Virginia Agriculture Week

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, the average farm size is 186 acres, and Virginia is home to 41,500 farms on 7.7 million acres of land; and

WHEREAS, ninety-seven percent of Virginia farms are owned and operated by families with about 36% of primary farm operators being female; and

WHEREAS, broiler chickens top the state’s commodities list with annual cash receipts at more than $956 million, followed by cattle, turkeys, miscellaneous crops, dairy and milk, and soybeans; and

WHEREAS, Virginia ranks among the top ten in the nation for several commodities, including third for leaf tobacco; fourth for seafood landings; sixth for turkeys and apples; eighth for peanuts; and ninth for broilers and pumpkins; and

WHEREAS, ranked by acreage, Virginia’s biggest farming counties are Augusta, Pittsylvania, Rockingham, Fauquier, and Bedford; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s 2022 agriculture and forestry exports totaled over $5.1 billion, which eclipsed the previous record set in 2021 by 25%; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is a national leader in Controlled Environment Agriculture with over $300 million in new investments announced in 2022; and

WHEREAS, the success of our agriculture industry is showcased in the innovative technologies that our farms are utilizing to increase efficiency, and the important work that Virginia farmers do as stewards of our land, water, and other natural resources; and

WHEREAS, during Virginia Agriculture Week, citizens celebrate agriculture’s over $82 billion annual contribution to the Commonwealth’s economy, the more than $43 billion in value-added impact, and the more than 380,000 jobs it generates while recognizing farmers and the strength of the Commonwealth’s largest private industry;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize June 11-17, 2023, as AGRICULTURE WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations