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Specialists on the Virginia Vegetable Team are committed to assisting growers, regardless of business size, with obtaining the freshest, highest quality, and most efficiently produced vegetables with the idea of safety and economic viability in mind. Please reach out to your local Cooperative Extension agent and/or vegetable team specialist to answer any vegetable related questions important to Virginia growers. Please click on the specialist’s name to be directed to their university’s webpage. The team routinely conducts applied research, presents information to growers and industry, publishes farmer friendly fact sheets, and works towards training Agriculture and Natural Resource (ANR) Extension agents and governmental employees through in-service trainings to ensure information is disseminated to the masses.

Understanding on-farm produce safety risks is essential for all farms who grow, harvest, pack, hold and/or ship fruits and vegetables. The first step to developing and implementing best practices to reduce risks and reduce potential produce contamination is to perform a hazard analysis, where producers identify risks that may be associated on their farm. This publication is the first in a series of seven factsheets to assist farmers in creating a food safety program

The purpose of this resource is to help newcomers make informed decisions at the start of the planning process. This guide is primarily designed for beginning ranchers and farmers, but service providers will also find it useful for answering questions about the farm start up process

Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center Virtual Research Field day includes various presentations and publications of the authors’ above, which are each linked in the body of the publication

Microgreens are gaining popularity as a new, nutritious salad crop. Growing microgreens in stacked hydroponic channels may improve efficiency and food safety for microgreens. However, differences between soil and hydroponic production methods for microgreens are not well known, especially when it comes to specific factors, like seed density, light exposure and yield for all the crops used as microgreens. This study explored the yield of six types of microgreens grown on burlap during three years of commercial production in a small educational greenhouse. The varieties, or species, tested in this study included basil, arugula, carrot, and blends of brassicas, radish and mustard. Seeds were sown directly on a single layer of burlap in a hydroponic nutrient film technique (NFT) system. Fresh weights (FW) of the microgreens were recorded after harvest to track the influence of seed density, light levels, growth time and season. The mean seed density for arugula was 42.9 g·m-2, and 41.0 g·m-2 for basil, 57.8 g·m-2 for carrot, 55.7 g·m-2 for the mild blend, 51.5 g·m-2 for the mustard blend and 103.1 g·m-2 for the radish blend. Basil yields increased when temperatures were high in the spring and summer. In contrast, the mustard blend and arugula microgreens produced lower yields when grown in the spring and summer months compared to winter. Basil grew significantly better in full sun, and radish grew better on average when grown in the shade. The seed densities did not correlate with yield as expected. Light exposure and season appeared to be more influential to microgreen yields than seed density. When compared to other similar studies the seed densities, yields and growing conditions were diverse. This publication aimed to address a gap in knowledge on microgreen production methods.

Encouraging procurement of food via Farm to School programs has become an emphasis of many schools throughout our nation and state. Farm to school produce/products benefits children and communities in many different ways. Contact between farmers and school management needs to be fostered and nurtured to be successful and provide the students with the freshest and safest product possible. School divisions often need a starting point to begin the process of procurement between the local farmer and the school nutrition department. Development of a checklist and other tools for farmers and school division nutrition managers/cafeteria managers to use when gaining access to fresh local produce may be beneficial for school nutrition departments trying to start a farm to school program. This project developed a checklist and fact sheets to lead and guide school nutrition directors and producers seeking to increase purchases and consumption throughout the state of Virginia. Farm to school is a vital program and allows farmers to reach markets that may have been untouched in the past. We are excited to share our resources and information with educators, farmers, and nutrition directors as well as our colleagues in extension.

Provides information to help beginning farmers and ranchers with farm planning decisions.

Discusses ways of harvesting and handling fresh hops, and provides a checklist of tips.

Highlights from a 2015-2016 market assessment survey are discussed in this document.

Despite the growing demand and support for local food, there can often be significant barriers for growers trying to tap into new markets, given specific food safety expectations, policies, and requirements. This trend is particularly true for institutional buyers, who are often constrained by far-reaching institutional and/or corporate policies. While there are lots of market opportunities in Virginia, navigating the landscape for growers can be daunting, since buyer food safety requirements are not a “one size fits all” standard for all markets. To better understand current expectations and perceptions across multiple market sectors in Virginia, and help producers better align their on-farm practices with these marketplaces, the Fresh Produce Food Safety Team conducted a state-wide market assessment survey in 2015-2016. The purpose of this factsheet is to provide you with the results of that work, especially if you are considering selling produce to retailers.

Discusses wholesale market distributors and regional food hubs, and how to market locally grown food crops to them. Also notes the results of a 2015-2016 a Virginia statewide market assessment survey.

Discusses the results of a survey of colleges and universities, direct-to-consumer markets, hospitals, public schools, restaurants, retailers and regional wholesalers.

Despite the growing demand and support for local food, there can often be significant barriers for growers trying to tap into new markets, given specific food safety expectations, policies, and requirements. This trend is particularly true for institutional buyers, who are often constrained by far-reaching institutional and/or corporate policies. While there are lots of market opportunities in Virginia, navigating the landscape for growers can be daunting, since buyer food safety requirements are not a “one size fits all” standard for all markets. To better understand current expectations and perceptions across multiple market sectors in Virginia, and help producers better align their on-farm practices with these marketplaces, the Fresh Produce Food Safety Team conducted a state-wide market assessment survey in 2015-2016. The purpose of this factsheet is to provide you with the results of that work, especially if you are considering selling produce to restaurants.

Discusses public schools as a potential market for locally grown foods and products. Identifies school purchasing priorities, and some of the likely barriers to purchasing.

Highlights from a 2015-2016 market assessment survey are discussed in this document.

Discusses marketing perspective, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the market, before investing lots of time, effort and money.

Discusses wholesale market distributors and regional food hubs, and how to market locally grown food crops to them. Also notes the results of a 2015-2016 a Virginia statewide market assessment survey.

Despite the growing demand and support for local food, there can often be significant barriers for growers trying to tap into new markets, given specific food safety expectations, policies, and requirements. This trend is particularly true for institutional buyers, who are often constrained by far-reaching institutional and/or corporate policies. While there are lots of market opportunities in Virginia, navigating the landscape for growers can be daunting, since buyer food safety requirements are not a “one size fits all” standard for all markets. To better understand current expectations and perceptions across multiple market sectors in Virginia, and help producers better align their on-farm practices with these marketplaces, the Fresh Produce Food Safety Team conducted a state-wide market assessment survey in 2015-2016. The purpose of this factsheet is to provide you with the results of that work, especially if you are considering selling produce to retailers.