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Inaction on climate change costs Va.’s agriculture industry hundreds of millions of dollars yearly
More than $125 million. That’s the preliminary estimate of damage to farmers in Southwest Virginia after Hurricane Helene brought damaging winds, heavy rain and flooding to the region. We were lucky the storm didn’t impact more of our state, but for those farmers who are today facing crop losses, property and equipment damage, and other […]
Earth Day 54: A sense of wonder on the farm and Senate Bill 697
My wife and I are cattle farmers in Virginia’s legendary Shenandoah Valley. Early in our marriage, Jeanne gave me a nickname: “Walk Slow, Stand Around.” Yep, that’s me. Sure, it’s funny. And it’s true. But I’m not lazy; I just wonder a lot. As a farmer, I’m exposed to so many things in nature that […]
50 years after the Endangered Species Act launched, it’s plagued by pernicious politics
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is 50 this year. It’s the most comprehensive law protecting imperiled plants and animals in the world. Because of the ESA, hundreds of American plants and animals have been saved, including some of Virginia’s most iconic birds: the American bald eagle, the brown pelican and the peregrine falcon. The ESA […]