The Shadow
John Quantz and Jack Harlow of Alleghany County were among 254 delegates who helped formulate legislative policies during the 2022 Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention and Annual Meeting of Voting Delegates.
Overall, two Alleghany County Farm Bureau representatives attended the convention, which was held Nov. 28 through Dec. 1 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The voting delegates adopted policy positions to guide Farm Bureau’s legislative direction during the 2023 Virginia General Assembly. Issues that were addressed included opposing legislation that would prohibit the proper use of EPA-approved pesticides and legislation that would further inhibit farmers’ ability to sustain a stable workforce; and supporting funding for best management practices and technical assistance to implement them.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin attended the annual meeting on Nov. 30 and told participants that although the state’s agriculture and forestry sectors were profoundly impacted by the COVID-10 pandemic, both have recovered lost ground. He then shared figures from a recently completed economic impact study by the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.
The research concluded in October 2022 and found that those industries’ contributions have grown from $91 billion in 2016 to $105 billion. Jobs increased too, with 12,000 people entering the ag and forestry workforces since then, creating a total of 490,000 jobs.
Matthew Lohr, Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, delivered the convention’s keynote address. He spoke about how Virginia Farm Bureau helped him chart a course for supporting the industry. Andrew Walmsley, senior director of public affairs for American Farm Bureau Federation, gave a legislative update that previewed the 118th U.S. Congress and the 2023 Farm Bill.
Delegates re-elected Wayne F. Pryor of Goochland County to a ninth two-year term as VFBF president. Scott Sink of Blacksburg was re-elected to a sixth two-year term as vice president. A. Faye Hundley of Essex County was re-elected to a fourth two-year term as chairman of the VFBF Women’s Leadership Committee. Michelle Fox of Tazewell County was elected to a two-year term as chairman of the VFBF Young Farmers Committee.
Justin Pence of Shenandoah County was elected to a three-year term on the VFBF board of directors. Pence will represent Farm Bureau producer members in the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Loudoun, Page, Rappahanock, Shenandoah and Warren. He succeeds Peter A. Truban, also of Shenandoah County, who did not seek re-election.
Additionally, delegates re-elected three other directors: J. Barry Bates of Essex County, William F. Osl of Cumberland County and Bruce N. Stanger of Montgomery County.
Alleghany County Farm Bureau is one of 88 county Farm Bureaus in the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.
With 133,000 members, VFBF is Virginia’s largest farmers’ advocacy group. Farm Bureau is a non-governmental, nonpartisan, voluntary organization committed to supporting Virginia’s agriculture industry.
