The Woman’s Club of Buckingham County GFWC has announced its annual arts and crafts exhibit. The club extends an invitation to the community to participate in this exhibit, including public school and home-schooled students, as well as club members.

The exhibit features all kinds of art, including watercolors, oil painting, drawings, photography, sculpture and pottery. Crafts include needlework, sewing, quilting, jewelry, woodworking and more.

Entries may be submitted at the Buckingham Arts Center on U.S. Route 60 in Buckingham Court House, on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 1-4 p.m.

An open house will be held Sunday, Feb. 19 and again on Sunday, Feb. 26 from 1-4 p.m. at the arts center where the winners will be on display and refreshments will be served. Arts and crafts may be picked up on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. For additional information about the event, call Sharon (434) 315-4231 or Agnes at (434) 983-2115.

Dr. Jewel Hairston Bronaugh, the state executive director of the Virginia State Farm Service Administration, explained in the January newsletter why “Virginia is for lovers” is such an appropriate and fitting state slogan.

“Not only do we love the land, but we love agriculture as it is the No. 1 industry in the state of Virginia with an economic impact of $52 billion annually,” she said. While livestock dominates Virginia agriculture and includes broilers, cattle and turkeys, there are also several commodities that make up the top 20 list and include grapes, barley, apples and tomatoes. One of the fastest growing segments of Virginia’s tourism economy is agri-tourism. There is a lot to love in Virginia, with agriculture playing a crucial role.

The Virginia Cooperative Extension will host the Southside commercial fruit tree school and private pesticide re-certification program on Feb. 15 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SPAREC), 2375 Darvills Road in Blackstone. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., is $20 and includes lunch and resources. Please pre-register by Feb. 10 at the Nottoway County Extension Office at (434) 645-9315 or hmccann@vt.edu.

Through the Agricultural Act of 2014, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has several authorities that encourage the adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The Energy Generation and Efficiency Building Block supports energy efficiency improvements in rural homes and farm operations, for example, through EQIP’s National On-Farm Energy Initiative. This Building Block also provides opportunities to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from energy generation and use, for example, through the Rural Energy for America program. To learn more about energy generation and efficiency opportunities from USDA, visit www.climatehubs.oce.usda.gov.

I thank all of my readers and appreciate your support. I have enjoyed bringing you information about events and activities in and about Buckingham County and wish Sherri Wise all the best as she takes over the Buckingham Bulletin. Warmest regards, Janet.

Janet Miller was the columnist for Buckingham News.