Attention Landowners! Do you want to know more about today’s forestry and wildlife “hot topics”? Coming this May your Central District Extension Forestry Program is
offering ½ day short courses at three locations. This year’s topics include: A forest health update (bugs and disease), tree identification, a Wild game update, and cost share opportunities. Partnering agencies include Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, and others.

In recent years we’ve been growing some really beautiful lettuce. Join us as we talk about how you can get the most from this popular cool season crop.

Planning the future of your land? Join this workshop on land transfer tools, financial resources, and real success stories. Most landowners know that planning for the future of their land or farm is vital, yet the legal, financial and family considerations can be overwhelming. Staff from The Piedmont Environmental Council and American Farmland Trust will lead this practical workshop designed to help clarify the land succession process. The workshop will cover: Essential tools for navigating the legal and financial landscape of land transfer; Basic strategies for keeping rural land intact and in the family; Real-world stories and firsthand accounts from landowners who have successfully navigated the process and transferred their land to the next generation. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. This event is free but registration is required. Space is limited.

Join Virginia Tech and Virginia Cooperative Extension Foresters from across Virginia for a 15 minute video on a timely topic every other Friday at 12:15 on Facebook Live  or YouTube Premier.  All videos can be viewed on the Virginia Forest Landowner Update YouTube Channel any time (subscribe to be notified when new videos are added).

The Generation NEXT Program, a partnership of Virginia Cooperative Extension and Virginia Department of Forestry, is offering its annual land legacy planning webinar. This year’s theme is “Be Lawyer Ready,” with presentations from an attorney and an experienced landowner. Be ready to meet with a lawyer for legacy planning, save time & money by preparing ahead of time and learn how to get the outcomes you want for your land and heirs.

Kathryn and Neil Hughes own and operate a 10-acre forest farm in Madison County, VA (between Charlottesville and Culpeper), where they have been reforesting traditional farmland in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains since 2019. Kathryn teaches writing and studies disability rhetoric at James Madison University, and Neil is a neuro-educator and founder of N-SCP, an assessment and training company based on Narrative Medicine.

Their farming system centers on using animals to balance land management needs with small-scale farming imperatives. They grow and sell native plants, and also breed award-winning dairy goats – both of which they sell through their website. Tour topics will cover native plant production, NRCS cost-share projects, management of conservation areas, and lessons learned in management of pastured poultry and small ruminants.

This event will include a walking tour of their high tunnel, native plant nursery (both woody and herbaceous species), their conserved riparian buffer and wetland, an American Chestnut planting, an overview of their grazing paddocks, and an optional hands-on activity after lunch.

This tour is supported in partnership with the Friends of the Rappahannock.

This event is Free, but registration is required. (This tour has a limited capacity, so please be considerate; only register if you definitely intend to attend.)

Growing Abundant Gardens: Learn about permaculture methods for building a food forest, planning fruit tree guilds, and using water with swales and rainwater catchment systems. Free but registration required.

Build a strong foundation in silvopasture with this two-day introductory training designed for natural resource professionals, producers, and educators. Participants will explore the principles of agroforestry and silvopasture through expert-led classroom sessions and hands-on field demonstrations, including site assessment, forage establishment, and integrating trees with livestock systems. This workshop blends technical instruction with real-world applications to equip attendees with practical tools for implementation.