This quick guide is a tool to help Unit Coordinators navigate the process of onboarding a new agent in their local office. This resource clarifies the key responsibilities & roles a Unit Coordinator plays in the onboarding process, as well as tips for a successful experience when welcoming a new agent to the local unit office.

The more than 55 million people who live in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States want to purchase processed grain foods such as bread and other dough products made from hard, or bread, wheat. To meet this demand, regional mills import bread wheat, which comes almost exclusively from the Plains states. These imports make up approximately 30 percent of the total grain needed for the region.

Efficient nitrogen (N) fertilization is crucial for economic wheat production and protection of ground and surface waters. Excessive plant-available N produces wheat plants that are susceptible to lodging and disease with resulting decreased yields and increased input costs. The potential for enrichment of ground and surface waters with nitrates also increases with excessive N fertilizer applications.

The 2023 Virginia performance trials of commercial corn hybrids were conducted at six locations: Blacksburg, Holland, Blackstone, Orange, Shenandoah, and Mt. Holly. Corn was planted with a Wintersteiger PlotKing 2600 planter, and harvested at maturity with a Massey-Ferguson 8XP plot combine harvester. Plot grain weights (lb/ac), grain test weight (lb/bu), at grain moisture (%) were measured with a GrainGage® by HarvestMaster. Plot grain weights have been adjusted to a standardized moisture content of 15.5%. Statistical analysis was done to determine what differences were significant.

This report presents results from barley and wheat trials conducted in Virginia in 2023-2024. In Virginia, small grain cultivar performance trials are conducted each year by the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. The trials provide information to assist Virginia Cooperative Extension Service agents in formulating cultivar recommendations for small grain producers and to companies developing cultivars and/or marketing seed within the state. Yield data are reported for individual locations, and across locations and years. Performance of a given variety often varies widely over locations and years which makes multiple location-year averages a more reliable indication of expected performance than data from a single year or location. Details about management practices for barley and wheat are listed for each experiment location.