Time to Pick a Virginia Grown Pumpkin

The Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (VDACS) estimates that Virginia farmers will sell around 67.5 million pounds of pumpkins this year. That figure is based on three thousand acres with 1,500 saleable pumpkins per acre or 4.5 million pumpkins with an average weight of 15 pounds each. Some experts think the yield might even be higher per acre, which would increase that total. The value of the crop to the growers is estimated to be around $10 million this year.

One Cool Virginia Grown Corn Maze

Peanut Food Safety Workshop

The Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (VDACS) will sponsor a Peanut Food Safety Workshop this September 29 and 30, 2009 at the Tidewater Agriculture Research & Extension Center in Suffolk, Virginia. Please call (757) 569-1100 for additional details and registration information.

Virginia's Finest to Participate in State Fair

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) will host a Virginia's Finest pavilion at the upcoming State Fair of Virginia. The Virginia's Finest companies that will be participating in the pavilion during the State Fair include:

Thursday, Sept. 24 - Saturday, Sept. 26
Millcroft Farms, Stanley, Virginia
Virginia Heat, Richmond, Virginia
Rowena's, Norfolk, Virginia
Sabrosa Foods, Inc., Hampton, Virginia

Sunday, Sept. 27 - Tuesday, Sept. 29
Don's Best Sauce, Ridgeway, Virginia
Spice Rack Chocolates, Fredericksburg, Virginia
The Good Earth Peanut Co., Skippers, Virginia
Cinnamon Cafe'/Original Brunswick Stew, Lawrenceville, Virginia

Wednesday, Sept. 30 - Friday, Oct. 2
Jody's Popcorn, Virgina Beach, Virginia
Landovel Farm, Fork Union, Virginia
Croftburn Farm Meats LLC, Culpeper, Virginia
Mary's Cakery and Candy Kitchen, King George, Virginia

Saturday, Oct. 3- Sunday, Oct. 4
Virginia Diner, Wakefield, Virginia
Nouvel, LLC, Williamsburg, Virginia
The Williamsburg Chocolatier, Inc., Williamsburg
Bloody's By Buz, Oakton, Virginia

Virginia Farmers Markets Ranked Among Best in the Nation

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is pleased to announce that six Virginia farmers markets were ranked in the Top 20 in “American’s Favorite Farmers Market Contest” sponsored by the American Farmland Trust (AFT).

AFT announced the results Saturday, August 8, which was the last day of National Farmers Market Week. More than 800 markets signed up to participate in the contest. Voters could vote for their favorite market in one of three categories, small, medium or large. Markets are categorized by the number of vendors at each. A small market has 30 vendors or less; medium markets support 31 to 55 vendors and large markets are those with more than 55 vendors.

Among medium markets, Williamsburg ranked number one nationwide. Historic Roanoke came in at number seven, Yorktown at number eight and Goochland at number 19. In the small category, Fairfax ranked number three and Virginia Beach ranked sixth.

New Virginia Grown Web Site

The Virginia Grown web site, www.virginiagrown.com, has recently been updated to make it much more user friendly. The site now allows consumers to search by product and geographic area. The new site also contains a great mapping feature so consumers can easily find how to get to local farms, farmers' markets, roadside stands, etc.

Virginia Grown Strawberries

Virginia's Finest Program Celebrates 20 Years

The Virginia's Finest Trademark Program is proud to celebrate 20 years of excellence, promoting the development of Virginia agriculture and specialty food products. Virginia's Finest highlights top quality Virginia-produced and processed products, including produce, meats, seafood, nuts, snacks, candy and many other gourmet foods and beverages.

The Virginia's Finest Program is one of the most highly regarded marketing vehicles in the Commonwealth. It gives Virginia companies that have earned this trademark distinction of quality an advantage in the marketplace. Consumers recognize the familiar Virginia's Finest "checkmark" and trust that Virginia's Finest products have been deemed the best of the best. The Virginia's Finest Trademark Program was introduced to the world in 1989 and has grown to more than 1,000 participating agricultural, food, and beverage companies.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is highlighting the trademark program and products throughout this anniversary year. For example, the Virginia Pavilion at the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade’s Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City on June 28 to 30 will give more than a dozen Virginia's Finest companies the opportunity to present their products to one of the largest international markets of retailers, restaurants, groceries, and gift and gourmet stores. September will be designated as Virginia's Finest month and VDACS is hosting a Virginia’s Finest Pavilion at the State Fair of Virginia when it premieres at its new location at the Meadow Event Park in Doswell on September 24 through October 4. For more information on Virginia's Finest and to explore the Virginia’s Finest directory, visit http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vafinest/index.shtml

Promoting Virginia Seafood

When consumers think of agriculture, they don't always consider all of the food and fiber products that the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) works to promote. Since Virginia is the nation's third largest seafood producer and the largest on America's Atlantic coast, promoting Virginia's seafood is a top priority. On Tuesday, May 26, the Virginia Marine Products Board staff, along with other employees from the VDACS Marketing Division sponsored a buyers' tour for restaurant chefs interested in finding local suppliers of Virginia seafood. The chefs had the opportunity to meet with Virginia watermen and see how various marine products are harvested, processed, and prepared for sale. To learn more about Virginia seafood, please visit the Virginia Marine Products Board's excellent Web site http://www.virginiaseafood.org/ listing recipes, seafood festivals, and where to buy locally harvested Virginia seafood products.

Find Out What's in Season

Consumers can use this produce avaialability chart to find out which delicious Virginia Grown fruits and vegetables are in season.

It's Farmers' Market Season in Virginia

Many farmers' markets across Virginia open in May. These markets are a great place to find locally grown fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Many markets also offer baked goods, eggs, cheeses, poultry and meat items, honey and much more. Click below for a list of farmers' markets in Virginia http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown/frmsmkts.shtml

Request for Specialty Crop Grant Proposals

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is accepting applications for USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Specialty Crop Block Grant funds. Agricultural associations, industry groups, community-based organizations and producer groups that seek to improve the competitiveness of specialty crops in Virginia are eligible to submit proposals for grants up to $25,000. Although individual producers are not eligible, they may join with groups and organizations to apply for these grants. VDACS will administer an estimated $450,000 in funds for the development of Specialty Crop projects. The deadline for returning applications to VDACS is Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
Specialty crops are categorized as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and nursery crops (including floriculture) and are not typically covered by traditional crop insurance. A number of crops do not qualify for a specialty crop competitive grant, including cotton, feed crops (corn, hay, oats, barley), flax seed, food grains (rye or wheat), livestock and dairy products, eggs, oil crops (soybeans, sunflower seeds, canola), peanuts, range grasses, sod, tobacco, turf and aquaculture. Processed foods are eligible as long as they enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.
Specialty Crop Competitive Grant proposals need to be specific and explain how an association, industry group or organization will use the funds to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Some examples include research, promotion and marketing plans, as well as food safety projects. Guidelines, instructions and the application for the USDA Specialty Crop Competitive Grants are available online. For additional information e-mail Elizabeth.weakley@vdacs.virginia.gov, melissa.ball@vdacs.virginia.gov, or write VDACS, 102 Governor Street, Richmond VA 23219.