s high speeds can be perilous to those who happen to get caught in an exposed stub or driveline.
PTO-driven equipment comes standard with safety shields that cover rotating parts inside a stationary enclosure, but it’s not uncommon for farmers to modify or remove them, said Appomattox County farmer Glenn Dye.
The shields obscure moving parts that farmers often need to service or repair, leading some to make alterations that expose parts of the drive shaft. Another frequent modification allows the enclosure to spin along with the power takeoff.
And, because the shields typically are made of easily damageable plastic, it’s common that a farmer may not replace one after it breaks, out of choice or forgetfulness.
Whatever the case, failing to replace a PTO shield comes with a deadly risk.
“Whenever you remove a PTO shield, you’re exposing a shaft that’s rotating at a very high speed,” said Dye, who serves on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Farm Safety Advisory Committee. “You think because it’s a smooth surface that it won’t grab you, but it’ll grab a hold of a lot of things. And once you’re wrapped up in one, you usually don’t walk away from it.”
Incidents involving a tractor’s power takeoff typically are the result of farmers crossing an unguarded stub shaft or driveline, which can catch
PTO shields, pictured in black, protect farm equipment users from becoming entangled in power takeoff drivelines that revolve up to 1,000 revolutions per minute. Three-sided PTO master shields, pictured with a yellow warning sticker, protect users from the revolving power takeoff stub.
— GLENN DYE
loose clothing or long hair. Once a person is caught in the rotating PTO, there’s nearly no time to react or escape.
The results of these accidents often include broken bones, severe neck and spinal injuries, and even death.
To avoid such incidents, farmers should keep away from spinning shafts. They also should not wear loose-fitting clothing when working with PTOdriven equipment, and long hair should be tied back or tucked under a hat.
PTO stub and driveline shields should be equipped at all times, and damaged guards should be replaced immediately. The power takeoff also should be disengaged when the tractor is not in use.
“It doesn’t take many Google searches to find enough reasons to stay away from running power takeoffs and to leave the shields alone,” Dye said. “Too many farmers, including myself, get complacent and think we can reach over these moving shafts to grab or move something. These shafts don’t give, and a split second is all it takes to get caught in one.
“And they’re going to win every time.”
Volunteers employed creativity, technology during Ag Literacy Week
BY ALICE KEMP
While Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom’s volunteer reading program was different this year, it was no less successful.
Virginia AITC celebrated Agriculture Literacy Week March 15-19 with volunteers reading to students in socially-distanced settings and online. AITC distributed 2,085 agriculturethemed books to schools, preschools and daycare centers in Virginia, and an estimated 500 volunteers participated in the event.
“Each year, this is truly an opportunity for a child to meet someone involved in agriculture,” said Tammy Maxey, Virginia AITC programs director. “Volunteers often get many questions from children who are inquisitive about how the reader is involved in agriculture, from living on a farm to working in a government or corporate office.”
Volunteers read the 2021 AITC Book of the Year, How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? by Chris Butterworth. The book gives children a unique peek inside a student’s lunchbox and shares a farm-to-table journey, visiting farms throughout the country to learn the source of some of their favorite foods.
Using imagination and unique approaches, volunteers made virtual readings fun and engaging for students.
“The most original virtual event was Farm Credit of the Virginias’ reading adventure,” Maxey explained. “Children and classrooms registered for the event and received a link to the book reading. A different volunteer from Farm Credit read each page, often with their own family or dressed in costume.”
Volunteers also brought visuals like lunchboxes filled with food to coincide with the book’s theme. One volunteer read aloud in a barn full of cattle.
“The true storytellers among our volunteers shined as they used facial expressions and intonation to bring the story to life right through the screen,” Maxey said.
Local Farm Bureaus and FFA chapters also partnered to organize in-person readings, as FFA already had students in school who could provide these experiences.
“It’s inspiring to see the entire farming community joining forces to provide children with agriculture’s
A Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative employee read to elementary school students during Agriculture Literacy Week.
Some readings were done virtually, like this one in Louisa County, and other in-person readers masked up, like Christy Archer in Isle of Wight County.
story during 2021,” Maxey said. “This is an example of how working together teaches valuable lessons of caring and sharing, along with growing food for our community.”
Volunteer readers included Virginia’s first lady, Pamela Northam; Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring; county Farm Bureau leaders, employees of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Farm Credit and F&M Bank; and FFA and 4-H club members.
Businesses, Farm Bureaus support AITC
In addition to many individuals who contributed, numerous organizations made contributions to the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.
Steward Level ($50,000+)
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Shepherd Level ($25,000-$49,999)
Cargill Inc.
Harvester Level ($10,000-$24,999)
Finys
James River Equipment Inc.
National Agriculture in the Classroom
Organization
Virginia Corn Board
Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance
Co.
VFBF Young Farmers Committee
Virginia Pork Council
Grower Level ($5,000-$9,999)
Colonial Farm Credit
Corteva Agriscience
Farm Credit Foundation for
Agricultural Advancement
LexisNexis
Publix Charities
The Titmus Foundation Inc.
