News

The Virginia Forage and Grassland Council (VFGC) wishes to promote and expand the efficient utilization of forages to improve the economic and social well-being of all Virginians and enhance the beauty of the Commonwealth. Each year we recognize an outstanding forage and/or livestock producer in Virginia. This award is presented to an exceptional producer who has implemented innovative forage and […]

The 2025 American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting was held in Kissimmee, Florida in early January. A group of farmers and Virginia Tech faculty attended the conference. Here are several highlights from the event. Summer Thomas, who successfully defended her dissertation in May 2024 and currently works as a Farmer Support and Project Coordinator at Virginia Tech, won 2nd […]

The Virginia Forage and Grassland Council give out several awards, one of which is the Harlan White Distinguished Service Award. The Harlan White Award is not awarded every year but is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated exemplary service to the forage industry. This year’s recipient is a producer, a leader in the industry, and a longtime supporter of the […]

Matt Booher, Rockingham County Extension Agent, has started a weekly digital forage mini-newsletter. If you would like to get on the email list to receive this, please contact Matt at mrbooher@vt.edu.  

As a farmer in Virginia and a VFGC member, I’m sure you met David Fiske. Over the last 18 years, David served as a dedicated Board member of the VFGC and Superintendent of the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center. So many of us benefitted from David’s service and dedication to Virginia agriculture as participants in research farm tours, […]

By: JB Daniel, USDA-NRCS State Grazing Specialist Jerry and Judy Ingle partnered with the Black Diamond RC&D, the local Extension agent along with the Soil and Water District and NRCS to host an educational meeting emphasizing the practice of stockpiling and strip-grazing fescue over the winter. The event was held on February 19, 2019 and began with 33 participants attending […]

David Allen Fiske, (age 59) of Steeles Tavern Virginia died unexpectedly from a sudden illness on Friday, November 16, 2018. He was born on September 14, 1959 in Charlottesville Virginia. David spent his younger years on the family farm and surrounding community near Aldie, Virginia. David was a loving son, brother, uncle, dedicated agriculturalist, community volunteer and caring friend to […]

The grazing demonstration hosted at Ronnie Nuckols Farm as part of the Conservation Innovation Grant between VFGC and USDA-NRCS is now complete. The detailed case study summary report titled: Using Annual Forages and Improved Grazing Management to Build Soil Health and Improve System Performance, is available for download as a PDF document below. This report details how Ronnie collaborated with […]

Bellevue Farm Charles and Robert Drumheller Bellevue Farm was honored by the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council (VFGC) as the 2018 Outstanding Forage Producer of the Year. The farm is located in Swoope, within the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. It is owned and operated by Charles and Robert Drumheller, whose family has owned the farm since the mid-1900s. Charles took […]

John Fant, Colonel, US Army (Ret), returned to southwest Virginia in 2013 after a career in the military to resume the daily operations and management of the family farm. Watch this short video as John explains the challenges and opportunities he faced returning to the farm, assessing its resources then developing and implementing a plan that would make it profitable […]