SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AGRARIAN COMMONS

Model

Local Agrarian Commons Board
Leasehold Farm:
Cameron D. Terry, Garden Variety Harvests
Desiree Shelley
Community Stakeholders:
Kim Kirkbride, New River Land Trust
Adam Taylor
Agrarian Trust:
Ian McSweeney
Eliza Spellman Taylor
Suzanne Pierce, CowanPerry PC, Attorney
Contact: southwestvirginiaAC@agrariantrust.org
The Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons is organized and shall be operated exclusively for the purpose of holding title to property, collecting income therefrom, and turning the entire amount, less expenses to the AGRARIAN LAND TRUST within the meaning of Section 501(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”). Agrarian Land Trust, the parent corporation of Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons, is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) and described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code.
CONTEXT
Click here for state and regional agricultural context
The Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons is collaborating with local farms and the New River Land Trust (NRLT) on the creation of a local Agrarian Commons in Southwest Virginia, which will be the first in the state. The Agrarian Trust team is also working to develop collaboration and partnerships with other organizations in the region and the state. Garden Variety Harvests is a founding farm, and Virginia Tech’s Catawba Sustainability Center is an educational center partner.
The New River Land Trust works to conserve farmland, forests, open spaces, and historic places in the New River region. They work with partners, including local governments, on larger land policy and conservation issues. They also educate and assist landowners to conserve their land by voluntarily donating conservation easements on their property. Since 2002, they have helped protect over 55,000 acres of land in the region and over 26 miles of New River frontage.

Virginia Agriculture
Nevertheless, agriculture remains Virginia’s top industry. Today, the state has about 7.8 million acres of farmland held in 42,000 farms, constituting 28 percent of the state’s landscape. The state is home to more than 2 million acres of prime farmland, much of which is in the path of an increasing population and increased development.
SNAPSHOT OF VIRGINIA AGRICULTURE

Land Acknowledgement & Commitment
The Agrarian Commons acknowledges that it is located on the ancestral, occupied, and, in many cases, unceded land of Indigenous people. In acknowledging this legacy of genocide and theft, we are in turn committed to supporting Indigenous sovereignty.Food Insecurity & Hunger
Approximately 1 in 10 Virginia residents are food insecure. 1 in 8 children live in a food insecure household.Virginia Farmland Facts

- Average Age: 58.5
- Beginning farmers: 18,957
- Farmers of color: 2,997
- White farmers: 37,730
- American Indian or Alaska Native farmers: 168
- Hispanic, Latino or Spanish Origin farmers: 845
- Black farmers: 1,693
- Asian farmers: 259
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander farmers: 32
- Female farmers: 25,509
- Male farmers: 37,027
Resources on Virginia Agriculture
- Native Land Map of the Region
- 2018 State Agriculture Overview - Virginia
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, NRCS
- Land Values 2019 Summary, USDA
- American Farmland Trust, Farmland Info Center
- National Young Farmers Coalition Chapters
Farm and Food Reports on Virginia
- Blue Ridge Region (Blue Ridge Region). Crossroads Resource Center. Partner: Heifer Project International. PDF Summary.
- East Chesapeake Bay region (Maryland & Virginia) (7 counties, 2007). Crossroads Resource Center. Partner: Food and Water Watch, East Chesapeake farmers. PDF Summary.
- Martinsville / Henry County region (Virginia & North Carolina) (8 counties, 2011). Crossroads Resource Center. Partner: Harvest Foundation, Virginia Tech Extension, & Local Partners. PDF Summary.
- Rappahannock-Rapidan Region (Virginia, 2015). Crossroads Resource Center. Partner: Rapidan-Rappahannock Regional Commission. Rappahannock-Rapidan Farm & Food Plan. PDF Summary
- Shenandoah Valley (10 counties, 2010). Crossroads Resource Center. Partner: Virginia Cooperative Extension (Harrisonburg). PDF Summary.
- State of Virginia (2007). Crossroads Resource Center. Partner: University of Virginia. PowerPoint presentation. PDF Summary.
State of Virginia Reports
- Virginia Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services Reports
- Virginia Dept. of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Publications
FOUNDING FARMS, RANCHES & AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
Local Agrarian Commons Documents
PARTNERS & ALLIES
Along with our founding farms and supporting partners, the Virginia Agrarian Commons looks forward to collaborating with community land trusts and other organizations in the region.

Catawba Sustainability Center
The Catawba Sustainability Center will provide educational support and training for southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons. Catawba Sustainability Center is a 377-acre farm in the Catawba Valley of southwest Virginia, a partnership between Roanoke County and Virginia Tech to provide resources, training, research, and education for beginning farmers.

Adam Taylor, Director of Catawba Sustainability Center, shares about the farm incubator program at the Center, which supports eight beginning farmers, including two young farmers producing mushrooms in various habitats
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES

PRESS
- 3/26/21 Virginia Living: Yards to Chards, How one Virginia farmer turned underused lawns into profitable farmland
- 12/21/18 Community Housing Partners: CHP Works with Local Conservation Group to Preserve Brush Mountain
- 8/28/18 NBC News: Montgomery County looking to create nature park with Mountain Valley Pipeline funds
- 9/18/18 Virginia Tech: A Watershed Moment for Conservation in the New River Valley, Virginia
- 4/7/08 The Roanoke Times: Woman honored for New River protection efforts
- 12/10/04 CBS News: Stretch Of New River Preserved In Grayson County

Contact: southwestvirginiaAC@agrariantrust.org
The Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons is organized and shall be operated exclusively for the purpose of holding title to property, collecting income therefrom, and turning the entire amount, less expenses to the AGRARIAN LAND TRUST within the meaning of Section 501(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”). Agrarian Land Trust, the parent corporation of Southwest Virginia Agrarian Commons, is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) and described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Code.