With a 40 percent turnover of seats in the General Assembly, leaders within Virginia Farm Bureau Federation are embracing new opportunities to brief lawmakers on agricultural policy priorities at the bureau’s annual Legislative Day, Monday, Jan. 29, at the state capitol.

Farm Bureau policy is originally developed at the county level and then debated and approved by a statewide body of voting delegates. For Legislative Day, members choose issues most relevant to agricultural activities in their regions of the state and share their perspectives with lawmakers who hold positions on related committees, like Appropriations or Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.

With dozens of timely agricultural issues farmers can choose to discuss with their representatives, farmers are focusing on a few top priorities: a budget amendment enhancing conservation funding to hire more nutrient management planners and engineers to help meet Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals; and a bill limiting th...