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..”

Fauquier County Department of Agricultural Development and the Fauquier Livestock Exchange Board of Directors have been awarded a planning grant to aid in the development of a new abattoir in Marshall. The $9,800 grant, from the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Planning Grant Program, will help to establish a management structure and strategic plan for the operation of the new meat-processing facility

"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."

The beautification project along Sudley Road from Rixlew Lane to Portsmouth Road has been completed. The project introduced new landscaping, including crape myrtles, knock-out roses, shamrock hollies, variegated liriope, coreopsis, salvias, nepetas and hydrangeas, all selected to enhance the appeal of the area.

Virginia Cooperative Extension will host a Canning Class on Wednesday, Oct 16 at 5:30 pm in the Community Room at St. Benedict Monastery, 9535 Linton Hall Rd, Bristow. Space is limited, there are 5 seats remaining.

Distribution Program now accepting applications for Beehive Lottery. Applicants must be a Virginia resident, 18 and older, to be eligible to receive beehive units.

Desi Fresh Foods, a New York-based manufacturer of Indian-style spoonable and drinkable yogurt products that are distributed nationwide to retailers and food service customers, is expanding its operations to the Winchester area of Virginia, bringing news jobs and investments./

A customizable “poultry photo op” trivia and photo board in Chesterfield County, just south of Richmond, will educate adults and youth about a variety of poultry topics such as chicken development, hatching and by-products. “The interactive board will draw people in and encourage them to learn more about poultry through additional educational opportunities in our tent,” like seeing live chickens and chicks hatching.