Consider neighbors in need ahead of National Food Bank Day

Mar 07, 2024

RICHMOND — As sticker shock forces some families to opt for cheaper grocery alternatives, ongoing inflation makes it harder for others to consistently ensure a nutritious meal will be on the table.

Consider how many Virginians may be food insecure as National Food Bank Day is observed Sept. 1.

In 2021, Virginia’s food insecurity rate stood at 8.1%, according to the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. This means over 704,000 people, including 164,000 children, were unsure where their next meal would come from on any given day.

“In 2023, we are expecting more Virginians to experience food insecurity as pandemic-era programs end and inflation continues to remain high,” said Eddie Oliver, FVFB executive director. “Our member food banks are prepared to meet the needs of our neighbors as lines at food pantries grow longer.”

The federation helps seven regional food banks build partnerships, secure resources and raise awareness of food insecurity throughout Virginia.

On the fourth Wednesday of each month, about 100 neighbors line up at The Meadow Event Park’s Gate 6 and pop their trunks. Volunteers from the federation’s member food bank, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank mobile pantry, load cars with food items.

FredFood helps improve nutrition security for over 31,000 people through its network of 152 community partners operating more than 260 food assistance programs. The Meadow, located in Caroline County and owned by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, is part of that service area.

“We are happy to share our acreage at The Meadow to help support this mission,” said Marlene Jolliffe, vice president of park operations. “Their mobile pantry program brings items to remote and under-served areas of rural Virginia where many food-insecure families have limited access to healthy food.”

In June, cohorts from The Salvation Army’s Fredericksburg Corps distributed fresh produce bundled with FredFood’s pantry items, purchased through a partnership with Little Green Farm in Spotsylvania County.

Providing fresh produce is a major component to fighting food insecurity in Virginia, Oliver added.

Farms to Food Banks is the federation’s collaborative initiative to increase the amount of food sourced from local farmers and processors. On the Northern Neck, Healthy Harvest Food Bank’s new aquaponics production facility will supply up to 140,000 pounds of protein and produce to food banks and schools year-round.

Milk is one of the most requested yet least donated items at Virginia’s food banks, so the Milk For Good campaign collects contributions to purchase fresh milk. On average, a $12 donation will provide five half-gallons of milk.

At the local level, neighbors can help neighbors by purchasing extra food for donation to food banks. The most needed food bank pantry items include:

Peanut butter

Canned soup or stew

Canned fruit, vegetables and proteins

Beans

Whole-grain pasta

Brown rice

Learn more about Virginia foodbanks at vafoodbanks.org.

Va. beekeeping industry offers plenty to celebrate during National Honey Month

RICHMOND—September marks National Honey Month, and Virginia’s buzzing beekeeping industry offers plenty to celebrate.

From early spring until the final harvest in September each year, Virginia honeybees produce around 250,000 pounds of honey from roughly 7,000 colonies. More than $2 million worth of honey is produced statewide, according to 2022 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Honey is made from collected nectar stored in a honeybee hive’s wax comb cells. Adopting the flavor of its nectar source, popular Virginia honey varieties include basswood, buckwheat, clover, locust, thistle and wildflower.

In addition to offering a uniquely sweet flavor, honey has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia due to its antimicrobial properties, according to Margaret Couvillon, assistant professor of pollinator biology and ecology in Virginia Tech’s Entomology Department.

Couvillon, who leads a research lab studying the “unique and charismatic” behaviors of honeybees and how they collect food, noted an increase in awareness of the honeybee’s importance over the years.

“People are suddenly more aware that bees do more than just give us honey—they’re really important to the way that we live our lives,” she said, naming the honeybee a “dominant force” among pollinators.

Along with providing food for surrounding wildlife, honeybee pollination boosts crop production—accounting for about $15 billion in added crop value nationally. About a third of the food eaten by Americans comes from crops pollinated by honeybees, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Beekeeping has become a unique farming opportunity, according to Keith Tignor, state apiarist for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Beehives take up little space and can provide a wide range of services for any size farming operations.

