Contributed report

The Virginia Foundation for Agriculture Innovation & Rural Sustainability and the U.S.Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development agency will sponsor two regional workshops on “Smart Growth & Land Preservation: Vital Management Tools.” The workshops will be held Nov. 20 in Powhatan County and Nov. 21 in Bedford County. Both will run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Powhatan workshop will be at the County Seat Food & Gathering Place, 3883 Old Buckingham Road, and the Bedford workshop will be at the Bedford Moose Lodge, 2986 W. Lynchburg-Salem Tnpk.

“We want to educate governments and citizens on how they can grow but also keep the agricultural communities intact by keeping enough farmland to make their businesses economically viable,” said Lindsay Potts, assistant director of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “We want localities to plan for growth; not just react to it once it’s happened.”

Spencer Neale, senior assistant director of the VFBF commodity and marketing department, said the workshops are an opportunity for “a dialogue among landowners, developers and policy makers to talk about using tactics that will allow for growth, but in a well-planned way.” Speakers at both workshops include Potts; Kevin Schmidt, coordinator of VDACS’ Office of Farmland Preservation; and Jesse Richardson Jr., associate professor of urban affairs and planning at Virginia Tech. Local agricultural producers and development company representatives also will speak. Partner organizations are Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech.

Registration is $15 and includes lunch. Participants can register online at www.agsummit.com or e-mail Brenda Fleming at brenda.fleming@vafb.com for more information.