Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are sounding the alarm after President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border to stop immigrant families from crossing the southwest border, no matter the economic impact.

The Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries passed the 10-year Virginia Elk Management Plan at its March 21 meeting. The plan covers from 2019 to 2028 and will guide the state game department’s management of a growing elk population.

Spring has sprung in Virginia, and as temperatures rise, so does the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) encourages horse owners to talk to their veterinarians about vaccinating their horses.

In four to five weeks, those little chicks will become full-grown chickens that require housing, feed, water and protection from predators. They also need good biosecurity to keep the birds and their owners healthy and disease-free. Biosecurity is a program designed to prevent the introduction and transmission of diseases into a flock or herd.

At the direction of President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue Jan. 8 announced a plan to ensure that low-income Americans have access to the nutrition they need, despite the inability of Congress to pass an appropriations bill that safely secures our borders. The plan provides full benefits for participants in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for the month of February.

Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom wants children to discover how farmers provide healthy meals for them.That’s why the nonprofit organization selected Right This Very Minute by Lisl H. Detlefsen as its 2019 Book of the Year. The book will be read by volunteers across the state during AITC’s annual Agriculture Literacy Week, March 18-22.

Mountain Man Market of Cana, VA is recalling its ½ gallon containers of Apple Cider because they have the potential to be contaminated with shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli, according to a bulletin from Elaine Lidholm, director of communications, for the Virginia Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

Prince William Committee of 100 will host a free discussion about the Rural Crescent, in effect now for 20 years, on Thursday, Nov. 15, at Bristow Manor, 11507 Valley View Drive, Bristow VA 20136. An optional social hour and dinner will precede the panel discussion.