“I think that’s appealing to people because they can scale up or scale down depending on what they feel comfortable with,” Tignor remarked.

He has noticed a growing interest in beekeeping through programs like the VDACS Beehive Distribution Program, which attracts thousands of applicants each year. The program offers starter apiary kits to randomly selected qualifying applicants and a wealth of information for beginning beekeepers.

Applications for this year’s Beehive Distribution Program will be accepted Aug. 28 through Sept. 12. An online application and PDF for mail submissions will be available on Aug. 28 on the VDACS website at vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services-beehive-distribution-program.shtml.

“Even though it doesn’t take a lot of space, it does take a lot of knowledge,” said Tignor, adding that local beekeepers are the best source of information for beginners.

“It’s really hard to get started on your own, so anyone that’s interested in beekeeping should seek out local beekeeping associations—there are chapters everywhere,” said Couvillon.

The Virginia State Beekeepers Association chapters host various training programs and monthly meetings. Visit virginiabeekeepers.org for a map of local associations and more information.

Sunflowers are a blooming business for some Va. farmers

MOSELEY—Sunflowers might not be a major commodity in Virginia, but many farmers are expanding into the blooming business as they diversify their operations.

When you hear the name Chesterfield Berry Farm, sunflowers probably aren’t what come to mind. But when visiting the farm during summertime, guests are greeted by 15-20 acres of brilliant sunflowers in a stunning sea of yellow.

“We were looking for something to come in after strawberry season,” explained Aaron Goode, the farm’s owner.

The farm is known for its U-pick strawberries during spring and a pumpkin patch in the fall, so Goode diversified into sunflowers to expand summer attractions alongside his seasonal sweet corn. Visitors can browse vast rows of varying heights and colors, from garnet-red Velvet Queen to funky, almost fuzzy Goldy Honey Bears. Bicolored sunflowers, reminiscent of a sunset with deep orange petals tipped in gold, add to the striking scenery.

“We plant about 15 different varieties,” Goode said. “We have branching varieties with multiple blooms and then single stems with one big bloom.”

Props interspersed throughout the blossoms complete the picture-perfect setting for family photos and selfies. After snapping their new memories, visitors can cut flowers to take home.

Goode makes two plantings—one in early spring so flowers are ready mid-July, and another during summer to coincide with pumpkin season. The sunflowers thrive in Virginia’s heat and the farm’s well-draining sandy loam soil, he said.

While the fields were planted with customers in mind, they aren’t the only ones attracted to the yellow blooms.

“The honeybees love them,” Goode said. “They get something out of them too. There are a lot of bees in the fields, but they don’t bother you.”

In Botetourt County, visitors to Beaver Dam Farm are captivated by towering rows of 600,000 blazing-yellow blooms on 20 acres.

Beaver Dam hosts the largest sunflower festival and vendor show on the East Coast, scheduled for Sept. 8-17 this year. Up to 20,000 visitors from over 35 states orbit the vast fields every summer and fall.

The farm and festival are overseen by Candace Monaghan, a fourth-generation farmer with a dairy background.

As the dairy industry started to decline in Virginia, Monaghan’s family switched to raising beef cattle. On a whim, they planted black oil sunflowers in an empty field in 2015.

“My father, Preston, always liked sunflowers, and wanted to see if they grew well,” she recalled. “They did grow, and a few people stopped to take photos and ask if they could pick a few to take home.”

Monaghan then proposed establishing an annual sunflower festival.

The event eventually evolved into a 10-day event at which over 120 vendors sell handcrafted goods. Guests can lose themselves in the rows of color, stopping for selfies at quirky photo stations. The festival also features wagon rides, a farm animal petting area, live music and catered sunset dinners.

“One of my favorite parts is watching everyone's faces when they enter the gates and see all 600,000 sunflowers for the first time,” Monaghan said.

A mix of clouds and sun. High near 75F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

A clear sky. Low around 50F. Winds light and variable.

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High around 75F. Winds light and variable.