Although winter heat, spring freezes and too much late spring/early summer rain combined to make 2016 a challenging year for Virginia’s apple growers, the state is on track to have a good crop. Growers having been picking Gala apples since August and are now picking Red and Golden Delicious apples, with Ginger Gold, Pink Lady, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Stayman and more to follow.

Juan Carlos Pinzón, Colombian Ambassador to the United States, invited Governor McAuliffe earlier this year to lead an agricultural trade and marketing mission to Colombia to grow the relationship between Virginia and Colombia and capitalize on the benefits of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect in 2012.

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Aug. 15 announced the state’s estimated crop production for 2016. Corn production in Virginia was forecast at 51.3 million bushels, up 6 percent from the previous crop.

Parents of Prince William County Public School students wishing to apply for free and reduced-price meals can complete and submit their application online.

The Haymarket Thursday Afternoon Farmer's Market will reopen Aug. 11 at Novant Haymarket Medical Center's parking lot with a new name, Exit 40 Farmer's Market.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports it has reached agreement with Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply to allow access for U.S. beef and beef products to the Brazilian market for the first time since 2003. In a separate decision, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) also recently determined that Brazil's food safety system governing meat products remains equivalent to that of the United States and that fresh (chilled or frozen) beef can be safely imported from Brazil.

Since discovering Honeycomb Heroes at the Tackett's Mill Farmer Market, local resident Tye Johnson has been stocking up on local honey to "treat" her young daughter's allergies. "The pollen in local honey helps with local allergies," she said. "My grandmother taught me that."

PWC Extension Office will begin its four-week series on how to live well despite having diabetes. Extension agent Nancy Stegon, MPH, RD, is the lead instructor.