Patrick County Farm Bureau received recognition for the 2023 Agriculture Demonstration Day. Virginia
Farm Bureau awarded Patrick County second place in their County Awards of Excellence contest. “Patrick
competed against 87 other County Farm Bureau across the State”, stated Mark Dawson, Director of Membership, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. This award comes with a $1,500 cash prize, recognition in the Farm Bureau News magazine and special recognition at the 2023 Virginia Farm
Bureau annual convention.
The Patrick County Farm Bureau, in cooperation with several other organizations, developed and
implemented an Ag Demo Day. A special programming emphasis was placed on farm safety and
highway safety related to farm equipment. Safety topics include power take-off, roadway safety, roll-
over protection and securing loads. Demonstrations included goat milk soap, zero turn mower, hay bale drop, and PTO entanglement. A tractor skills competition was open to guests with prizes including a wood stove, farm gate, and ratchet straps.
The event was aimed at farm and highway safety. Farmers and the public were reminded of standard operating procedures to keep them safe around farm equipment. Virginia State Police officers and a
representative from the Department of Health and Safety at Virginia Tech, provided valuable lectures and materials to the audience. The dangers posed by power take offs (PTOs), loaders, unstable loads,
and moving farm equipment on public roads was highlighted.
Planning partners for the event were Virginia Cooperative Extension, Department of Health and Safety at Virginia Tech, and the Patrick County Rotary Club. The event also featured production agriculturists,
farm equipment dealers, and farm supply stores. A portion of the event was dedicated to children’s activities with Spencer Penn Center providing entertainment like, corn hole, pig train, grain pool, photo opportunities, hay bale decorating, and fake cow milking.
Patrick County Farm Bureau is planning a similar event for the Spring of 2024. The event will be held at
Rotary Field in Stuart and open to the public.
(Submitted by Sandra W. Heath, Patrick County Farm Bureau Board Member Volunteer)
