Governor Abigail Spanberger joined CNN during Farm Aid 2026 in Virginia Beach on Saturday to celebrate Virginia agriculture and discuss her administration's support for family farmers facing extreme weather and trade disruptions.
"We are so excited to host Farm Aid here in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Agriculture is our number one private industry," Spanberger said. "You name it, we produce it."
Spanberger said she continues to hear concerns from farmers and producers about high costs and federal tariffs, including during a recent roundtable with Virginia cattlemen and the Virginia Farm Bureau in Botetourt.
"Times are tough. The support of an organization like Farm Aid really matters," she said. "Our number one agricultural trading partner for the Commonwealth of Virginia is Canada. So, disruptions there. Fuel costs are at a record high. We've had drought conditions, which have really impacted our hay production which impacts our cattle farmers."
Earlier this month, Spanberger declared a state of emergency to help address the hay shortage caused by ongoing drought conditions. Together with the General Assembly, she also secured a record $300 million in funding for agricultural best management practices.
"It's a really tough time because of everything that's happening at the federal level. So, at the state level, I declared a hay emergency to try and surge additional hay for winter feeding, so our cattle producers can stay afloat," she said. "We've fully funded our agricultural best management practices. That's hundreds of millions of dollars to support farmers who are utilizing rotational grazing and cover crops, which have a great conservation benefit — but are also really good on-farm practices that help lower input costs. It was a primary ask of the Virginia Farm Bureau headed into our last General Assembly session."
Agriculture and forestry have a combined economic impact of $105 billion annually and support more than 490,000 jobs across the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, Spanberger signed bipartisan legislation creating Virginia's first Farm & Forest Prosperity Plan.