Consider the Upcoming Virtual Woods Walk

New Rules for Farmers Markets in Virginia

New Rules for Farmers Markets

We will be taking additional measures to increase social distancing:
• Market managers will adjust booth assignments to allow as much space for social distancing as possible.
• All vendors are to operate with minimal display, out of their vehicles if possible.
• All vendors must reorganize their space so that customers cannot enter their booth to touch or browse through products.
• Each vendor should display a menu of items for customers to order from. Share early and often on social media so customers can come prepared!
• Vendors must bag products for their customers. Items like produce should be pre-bagged whenever possible to reduce touchpoints. Reusable bags cannot be used at this time.
• Ideally, there should be one employee bagging produce and the other handling money. Gloves are available to use!
• Please continue to push customers to pre-order/pay for items to decrease the density of customers.
• Vendors should do all they can to reduce touchpoints at the point of sale. Turn off signature requirements, and allow customers to insert/swipe their own cards if possible. You could also manually enter the customer’s CC information to avoid touching all together. Please encourage customers to prepay online whenever feasible. Vendors must wipe down screens and card readers with disinfectant after each customer, and use hand sanitizer.
• We recommend that you no longer accept cash, and use touchless payment like Venmo if feasible.
• Market Managers will monitor customer density and restrict entry to the market as needed to ensure there is ample room for social distancing.
• We will be indicating the safe social distance space of 6 feet using painters tape in front of each booth.
• Only one customer can shop at a booth at a time. If a line forms please remind customers to leave 6 feet distance.
• Vendors can accept SNAP, but please keep coupons/tokens in a plastic bag (pleas date!), and turn them into your manager for reimbursement in two weeks' time (or hold off until things calm down if feasible).
• No on-site food consumption or sampling is allowed! All prepared foods must be packaged to go.
VDACS shares

Available- The 2019 Virginia Cooperative Extension pest management and production guides

The 2019 Virginia Cooperative Extension pest management and production guides, which provide current information on spraying, pest management, and field crop and vegetable production are now available for purchase and free download. The guides can be accessed at www.pubs.ext.vt.edu by selecting the “Publications for Sale” link.

Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers has been completely updated and provides resources for safe spraying practices, such as application, storage, appropriate clothing choices, laws and regulations, and other specific guidelines.

The latest version of the Mid-Atlantic Commercial Vegetable Production Recommendations replaces all of the previous editions from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. This guide is designed for the commercial vegetable grower and provides recommended selections for variety, pesticides, irrigation, fertilizer, and cultural practices.

The Virginia Cooperative Extension Pest Management Guides are divided into three different volumes: Home Grounds and Animals, Field Crops, and Horticultural Forest Crops.

The Home Grounds and Animals Pest Management Guide provides gardeners with the latest recommendations for controlling diseases, insects, and weeds with non-chemical control alternatives, while also integrating in the appropriate integrated pest management guidelines (IPM).

The Field Crops Pest Management Guide provides farmers and crop-protection professionals with new information on management tactics for major pest problems, while also referencing chemicals registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Horticultural and Forest Crops Pest Management Guide gives growers current information on the controlling of diseases, insects, nematodes, and weeds; this is not an all-inclusive control plan for the pests in Virginia, yet it does provide a wide range of recommendations for growers.

These handbooks are intended only to be used as guides. Pesticide labels should be consulted for application methods, instructions, and precautions. Most of these guidelines will be updated yearly with new, relevant regulatory information.

For more information about these guides or other Virginia Cooperative Extension publications, contact Lori Greiner, VCE publications manager, at lgreiner@vt.edu or 540-231-5863.

Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in through Farms and

Agritourism Facilities

Facility Personnel:

• Restrict access to a farm or agri-tourism facility to essential personnel only (veterinarians, farriers,

animal caretakers, and essential owners).
• Prohibit non-essential persons (students, friends, family members) from entering the facility.

• Stay 6 feet apart from other people and do not congregate.

• Do not allow access to the facility to anyone who has been exposed a person with

symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, shortness of breath, or fever) or if the person wanting

access is showing any symptoms of COVID-19. View the CDC’s guidance on COVID-19

symptoms here.

• Use an online sign-up form to encourage workers, owners and essential personel to commit to an

hour that they will be visiting the barn, and limit each time slot to ensure that no more than 10 people are on the grounds at a time.

Facility Environment:

• Please do not touch anything unless you need to use it.

