Virginia and the Farm Bill 2.0

## How the Farm Bill 2.0 affects VirginiaVirginia has diverse agriculture from Tidewater to Shenandoah Valley to Southwest mountains. Virginia State University is the 1890 land-grant. Major poultry concentration on Eastern Shore. ## Virginia agriculture at a glance | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Farms | 41,000 | | Farmland | 8.0 million acres | | Top crops | Poultry, Cattle, Dairy, Soybeans, Tobacco | | SNAP recipients | 850,000 | | Ag rank | Top 25 ag state | ## Key programs for Virginia producers The most relevant Farm Bill 2.0 programs for Virginia:

• Crop Insurance
• Dairy Forward Pricing
• 1890 Land-Grants
• EQIP

## What's specifically changing for Virginia

1. Dairy Forward Pricing made permanent.
2. 1890 funding: Virginia State University.
3. Chesapeake Bay water quality: EQIP precision ag, RCPP.
4. Forestry: significant nonfederal forest landowners (FCEP relevant).

## Top resources for Virginia producers - **Virginia Department of Agriculture**: primary state-level point of contact for many federal programs. - **Virginia State University Extension**: local research, conservation planning, technical assistance. - **Virginia Farm Bureau Federation**: advocacy and producer information. - **Virginia FSA County Offices**: direct USDA loan applications, ARC/PLC enrollment, CRP. - **NRCS Virginia State Office**: EQIP, CSP, ACEP, conservation planning. ## How Virginia should think about the Farm Bill 2.0 If you're a producer in Virginia, the most important thing to track is the **interaction between this bill and H.R. 1** (the 2025 reconciliation law). Most commodity policy is locked in by H.R. 1; the 2026 farm bill adds incremental changes on top. For most Virginia operations, the highest-impact changes are likely to be: - **Title II conservation reshuffling**: if you use EQIP heavily, expect tighter funding - **Title VI REAP expansion**: if you're a co-op or in renewable energy - **Title XI crop insurance** for veterans, expanded eligibility and subsidy - **Title XII Prop 12 preemption**: if you're in livestock ## Related - [Full Farm Bill 2.0 Summary](/full-bill-summary/) - [What's New vs the 2018 Farm Bill](/whats-new-vs-2018/) - [Program Finder](/program-finder/) - [Browse all states](/states/)