Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC

05/21/2026

Virginia application deadline has been extended! Learn more and apply by June 15th: https://www.allianceforcsa.org/virginia/

Good news for Virginia — the Alliance application deadline has been extended to June 15! 🌱

If you’ve been meaning to apply or haven’t finished your application yet, there’s still time. The Alliance to Advance Climate-Smart Agriculture provides financial incentives to producers implementing conservation practices that support soil health, grazing management, and long-term farm productivity.

Funding opportunities are currently available through both the General Program and the Pasture Renovation Subpilot. We encourage producers across Virginia to explore the available options and see if your operation is eligible. Find out more at allianceforcsa.org/virginia

Apply today: https://smapply.allianceforcsa.us

05/20/2026

🌱🎓 Congratulations to Emma Nieland, who graduated last week with a master’s degree in Plant Pathology!

After completing her undergraduate studies at Iowa State University, Emma joined Virginia Tech and the Plant Pathology program at the Tidewater AREC in 2023, contributing to research trials locally and at the Eastern Shore AREC under the guidance of her advisory committee — Dr. David Langston, Dr. Douglas Higgins, and Dr. Steven Rideout.

Emma’s research has strengthened our understanding of how watermelon anthracnose disease develops in Virginia — an increasing concern for Mid-Atlantic growers — and identifying the most effective management strategies to combat it. Her research provides growers with practical, research-based recommendations to protect yield and extend the effective life of available fungicide tools.

Emma will be greatly missed at Tidewater AREC, and we wish her every success as she prepares to begin a new chapter as a researcher with Bartlett Tree Experts in Northern Virginia.


Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

05/19/2026

🥜 If you haven't seen the Spring 2026 issue of Virginia-Carolina Peanut News, the full digital edition is now available and linked below!

Fresh off the press! 📰 🥜

The Spring 2026 issue of the Virginia-Carolinas Peanut News has arrived.

Stay ahead of the curve with a look at the latest developments and success stories across the Virginia-Carolinas region. From field research to local highlights, this issue captures everything you need to know about what’s happening in the world of peanuts right now.

You can find the full digital edition here: https://vist.ly/53xfk

👉 Want peanut industry news delivered to you? Subscribe to our newsletter today: https://vist.ly/53xfm

05/18/2026

🚨A new pest of cotton, okra, and eggplant crops is on the move through the southeastern United States, and it may soon be in Virginia. Read the full article here: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/articles/2026/two-spot-cotton-leaf-hopper-scouting.html

Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia Tech Department of Entomology

The two-spot cotton leafhopper (also known as or the cotton jassid) is a tiny (2–3 mm long) green insect that can cause severe plant injury as it feeds—in extreme cases reducing cotton yields by 50%. The insect is a significant pest for cotton, but it can also feed on a wide range of vegetables ...

05/07/2026

Application deadline has been extended through June 15! https://www.allianceforcsa.org/virginia/

Great news! You still have time to participate in this conservation incentive program. We have funding remaining and will be accepting applications through June 15, 2026. Please visit https://www.allianceforcsa.org/virginia/ to learn more. If you have any questions or need additional resources, please contact us at [email protected] or 540-231-3990 extension 2 to reach a member of the Alliance team dedicated to supporting the program in Virginia. Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission Virginia Cooperative Extension - Northampton County Accomack County Cooperative Extension - VA Eastern Shore Soil & Water Conservation District

05/04/2026

🏆 Congratulations to Ranadheer Reddy Vennam on being named a Gerald O. Mott Meritorious Graduate Student Award recipient by the Crop Science Society of America. A PhD candidate specializing in crop physiology, precision agriculture, and agronomy, Ranadheer conducts his research under the guidance of his advisor Professor Maria Balota. A tremendous achievement — well done, Ranadheer!
Read the announcement: https://tinyurl.com/MottAward26

Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

05/04/2026

🥜🌱 Friendly reminder! The Peanut-Cotton Infonet delivers daily updates on weather, soil temperature, and disease risk to guide timely field actions: https://infonet.ext.vt.edu/

Virginia Peanuts
NC Peanuts
Virginia Cooperative Extension-City of Suffolk
Virginia Cooperative Extension-Surry/Sussex ANR
Virginia Cooperative Extension- Isle of Wight
Southampton County Office of Virginia Cooperative Extension
Greensville/Emporia-Virginia Cooperative Extension

05/01/2026

In the field this week with Dr. Hunter Frame and the field crops agronomy team for the last corn trial planting for 2026! Rolling down high biomass cover crop... no moisture on top 3” of soil, so hoping that The Weather Channel is right about rainfall on Saturday!

05/01/2026

Maguire explains the connection, including the nutrients in most fertilizers, how they are being impacted by the conflict, and what that could mean for the growing season.

04/30/2026

04/30/2026

🌱 Take a look at this new web‑based decision support tool—it helps you quickly assess whether your herbicide plan uses multiple, effective modes of action for major weeds in corn, soybean, and cotton. https://tinyurl.com/GROWherbicidetool

For questions or feedback, please contact:
Dr. Michael Flessner, Extension W**d Science Specialist
[email protected]

Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Cooperative Extension
Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Use the new GROW Check My Herbicide Plan tool to see how many EFFECTIVE modes of action are in your tank this spring.

You might be surprised to learn how herbicide resistance, pre-mix product rates and other sneaky factors are undercutting your modes of action!

Learn more here: https://growiwm.org/use-this-grow-tool-to-learn-how-many-effective-herbicide-modes-of-action-you-actually-use/