• Avoid sharing equipment and supplies between persons.

• The virus can persist on non-porous materials (leather, gate latches, door handles, spray nozzles) longer than porous materials.

o Clean communal equipment daily with cleaner (soap and water) or disinfectant.

o Disinfect gate latches, spray nozzles, pitchforks, wheelbarrows, and other frequently used    non-porous surfaces regularly or after contact with personnel.

o Barn door handles, hose ends, light switches, and feed scoops can be handled by

many people and should also be cleaned and disinfected frequently.

o Only designated individuals are to move equipment.

Although there is no evidence that animals can contract or become ill from COVID-19, practice good hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds or using a >60% alcohol hand sanitizer after touching a animal, especially those that are friendly to people or in communal areas, or communal equipment to prevent environmental spread of the virus.

Hand sanitizer is not as effective as soap and water, so only use when there is no soap and water

available and hands are not visibly soiled.

Additional Online Resources:

https://ext.vt.edu/covid-19updates/resources.html

ESSENTIAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYEE WORK PERMIT

We hope everyone is staying safe. This is a form that can be edited for each individual farm. It is intended to give to farm employees that need to travel from home to work an excuse to be traveling. We realize that this is not required at this time but if you get asked why you are out you may need this now or in the future.

[Farm Name & Address, or Letterhead]

ESSENTIAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYEE WORK PERMIT

March 2020

The identified farm/business hereby requests this employee be granted the right to proceed to work and the right to proceed home after work consistent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) identification that the production and supply of food is one of 16 critical infrastructure areas providing vital service to the nation.

In its advisory issued on Thursday, March 20, the DHS indicated that “If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.” https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce

Agricultural labor is identified as a critical component of that food supply, and thus it is important that workers who make up an essential part of the food supply chain be allowed to remain operational.

As state and local communities implement COVID-19-related movement restrictions, it is imperative that they allow for the appropriate movement of critical infrastructure workers within and between jurisdictions.

__________________________________[Insert Employee Name] is an employee of  _____________________________[Insert Farm Name/Business Name], and requests permission to travel to and from a place of employment per the official federal guidance document issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

For verification or inquiries regarding this request, please contact the farm business above at [insert phone].

Issued by:

_______________________________                  ______________

[CEO/Owner]                                                              Date

The Department of Homeland Security defines Food and Agriculture workers as:

• Workers supporting groceries, pharmacies and other retail that sells food and beverage products
• Restaurant carry-out and quick serve food operations - Carry-out and delivery food employees
• Food manufacturer employees and their supplier employees—to include those employed in food processing (packers, meat processing, cheese plants, milk plants, produce, etc.) facilities; livestock, poultry, seafood slaughter facilities; pet and animal feed processing facilities; human food facilities producing by-products for animal food; beverage production facilities; and the production of food packaging
• Farm workers to include those employed in animal food, feed, and ingredient production, packaging, and distribution; manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of veterinary drugs; truck delivery and transport; farm and fishery labor needed to produce our food supply domestically
• Farm workers and support service workers to include those who field crops; commodity inspection; fuel ethanol facilities; storage facilities; and other agricultural inputs
• Employees and firms supporting food, feed, and beverage distribution, including warehouse workers, vendor-managed inventory controllers and blockchain managers
• Workers supporting the sanitation of all food manufacturing processes and operations from wholesale to retail
• Company cafeterias - in-plant cafeterias used to feed employees
• Workers in food testing labs in private industries and in institutions of higher education
• Workers essential for assistance programs and government payments
• Employees of companies engaged in the production of chemicals, medicines, vaccines, and other substances used by the food and agriculture industry, including pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments, and other agricultural production aids
• Animal agriculture workers to include those employed in veterinary health; manufacturing and distribution of animal medical materials, animal vaccines, animal drugs, feed ingredients, feed, and bedding, etc.; transportation of live animals, animal medical materials; transportation of deceased animals for disposal; raising of animals for food; animal production operations; slaughter and packing plants and associated regulatory and government workforce
• Workers who support the manufacture and distribution of forest products, including, but not limited to timber, paper, and other wood products
• Employees engaged in the manufacture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary to agricultural production and distribution

What do I do now? - you can explore these at home with your children

While you have your children at home you may want to look in to a few of these educational opportunities.

