Charles City County farmer David Hula of Renwood Farms Inc. has topped nationwide yields for the 13th time, producing a 490.63 bushels-per-acre yield in the 2024 National Corn Growers Association Corn Yield Contest, according to the Virginia Farm Bureau. Sharing accolades in the irrigated strip-till category is Hula's son, Craig, who placed second with 461.30 bushels per acre.

Salt and deicers can make driveways and sidewalks safer during winter storms, but overuse can harm the environment, says a news release from Stafford County.

Determining where leaves can be left alone and where cleanup is necessary can help you strike a reasonable compromise between yard maintenance and land stewardship. Although the advice comes from a Stafford County news release, it is applicable here too,

Next spring, DOF will expand participation to 15 retail nurseries. In 2023, Throwing Shade VA was available at 10 locations and resulted in the sale of 5,500 native shrubs and trees being purchased (all at a discount, of course) and planted across Virginia.

It’s very difficult to determine if wood is infested, and it can be infested with a variety of invasive pests,” said Bill Osl, a Cumberland County forestland owner who chairs Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Forestry Advisory Committee and the Virginia Board of Forestry. “By buying firewood locally, you’re not just limiting the spread of these destructive and non-native organisms, you’re also helping someone in the community and supporting the local economy..”

"Sustainable forestry provides so many benefits…clean air and water, economic development, wildlife habitat, timber, and recreation,” said Rob Farrell, State Forester of Va. Dept. of Forestry (DOF). “Forest Products Week celebrates Virginia’s working forests, thousands of professionals and partners who work in them, and the environmental benefits and sustainable products they provide for all of us."

Join KPWB, the Arbor Day Foundation, and AWS InCommunities for a tree planting and tree giveaway 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Volunteers will be planting trees throughout the Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, while 50 trees will be given to community members on a first come, first serve basis.

Andrea Bailey spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony to recognize the effort’s completion and said beautification helps make people feel good about their community.