VCE - Scott County

05/29/2026

The 2026 Southwest Virginia District 4-H Food Challenge competition was attended by fourteen youth from Bland, Dickenson, Lee, Scott, Wythe, and Washington. With asparagus as the secret ingredient, each team wonderfully crafted a healthy meal and educational presentation within 40 minutes. The Bland County Fry Guys emerged as the winners for the Senior Division in this close competition! Congratulations also to the Golden Girls Team (Lee, Scott and Wythe County youth) and the Washington County Team for their energy and professionalism! The Dickenson County team were declared the Junior champions! Congratulations to all members that participated. Thank you so much to the judges for volunteering on a Friday evening! We look forward to Southwest Virginia teams competing at Virginia 4-H State congress in June!

05/28/2026

The GCHS 4-H Energy Team is literally mopping floors, scrubbing toilets, and washing windows to raise money for our trip at the end of June. Thank you to Wadlow Gap Ruritan for letting us work for more money to go on this educational trip!

05/28/2026

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An additional 24 Virginia localities have received drought disaster designations by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins. Farmers in the primary designated counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell, Charlotte, Henry, Nelson, Pittsylvania, and Sussex are eligible to be considered for certain assistance from the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). Farmers in Albemarle, Augusta, Bedford, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Fluvanna, Franklin, Greensville, Halifax, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Prince Edward, Prince George, Rockbridge, Scott, Southampton, and Surry counties, and the cities of Bristol, Danville, Lynchburg, and Martinsville are also eligible for FSA drought emergency assistance as they are contiguous to primary drought designated localities in Virginia and Tennessee.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu), these localities suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for eight or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Drought disaster assistance includes FSA emergency loans. Provided eligibility requirements are met, FSA will assess each emergency loan application individually to consider specific circumstances and needs. Farmers in eligible localities have eight months from the date of disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

The counties of Arlington, Brunswick, Campbell, Charlotte, Dinwiddie, Fairfax, Franklin, Grayson, Greensville, Halifax, Isle of Wight, King George, Loudoun, Lunenberg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, Prince William, Southampton, Stafford, Surry, Sussex, Washington, and Westmoreland, and the cities of Alexandria, Emporia and Suffolk had previously received drought disaster designations. Farmers in these localities should contact their local USDA FSA office for more information and to verify their exact filing date, as application rules can be complex when navigating multiple designations.

For more information on available assistance programs and the application process, please visit the Virginia FSA State Office website at www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/Virginia.

05/27/2026

On Saturday, youth from Dickenson, Lee, Scott, and Wythe County met for the third and final 25/26 4-H Food Challenge District Practice Day. Senior members (ages 14 – 18) mentored Junior/ Intermediate participants (ages 9 – 13) at the Abingdon Farmers market while meeting with local vendors; the youth collectively budgeted $20 for produce to prepare a meal. Senior participants guided Junior/ Intermediate members in cooking a pasta meal with locally produced pasta sauce, herbs, and homemade noodles.

After crafting their locally produced meal, both age groups were split and competed in a Mock Food Challenge competition where the secret ingredient was a tomatillo. Junior/ Intermediate youth were coached by Allison Brown, Carroll County ANR Agent. At the end, youth presented to the opposing age group to receive feedback for improvement.

The 4-Hers that attended this district practice day are ready for competition this Friday, May 29!

05/20/2026

The Scott County Extension Office is partnering with RCHS FCCLA Chapter for a Farm to Table Dinner on June 6 from 6 PM until completion. Purchase your tickets now by contacting Reagan Kerns ([email protected]). All proceeds support RCHS FCCLA youth traveling for competition this summer and Scott County Extension programming focused on health, wellness, and youth!

🌾🥩 SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS & ENJOY AN AMAZING NIGHT! 🥩🌾

Join us for our PRE SOLD Farm to Table Dinner + Silent Auction on June 6th at 6PM at the Scott County Career & Technical Center! Enjoy a delicious locally sourced meal while supporting Rye Cove FCCLA & 4-H students as they travel for competition this summer! ❤️

⭐ We are EXCITED to announce that BIG local business owner Micah Nida, owner of The Cluck Truck is volunteering his time to help grill steaks for this event! We are so thankful for his support of our students and community‼️

🎟 Tickets are $40 and ONLY 100 tickets will be sold!
🍽 Includes a pre-set 3-course meal
🎁 Silent auction featuring MANY high-ticket items:
• 1 Year AAA Fitness Membership
• 2 Tickets to ALL RCHS Home Sports Passes
• Vehicle Service Basket
• East TN Entertainment Basket
• KS Photography 30 Minute Session
• W**d Eater from Duffield Lumber & Hardware
• & MORE!

Reserve your ticket today by contacting Reagan Kerns at [email protected] or contact an FCCLA student attending the National Leadership Conference!❤️

05/20/2026

Scott County Head Start parents and staff came together for a Strawberry Jam and Hot Water Bath Canning class at Gateway Baptist Church with our FCS Agent, Brandi Pettey.

Participants learned hands-on skills for safe food preservation techniques and Jams, Jellies, and Preserves.

Thanks to Mann Farms for the delicious strawberries!

These jars of jam will be handed out at their annual Health Fair in September along with a produce market.

Seven batches completed - a few more to go!

Thanks to all those who helped make the day a delicious success!

05/18/2026

ANR extension agent, Scott Jerrell in cooperation with Lyle & Richard Hartsock placed Gallagher’s eShepherd neck collars on cattle today as part of a regional demonstration project. The collars are an advanced virtual fencing system that uses GPS-enabled neck collars, audio cues, and mild pulses to manage and contain cattle without physical wires. This technology saves on labor by adjusting paddock boundaries by phone app or computer, reducing the need to physically build fence or move poly wire while GPS tracking provides constant real-time data on herd location and grazing patterns.

05/18/2026

Deadline to register for camp is next Friday, May 29, 2026!

Scott County 4-H has a few more spots available for male and female campers! Contact Angie Johnson ([email protected] or 276.452.2772) to receive registration information. Please give a bit of grace to our response time as we are in the midst of moving office locations; our communication may lag more than usual in answering your questions.

4-H Camp (July 6 - 10, 2026) is a place for youth (ages 9 - 12 or enrolled in 4th - 7th grade) to develop life skills and friendships while taking classes like swimming, archery, animal care, and more! Cost for campers is $230; limited financial aid available and youth must register by March 31, 2026 to receive financial aid application.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Kasey Fioramonti at 276.452.2772 during business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

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.

05/15/2026

Virginia Cooperative Extension protects soil and water resources by promoting sustainable agriculture, soil health education, and best management practices (BMPs) such as cover crops, nutrient management, and erosion control. To support these initiatives, an Agricultural Outreach Event was held in cooperation with the Scott County Soil & Water Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service, VSU Small Farm Outreach, and the Scott County Extension Office to inform local farmers and producers of state and federal resources, grants, and programs.

05/14/2026

To apply for a grant you must register for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) WebGrants system.