Ag issues discussed at meeting

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Discussions on topics ranging from bees to biodiesel kept Todd Haymore, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, busy scribbling notes Monday morning in Wytheville at his town hall meeting with the local agricultural community.
Haymore’s appearance Monday was his second in Wytheville since being appointed to the top VDACS position in June 2007.
Before taking questions and comments from the 40-person crowd of local farmers, Extension agents, FFA students and various others involved with the agricultural industry, Haymore outlined some of his top priorities for improving agriculture across the state.
Haymore cited three main focus areas: ratcheting up marketing efforts for farmers, increasing agribusiness economic development and preserving farmland.
Regarding his second focus point, Haymore said its important to not only give support to new industries, but also to established farms looking to expand their operations.
Some of the most inquisitive attendees at Monday’s meeting were those established local farmers.
Rhonda Sechrest of Elk Creek chimed into a discussion about alternative energy use on farms by commenting on the benefits she has gotten from using solar panels.
She added that she’d like to see less red tape for farmers who want to develop alternative fuels simply to use for their own benefit on their personal farms.
Haymore said he believes that agriculture will be a key part of the coming development of new energy sources.
“We’re really entering an exciting stage of future growth and opportunities in alternative fuels,” the commissioner said. “I’m enthusiastic about it.”
In the midst of the talk on alternative fuels, meeting attendees also raised concerns about the balance between growing crops for food and fuel.
Doug Phillips of Floyd said he welcomed the development of ethanol for energy independence, but has concerns about the corresponding rise in feedstock prices and other shipping and supply cost increases.
“The issue of high input costs has come up everywhere,” Haymore said, referring to the four other town hall meetings he has participated in during recent weeks. “I wish there was something more we can do – unfortunately there’s not.”
Haymore added that fuel isn’t the only area of concern, saying that rising costs for fertilizer and labor also are challenges for the industry.
As the group brainstormed ways to tackle the state’s agricultural issues, Haymore cautioned that more state budget cuts seem inevitable – including ones that may affect VDACS employment.
“It’s pretty bleak,” he said about the state’s financial outlook, before adding that he’ll try to make any position cuts be ones that are the “least disruptive” to services offered by the VDACS.
State Delegate Anne Crockett-Stark, R-Wytheville, joined the gathering for the last portion of the meeting and raised her concerns about “colony collapse disorder,” the term for the drastic bee population decline in recent years.
Haymore acknowledged that a disappearing bee population hurts farmers but said the problem is international in scope.
He encouraged the use of reduced-risk pesticides to help bee and other beneficial insect populations flourish, applauding a local insect monitoring program highlighted at the meeting by extension agent Wythe Morris.
Although Monday’s meeting was a cordial affair, Phil Blevins, a Washington County Extension agent, urged Haymore to continue to foster cooperation between conflicting groups within the agricultural industry.
Blevins decried the “cannibalism” among agricultural sectors, citing clashes such as the one between organic and conventional farmers as detrimental to the industry as a whole.
Haymore said he’s tried to be a bridge builder during his 14 months in office and will continue to reduce infighting.
“I think there just needs to be a balance,” he said.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .