Crop & Soil Science

Major extensively grown cash crops in Virginia include tobacco, soybeans, corn, cotton, wheat and barley. Forages (hay, pasture, and silage) are the primary feed stuffs for dairy, beef, sheep, horses, and goats. Forage quality and quantity can have major impacts on feed costs and livestock profitability.

Production of the above crops integrates agronomic, environmental, and economic sciences. Specific production practices, such as fertilization and crop protection inputs, must be integrated into a program for each crop and for total cropping systems. Current emphasis addresses impacts of crop production on water quality. Most crops are currently produced using no tillage planting, which greatly reduces erosion and potential nutrient loss from the field.

Competitiveness of crop production is affected by many factors. Improving markets by producing value added products is becoming a major objective of crops programs. These include evaluation of hulless barley, bread wheat varieties, low linolenic and low palmitic acid soybeans, Natto soybeans, white corn, and possibly tobacco for pharmacological purposes. Management and marketing alternatives will be developed in cooperation with industry and implemented through on-farm demonstrations, area conferences, state-wide conferences, field days, fact sheets, and publications.

Caroline County is home to a number of large cash—grain operations. Grain (small grains and corn) and soybean production are the two largest crop commodities produced in Caroline. In order to serve the local agricultural community, Mac has instituted a number of programs.

The annual Rappahannock Area Winter Grain meeting is usually held in January or February annually. The latest crop production and pest control strategies are featured every year. The best specialists from Virginia Tech and area agricultural economists are presenters as well as the area extension agents. The meeting is also certified by the Virginia Department of Pesticide Services and Virginia Tech to re-certify Commercial Category 1-A, 60, 10 and Private Applicator licenses.