https://4-h.org/about/blog/5-ways-to-keep-kids-engaged-and-learning-at-home/
https://4-h.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/4H-Healthy-Living-Activity-Guide.pdf
https://4-h.org/parents/stem-agriculture/youth-stem-activities/

https://freedomhomeschooling.com/virtual-field-trips/?fbclid=IwAR3Do3rEeD6HdfntjaLWb4KuHEVbp-74w2Nlfq9zLuNmnCtW5mMpnCkXRS0

https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaAgintheClassroom

NASA-    https://www.diyphotography.net/nasa-makes-entire-media-library-publicly-accessible-copyright-free/?fbclid=IwAR1RVbDsxLycABk10cyYyPb1GgP6XgsvCIRxJP37aCqLdkCGlr6lklRTmOo

Home Safari-https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatizoo/photos/gm.2915534298492265/10158058040985479/?type=3&theater

The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks is a new Google Arts & Culture exhibit and interactive documentary, timed to launch in celebration of this month’s NPS Centennial.

https://techcrunch.com/2016/08/25/google-now-lets-you-explore-u-s-national-parks-via-360-degree-virtual-tours/?fbclid=IwAR3MHm-Grxv3jPSn6AJQ0jtolXmE-46jvofPzFmGavUo-45eVJbxXD0I_Jg

https://nationalmall.org/bloomcam?fbclid=IwAR1xuU_pTYJfWrk3hZOUn3tWm5iEKaEesjpOlL6D2ZWQHs_dexpOHWw1f84


Others:

Ag related - Ranch House Designs - https://co21tqqo.pages.infusionsoft.net/?fbclid=IwAR0kEF_MJqPKsrSGJ85NReSAtGAbM-b9vBrdZjmTceWulGLWHIMbb0K0yhA

Covid-19 Preventative Measures

USDA Announces Details of Risk Management Programs for Hemp Producers

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 6, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of two programs that protect hemp producers’ crops from natural disasters.  A pilot hemp insurance program through Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) provides coverage against loss of yield because of insurable causes of loss for hemp grown for fiber, grain or Cannabidiol (CBD) oil and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage protects against losses associated with lower yields, destroyed crops or prevented planting where no permanent federal crop insurance program is available. Producers may apply now, and the deadline to sign up for both programs is March 16, 2020.  

USDA Announces Updates for Honeybee Producers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced updates to the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP). These updates include changes required by the 2018 Farm Bill as well as discretionary changes intended to improve the administration of the program and clarify existing program requirements. ELAP was previously administered based on FSA’s fiscal year but will now run according to the calendar year. Producers are still required to submit an application for payment within 30 calendar days of the end of the program year. This is not a policy change but will affect the deadline. The signup deadline for calendar year 2020 losses is January 30, 2021. Starting in 2020, producers will have 15 days from when the loss is first apparent, instead of 30 days, to file a honeybee notice of loss. This change provides consistency between ELAP and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which also has a 15-day notice of loss period for honey. For other covered losses, including livestock feed, grazing and farm-raised fish losses, the notice of loss deadline for ELAP will remain 30 days from when the loss is first apparent to the producer. Program participants who were paid for the loss of a honeybee colony or hive in either or both of the previous two years will be required to provide additional documentation to substantiate how current year inventory was acquired. If the honeybee colony loss incurred was because of Colony Collapse Disorder, program participants must provide a producer certification that the loss was a direct result of at least three of the five symptoms of Colony Collapse Disorder, which include: the loss of live queen and/or drone bee populations inside the hives; rapid decline of adult worker bee population outside the hives, leaving brood poorly or completely unattended; absence of dead adult bees inside the hive and outside the entrance of the hive; absence of robbing collapsed colonies; and at the time of collapse, varroa mite and Nosema populations are not at levels known to cause economic injury or population decline. For honeybees, ELAP covers colony losses, honeybee hive losses (the physical structure) and honeybee feed losses in instances where the colony, hive or feed has been destroyed by a natural disaster or, in the case of colony losses, because of Colony Collapse Disorder. Colony losses must be in excess of normal mortality. ELAP also provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock and farm-raised fish including for feed and grazing losses. It covers losses because of eligible adverse weather or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires on federally managed lands. ELAP also covers losses resulting from the cost of transporting water to livestock due to an eligible drought. For more information on ELAP visit farmers.gov/recover or contact your FSA County Office. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-locator. Questions? Please contact your local FSA Office.