CULPEPER STAR-EXPONENT

U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, on Saturday toured several farm and cattle operations in Culpeper, Madison and Greene as part of her ongoing listening tour during 2023 Farm Bill negotiations in Congress.

Spanberger, the only Virginian on the House Agriculture Committee, heard about challenges faced and discussed opportunities ahead, according to a release from her office.

Early last month, Spanberger hosted a Farm Bill Summit in Caroline to hear directly from Virginia crop and livestock producers about their priorities, the release stated. In March, she was at Graves Mountain Lodge in Madison County listening to local farmers.

On Saturday, reps from Virginia Farm Bureau, Farm Credit of the Virginias, Virginia State Dairymen’s Association and the Virginia Poultry Federation joined Spanberger for her tour of four more local farms.

The day started at Muddy Flats Farm, a poultry operation in Culpeper run by Stevensburg Supervisor Susan Gugino, and her husband.

The next stop was Senterfitt Cattle Co. & Virginia Cattle Co. in Madison County followed by Heavenly Acres in Greene and Hidden Pines Meat Processing in Madison.

“Thank you for showing me around and giving me more insight into your operations and how I can work to support you at the federal level,” Spanberger posted over the weekend. “As 2023 Farm Bill negotiations continue, I’ll continue to bring the voices of Virginia producers to the table.”