Fauquier County honors local farmers, agricultural traditions – Fauquier Now

Fauquier County Celebrates Agriculture Appreciation Month

Fauquier County is shining a spotlight on its agricultural community this March, recognizing the role of local farmers, agribusiness professionals, and agricultural traditions during Agriculture Appreciation Month.

Proclamation of Agriculture Month

At its March 13 meeting, the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors officially proclaimed March 2025 as “Agriculture Month,” aligning with the national observance established in 1973. Marshall District Supervisor Regan Washer presented the proclamation, noting the deep roots of farming in the county’s economy, history, and identity.

“Agricultural producers are a time-honored and vital part of Fauquier County, the commonwealth of Virginia, and the United States,” Washer read from the proclamation. “The farms and agribusinesses of Fauquier County create the captivating rural landscape that helps define our county. The agricultural community generates over $67 million in sales, fostering pride and economic stability in the community where we live and work.”

Honoring Contributions to the Agricultural Community

As part of the recognition, the board honored three people whose work has had a lasting impact on Fauquier’s agricultural community.

• Jake Grove, a fifth-generation farmer and president of the Fauquier Farm Bureau, was commended for his leadership in conservation efforts and youth agricultural programs.
• Tim Mize, an animal science agent with the Cooperative Extension Office, was recognized for his two decades of service guiding and supporting local producers.
• Butter Strother of the Fauquier Livestock Exchange was praised for her role in facilitating livestock sales and equipment auctions—resources critical to farmers across the county.

Celebrating National Agriculture Week

The county’s recognition extends beyond the boardroom, as the Fauquier County Agriculture Development Department is celebrating National Agriculture Week from March 16-22. The department took to social media to highlight the importance of agriculture and encourage residents to show their support.

“Agriculture is more than just an industry in Fauquier County—it’s a way of life,” the department wrote. “From growing fresh, local food to preserving our beautiful farmland, our agricultural community plays a vital role in keeping our county thriving.”

Residents are encouraged to support farmers by shopping at local farms and markets, thanking agricultural workers, and sharing their farm-to-table experiences using #FauquierAgWeek.

Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s National Agriculture Day

Fauquier’s recognition of its agricultural roots is reflected on a larger scale, as the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation also marked National Agriculture Day on March 18. The organization shared statistics showcasing the industry’s significance, noting that agriculture remains Virginia’s top industry, generating 381,800 jobs across 38,995 farms.

Fauquier County itself plays a significant role in the state’s agricultural landscape, ranking fourth among Virginia counties in total farmland, with 261,666 acres, according to the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 15: Life on Land

The article highlights the importance of agriculture in Fauquier County and its impact on the local economy, history, and identity. It also emphasizes the role of farmers, agribusiness professionals, and agricultural traditions in the community. These issues are connected to SDG 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. The article mentions the economic stability and sales generated by the agricultural community, which aligns with SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth. Additionally, SDG 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure is relevant as it emphasizes the importance of supporting agricultural practices and technologies. SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production is connected to the promotion of local farms and markets. Finally, SDG 15 on life on land is relevant as it focuses on the preservation of farmland and the sustainable management of ecosystems.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
• SDG 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.
• SDG 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.
• SDG 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
• SDG 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are related to increasing agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers (SDG 2.3), promoting job creation and entrepreneurship (SDG 8.3), upgrading infrastructure and adopting sustainable technologies (SDG 9.4), achieving sustainable management of natural resources (SDG 12.2), and promoting sustainable forest management (SDG 15.2).

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 2.3.1: Volume of production per labor unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size.
• Indicator 8.3.1: Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment, by sex.
• Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.
• Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.
• Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.

The article does not explicitly mention indicators, but based on the identified targets, the following indicators can be used to measure progress: volume of production per labor unit (Indicator 2.3.1), proportion of informal employment (Indicator 8.3.1), CO2 emission per unit of value added (Indicator 9.4.1), material footprint (Indicator 12.2.1), and progress towards sustainable forest management (Indicator 15.2.1).

4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: fauquiernow.com