Conservation is key at Ag Expo

Don't think that farming isn't a high-tech business.

The Virginia Agriculture Expo in Hanover County yesterday had some of the latest trends and research on display, including a highly engineered wetlands-restoration project, new methods for reducing pollutant runoff, and equipment with GPS devices that help farmers squeeze ever more efficiency into their operations.

"The technology is changing every year," said J.N. Mills, who opened his family's farm in King William County for tours as part of the expo.

"Precision is becoming one of the key words," he said, after describing how two of his tractors equipped with GPS devices can practically steer themselves -- "just like autopilot on a plane" -- and avoid waste in spraying his crops.

Amid scattered showers, farmers from all over Virginia took a break from their fields to attend the expo, held at the Courthouse Ruritan Club in Hanover and the nearby J.N. Mills & Sons farm. About 1,500 people were expected to attend.

"This is partly a social event," said Wayne Kirby, a grain farmer from Hanover and chairman of the expo. "It is also an educational opportunity for the farmers, and an opportunity for the seed suppliers and equipment dealers to show their products."

Farmers at the event said the weather has been relatively good this year for crops, at least compared with the drought conditions of recent years, but the economy remains a concern. Commodity prices have dropped from historical highs reached last year, yet farmers still are dealing with higher costs for crop inputs such as fertilizer and fuel.

Much of the focus at the expo was on ways to reduce the use of fertilizers and other inputs, which also has environmental benefits.

"We are trying to come up with ways to be more efficient," said Wade Thomason, a Virginia Cooperative Extension grain specialist. He was showing farmers a modified nitrogen injector system designed to cut nitrogen use by about 15 percent while maintaining crop yields.

"We are also more aware of environmental impacts," he said. Limiting nitrogen runoff from agricultural sources has been identified as a key part of reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

Another major attraction was a wetlands-mitigation project on the Mills farm, as well as a water-quality protection project. About 200 acres of the farm has been restored to a wetlands habitat, Mills said.

"It has taken land out of production that probably should never have been in production," he said. "It is also a good source of income." Mills sells wetlands-mitigation credits to developers whose projects encroach on wetlands in other parts of the York River watershed.

The expo is sponsored annually by the Virginia Grain Producers Association, the Virginia Soybean Association and the Virginia Cooperative Extension service.

Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or .