Program Information

Some Virginia agricultural products are sold on the farm, while others travel out of state or halfway around the world. In 2000, Virginia was ranked 5th among all states for agriculture exports, having exported products worth about 3 billion dollars. Virginia's top exports include manufactured tobacco products, tobacco leaf products, meats, and grains.

ABCs of Agriculture informs about Virginia's farming community and how it affects you. ABCs of Agriculture are produced by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) - an educational program which encourages and enhances agricultural literacy in Grades K-5 and 6-8.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the ABC’s of Agriculture! We’re here today to talk about the letter M, for Marketing. Today I am going to show you how food gets from the farm to the table!
Some Virginia agricultural products are sold right on the farm… others travel out of state…and some are sent halfway around the world.

Products like fresh produce, Christmas trees, and related products like jams, cheese and ice cream are sold to the general public on farms or in local farmer’s markets…

Other Virginia produce finds its way to grocery store chains and restaurants all along the East Coast. Grain and soybeans are sold to mills across the state for livestock feed and flour production…or it is exported from Norfolk for similar uses abroad.

Cattle are sold at livestock auctions… and the majority of milk from Virginia dairies is sold as beverage. Most dairy farmers in the state sell their milk through farmer-owned cooperatives. Hogs, turkeys, broiler chickens and eggs are typically sold to processing companies that contract with individual farmers. This ensures quality food for the consumer.

In 2000 Virginia was ranked fifth among all states for agriculture exports, having exported products worth about 3 (B) billion dollars! The top Virginia exports included manufactured tobacco products, tobacco leaf products, meats, and grain.

For the ABC’s of Agriculture, I’m Professor Brad… see you next time!

Virginia Standards