The Virginia Ag Expo, the state’s largest annual agricultural field day, will take place Aug. 6 at Brooke Farms in Locust Grove, Virginia.  The event is free and open to the public.

The event is a joint project of the Virginia Grain Producers Association and the Virginia Soybean Association and is being held in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension.

“Events such as the Ag Expo help us fulfill our land-grant mission to teach and inform our constituents,” said Bobby Grisso, associate director of agriculture and natural resources for Virginia Cooperative Extension. “Ag Expo provides an ideal opportunity to highlight the latest technology in crop production and current research findings from faculty members in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, and Virginia Cooperative Extension.”

Extension specialists will be giving demonstrations during field tours and sharing their knowledge with producers on a number of topics, including the following:

  • Soybean varieties
  • Spray drift management with new herbicide-tolerant soybean
  • Corn hybrids
  • Precision agriculture technology applications for corn
  • Sorghum hybrids and management

Brooke Farms has a close connection to Virginia Tech. The property is owned and operated by the Chambers family, and their son, Garret Chambers, is a rising junior at Virginia Tech majoring in agribusiness.

Chambers said he is excited about his family’s connection to the event. “I think Ag Expo will be a  good opportunity to make new connections with the farming community and expand our reach,” he said.

The farm is a diversified agriculture operation producing more than 2,600 acres of crops consisting of corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, barley, straw, and hay, as well as cattle and firewood.  

More than 150 exhibitors and sponsors will be showcasing the latest equipment, technology, goods, and services. There also will be a dry-in-bin grain handling system on display. A winter cattle-feeding facility designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service that is being built will be open for tours.

Breakfast and lunch will be available from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local civic organizations and food truck vendors will offer items including barbecue, seafood, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, and more.

The farm is at 33285 Mason Road, Locust Grove, Virginia 22508.

For more information, contact the Virginia Grain Producers Association at 804-726-6022 or the Virginia Soybean Association at 804-466-1693.

 

 

Written by Amy Loeffler.
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