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Virginia Cooperative Extension

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Virginia Cooperative Extension

We offer resources, programs, and services that support individuals and communities in Virginia.

Virginia Cooperative Extension reaches more than 1.8 million people every year with education from Virginia's land-grant universities — Virginia Tech and Virginia State University. Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility

09/28/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us Sept. 15 at Kentland Farm in Blacksburg for the 2026 Kentland Farm Dual Field Day!

This year’s event offered two focused tracks — livestock and horticulture.

The livestock track covered drought management of beef cattle nutrition, virtual fencing, alfalfa and small grains research, alternative forages for managing drought and w**d science.

The horticulture track featured demonstrations and research on plastic laying and irrigation setup, vegetable pest management, composting for soil health, on-farm sanitation, and beekeeping, pollination and honey production.

Participants also had the opportunity to tour the farm by wagon, connect with Virginia Tech faculty, Extension agents, and industry leaders -- and enjoy lunch (and ice cream!).

Thank you to all of the speakers, organizers and participants who made this year’s field day a success! 🌾

09/26/2026

The Virginia Cooperative Extension- Lancaster County and Virginia Cooperative Extension- Northumberland County Home Food Preservation Series provides practical, research-based instruction on safe food preservation methods, including water bath canning, dehydrating, pressure canning, and freezing for Northern Neck residents!

Led by Jasmine Greer, Virginia Cooperative Extension family and consumer sciences agent, the Home Food Preservation series is designed to teach everything you need to know to preserve seasonal produce at home, reduce food waste, and create sustainable pantry staples.

Thanks to Tammy Cole and Healthy Harvest Fresh who helped us deliver the program. Healthy Harvest Fresh generously provided use of its educational facility and access to fresh vegetables for hands-on processing activities, allowing participants to apply preservation techniques in a real-world setting.

09/25/2026

Sheep and goats are susceptible to heavy infections of internal parasites, which can be harmful to their health.

At a recent workshop in Orange, Virginia small ruminant farmers learned to assess the parasite load of animals in their flocks or herds using a f***l egg count -- a quantitative measure of how many worm eggs a sheep/goat is passing in each gram of its manure. This information helps farmers monitor the rate of pasture contamination and determine if animals are developing drug resistance to the parasite treatments.

Learn more about f***l egg counts: https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/items/d22ccc0d-c6b8-4534-ba1a-d74ca0ffe601

09/23/2026

For Cristy Mosley, Extension agent with Culpeper County 4-H, 4-H has been a lifelong journey. Mosley's love for 4-H started when she was a teenager and has grown into a career helping young people build confidence, relationships, and life skills.

Today, one of Cristy’s favorite programs is the 4-H Food Challenge, where youth learn far more than cooking and nutrition. Through hands-on competition, participants develop teamwork, problem-solving and public speaking skills while building confidence.

Over the past decade, Cristy has coached Food Challenge teams at the district, state and national levels. She even accompanied a Virginia team to the National 4-H Food Challenge in Texas!

And yes, she did make that barn quilt!

👉 Read Cristy’s full “Get to Know Extension” story: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/articles/get-to-know-extension/cristy-mosley-culpeper-4-h.html

09/22/2026

In August, residents from across Virginia Beach joined Virginia Cooperative Extension - Virginia Beach Extension Leadership Council at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market for a day of hands-on learning, discovery, and connection at Community Grow Fest.

Families explored the children's garden and kitchen garden with the Virginia Beach Master Gardeners. They participated in interactive demonstrations and mini-workshops and connected with Extension agents, Extension Leadership Council members, Virginia State University Community Health Associates, and community volunteers to learn about the many programs and resources available through their local Extension office.

Visitors who stopped by each educational booth and completed their bingo card got a reward! All participants had the opportunity to select a giveaway item, and visitors who explored every educational booth and completed a blackout on their bingo card were entered into a prize drawing featuring native persimmon trees and other items generously donated by Virginia Beach Farmers Market merchants.

Through practical education, take-home resources, and community partnerships, Extension helps participants gain knowledge and skills they can use every day to support healthier homes, gardens, and communities.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the event a success!

09/18/2026

Fall is a great time to get your soil tested! 📣 Submitting a sample now means a shorter wait time for your results and you have time to apply lime, which takes months to effectively adjust your soil pH. If you've submitted a sample before, note that there have been recent changes to the submission process. We now have an online portal where you will submit forms and get your results!

Read more about those changes and learn how to submit a sample here: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/articles/2026/soil-testing-laboratory-launches-new-online-management-system.html

Soil test website to access the new online submission portal: https://www.soiltest.vt.edu/index.html

Contact your local Extension Office to get a soil test box!

09/16/2026

For Jennifer Ligon, being an Extension agent means being there for Virginia’s farmers in the field, in the cattle pen, and wherever producers need a hand.

As a senior Extension agent with Buckingham Extension Office - Buckingham Unit of VCE, works closely with cattle producers on livestock production, stockmanship, animal handling, farm management, and market access.

From helping producers access grants and financial assistance to bringing research-based information to the people of the commonwealth, Jennifer sees Extension as an advocate for the future of agriculture in Virginia.

👉 Read Jennifer’s full “Get to Know Extension” story: http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/articles/get-to-know-extension/jennifer-ligon.html

09/12/2026

We've long partnered with community organizations and volunteers to offer Feeding 500 events in Culpeper. Thanks to collaboration with several area partners, this summer saw the first Feeding 500 event in Charlottesville!

Volunteers from a variety of local organizations turned food that would have otherwise gone to waste into meals for more than 500 community members in need. At this event, volunteers made roasted vegetables, braised cabbage, and more!

Read more about Feeding 500 here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/11/cals-feeding500.html

09/11/2026

The Right Before Your Eyes program, offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension - Amherst County, teaches parents about the warning signs of youth substance misuse while equipping them with the communication and boundary-setting skills needed to support their teens.

Thanks to funding provided by the Amherst County Opioid Abatement Task Force, the Right Before Your Eyes program now has a permanent home: a 24-foot air-conditioned trailer featuring a walk-through simulation of a teenager's bedroom for parents. Outside the trailer, teens can learn about opioid misuse through a variety of hands-on activities including pedaling go-karts while wearing goggles that simulate vision impairment caused by substance use.

Read the whole story here ➡https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/08/ext-extension-program-helps-parents-recognize-signs-of-youth-substance-misuse.html

09/04/2026

September is here, are you doing any fall planting? 🍂🧡

Direct Sowing:
Zones 6A & 6B: Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach
Zone 7A: Beginning of the month: Beets, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi. All month: Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach, Turnips
Zone 7B: Beets, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach, Turnips
Zone 8A: Beginning of the month: Carrots, Rutabaga. All month: Beets, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Baby Salad Lettuce, Mustard, Radish, Spinach, Turnips
Zone 8B Direct Sowing Recommendations are available in the publication linked below.

Transplanting:
Zones 6A & 6B: Beginning of the month: Head Lettuce
Zone 7A: Beginning of the month: Broccoli. All month: Head Lettuce
Zone 7B: Beginning of the month: Broccoli, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Leeks. All month: Head Lettuce.
Zone 8A: Beginning of the month: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Leeks. All month: Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, Head Lettuce
Zone 8B Transplanting Recommendations are available in the publication linked below.

You can prepare for the entire planting season by visiting https://brnw.ch/plantguide - keep in mind that this resource has not been updated to reflect the new hardiness zones. To determine your USDA zone, you can enter your zip code here: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

Address

101 Hutcheson Hall
Blacksburg, VA
24061

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

(540)2315299

Website

http://www.ext.vt.edu/

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