Universal Leaf Foundation
Virginia Beef Council
Virginia Cotton Board
Virginia Soybean Board
Weyerhaeuser Company
Cultivator Level ($1,000-$4,999)
Accomack County Farm Bureau
Albemarle County Farm Bureau
American Agricultural Insurance
Company
American Farmland Trust
Amherst County Farm Bureau
Augusta County Farm Bureau
Augusta County Farm Bureau
Women’s Committee
Ballyshannon Fund at the
Charlottesville Area Community
Foundation Birdsong Peanuts Botetourt County Farm Bureau Botetourt County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Buckingham County Farm Bureau Campbell County Farm Bureau Caroline County Farm Bureau Chesterfield County Farm Bureau Culpeper County Farm Bureau Dinwiddie County Farm Bureau Farm Credit of the Virginias, Staunton branch FBAlliance Insurance Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation Inc. Halifax County Farm Bureau Hanover County Farm Bureau Henrico County Farm Bureau Hoober Inc. Houff Family Foundation Houff’s Feed & Fertilizer Co. Hubner Seed Huffman Trailer Sales Hundley Farms Inc. Hunters Helping Kids Inc., New River Valley chapter Insurance Auto Auctions Island Sunrise Foundation Lee County Farm Bureau Mecklenburg County Farm Bureau Middlesex County Farm Bureau Montgomery County Farm Bureau Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative Nutrien Ag Solutions One Inc. Prince George County Farm Bureau Prince William-Fairfax County Farm Bureau Ricoh USA Rockbridge County Farm Bureau Rockingham County Farm Bureau Rockingham County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee Shenandoah County Farm Bureau Smyth County Farm Bureau Tazewell County Farm Bureau The Dairy Alliance The Jane and Arthur Flippo Foundation The William F. & Helen C. Sutton Fund Virginia Apple Board Virginia Egg Council Virginia Farm Bureau Membership and Field Services Department Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth Virginia Grain Producers Association Virginia Peanut Growers Association Inc. Virginia Poultry Federation Virginia Soybean Association Virginia State Feed Association Westmoreland County Farm Bureau Winchester Equipment Co. World Wide Technology
Donors help make AITC programs—like class gardening projects—possible.
AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM
Group insurance benefits employees, employers
For business owners expecting to land top-level talent, offering a robust benefits package can help attract quality employees.
Today, job seekers expect to receive quality benefits from their employers, and offering those individuals an attractive combination of insurance benefits can help boost employee retention and job satisfaction.
Experient Health—a subsidiary of Virginia Farm Bureau’s health insurance division—can assist employers’ recruiting efforts by helping business owners purchase group insurance policies that appeal to prospective employees.
“We typically work with businesses who have between two and 100 employees. We focus on the business owners’ needs and assist with setting the business up with a package of insurance coverages that benefit their employees,” said Dawn Simmons, an Experient Health account executive.
Simmons explained that most group insurance plans offered by businesses include employee coverage for medical, dental, vision, life and disability. Experient Health offers multiple options for each coverage type.
Experient Health sells products from multiple carriers such as Aetna, Anthem, Optima Health, Piedmont Community Health Plan and United Healthcare. The location of a business ultimately will determine which insurance carriers and products are available.
For a business to qualify for group insurance, it must have corporation status. Under the Affordable Care Act, companies that have 50 or more full-time employees are required to offer group health insurance to their employees or pay a penalty.
By offering coverage to a large group of individuals, business owners generally will have access to a broader range of coverage options than what’s available at the individual level. In most cases, the premium costs for subscribers are cheaper through group insurance, and the plans often offer better coverage and more cost-effective services.
Corporations with only one employee—or sole proprietors—also can qualify for group coverage if certain criteria are met.
For more information about group insurance, call 800-229-7779, contact healthsales@experienthealth.com or
visit vafb.com/health.
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Virginia Farm Bureau 1-800-229-7779
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Medicare users benefit by learning the ins and outs of the plans before open enrollment begins Oct. 15.
Medicare beneficiaries: Time to prepare for open enrollment
BY ADAM CULLER
The Medicare Annual Election Period begins soon, which means it’s time for Medicare beneficiaries to start considering their 2022 coverage needs.
Medicare’s open enrollment period runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 and generally is the only time subscribers can change their Medicare Advantage or Part D coverage for the upcoming year.
During this time, beneficiaries can enroll in, withdraw from or switch Part D prescription coverage or Medicare Advantage Plans, also known as Medicare Part C. Any policy changes made during the Annual Election Period go into effect Jan. 1, 2022.
Gina Gentilini, senior individual account executive for Virginia Farm Bureau’s Health Insurance division, said customers should use the election period to determine whether their current coverage matches their medical needs.
When shopping for new Medicare Advantage or Part D plans, Gentilini noted customers should keep a few key factors in mind. Subscribers should evaluate the potential use of the Medicare Advantage Plan they intend to enroll in, which will dictate their total out-of-pocket expenses for medical services.
Customers also are urged to consider the total cost of their prescription drugs through Medicare Advantage or Part D plans.
“The most important thing is to look at the overall picture of what that plan offers, and not so much what the premiums are and what the plan will cost you upfront,” Gentilini said. “Just because something may be cheaper premium-wise out of your pocket, it doesn’t mean it’s going to be cheaper overall when you’re using it.”
Those who turn 65 after the Medicare Annual Election Period still can obtain Medicare coverage for 2022. New beneficiaries can enroll during their Initial Medicare Enrollment Period, which starts three months before an individual’s 65th birthday, and concludes three months after.
To learn more about Medicare enrollment options, Virginia Farm Bureau members are encouraged to attend free virtual Medicare 101 seminars being offered by the VFB Health Insurance division.
The last seminar for 2021 will be held at 6 p.m. on Sept. 23. The session lasts an hour, and Farm Bureau health insurance representatives will explain how Medicare and related plans work, as well as cover enrollment periods and plan timelines.
To RSVP, email your name, county, email address, and the date of the seminar to MedicareSeminar@vafb. com or contact your local Farm Bureau office. Participants will be sent a Webex link to join that meeting virtually.
If you cannot attend the seminar, contact your local Farm Bureau office or call 800-229-7779 to discuss Medicare Supplements, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans with an agent.
