Local Programs

Soil Testing & Fertilization Recommendations

Evaluate your soil resources before you fertilize! Our office provides the soil sample boxes and forms which must be submitted to the Virginia Tech soils lab. The results are reliable and will help you improve your farm or garden soil fertility and reduce costly, unnecessary fertilizer applications. The procedure for correctly collecting a soil sample correctly can be found here.

Pesticide Safety Training

There are three main pesticide license designations in Virginia: private, commercial, and registered technician. Private applicator permits are those needed by agricultural applicators who wish to apply restricted-use chemicals (those you can only buy if you have earned your private pesticide applicators license) on their own property. Commercial applicators are those persons who have studied the laws and regulations, been adequately trained in pesticide safety, mixing, and education, and have passed their certified applicators exam, allowing them to apply pesticides to public places and community lands (ranging from schools, to right-of-ways, to golf courses, etc. ) or are hired to apply pesticides to private or commercial property (exterminators, etc.). Registered technicians are commercial applicators in training. They must first undergo training and pass the registered technician exam, and then they must work under the supervision of a certified commercial applicator for one year before they can take the test for commercial applicator. There are many different types of commercial applicators and additional information and resource materials can be found at the Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs site. Additional information on pesticide regulations and programs in Virginia can be found at the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services site.

Virginia Cooperative Extension offers certification and recertification courses throughout the year for both private pesticide applicators and commercial/RT applicators. Private applicator recertification courses are generally offered in the winter months, while commercial and RT courses are generally offered in the summer months. A general list of events for this area can be found at the Southern Piedmont Ag Connection blog under Upcoming Programs. For more information, please contact the office. 

We welcome your questions about unidentified insects, plants (or weeds), diseases, and nutrient deficiencies. If you have a question, please call the office to determine the best way to have it identified. Samples can generally be dropped by the extension office (although we ask you to exercise caution when bringing in household pests for identification). Photos are always welcome and they can be emailed to Lindy Tucker at tucker07@vt.edu.

You can also visit our Weed ID Guide or our Insect Identification Lab for help. If you are an avid internet user, please be wary of online resources and recommendations. Make sure your information comes from a reputable source that has jurisdiction in this area.  Keep in mind, there are a great deal of regulations on pesticide usage. If you are unsure of a pesticide’s usage or requirements, please give the office a call.

If we are unable to identify your pest (insect, disease, or weed), we will send it to the appropriate Virginia Tech lab for identification and recommendations.

We are always happy to perform site visits to your yard, garden, or farm to help you evaluate your agricultural resources, identify plants and pests, discuss management or budget decisions, and help you succeed in your crop, livestock, vegetable, or garden plant enterprise. Call, visit, or email our office for assistance. For additional factsheets or information on any agricultural topic, use the search bar on the Virginia Cooperative Extension webpage. 

We are always looking for sites for on-farm research. If you have land, a crop, or an idea that you would like to offer, please contact us. In recent years, most of research in Lunenburg County has focused on corn, soybean, and tobacco variety trials, but we are open to all kinds of agricultural commodities and enterprises. Just give us a call!

Virginia Cooperative Extension staff strive to meet your needs by providing educational programs on a variety of topics. The best way to stay up-to-date on upcoming programs is to call or email our staff and make a request to be added to our mailing list. The Agriculture & Natural Resources Program provides 3-4 newsletters per year on upcoming programs, agricultural news, and updates from other agricultural organizations. In order to receive this newsletter via mail or email, please contact the extension office and request to be added to one of the lists.

Additionally, the ag program works closely with 4-H, FCS, the Virginia Department of Forestry, Southside Soil & Water Conservation District, and the local schools and community college to offer youth and young adult programs on agriculture and natural resources topics. For pictures and information on some of our annual events, check out the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research & Extension Center site (and Facebook page) as well as the newsletters which can be found in the right hand column of this page.

We have a million other things going on from the four-county Southside Master Gardener program (Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Brunswick, and Lunenburg) to calf marketing through the Fed-Together Program, so do not hesitate to get on our mailing or emailing lists and get involved.

Also, we are always open to new program ideas and recommendations, so please feel free to share your ideas with us.

For additional information on programs and offerings, follow Lunenburg County Agriculture on Facebook and keep up with events happening in Southside on the Southern Piedmont Ag Connection blog! If you are curious about the different types of farms and producers in the area, follow Amelia agent, Laura Siegle’s nationally awarded blog: Central Virginia Ag Spotlight.

And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

Lindy Tucker 
Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent
Lunenburg County Extension Office
11409 Courthouse Road
Lunenburg, VA 23952
434-696-5526
tucker07@vt.edu

The VCE-Master Gardener program is made up of more than 4,000 active and certified Master Gardener volunteers.

The VCE-MG program has an economic impact of more than $5.65 million. Also, almost 1,000 new volunteers are trained annually.

VCE-MGs work specifically towards these goals:

• Enhancing the environment through sustainable landscape practices
• Using horticulture and landscaping to positively impact youth
• Using horticulture and landscaping to promote community development and economic growth
• Producing food in public and private gardens to improve human nutrition and food security
• Using horticulture to improve the overall quality of life for Virginia's citizens

Requirements to Become a VCE-Master Gardener

• Must attend at least 50 hours of classroom instruction
• Must contribute at least 50 hours of volunteer service conducting horticultural education programs

(These 100 hours must be completed in one year. Then you earn the title of VCE-Master Gardener)

• Must contribute at least 20 hours of volunteer service each year to remain active
• Must participate in at least 8 hours of recertification training

For more information on the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program, please visit their website (Virginia Master Gardener Program) or contact Katie Baker, ANR extension agent in the Lunenburg County Extension office. 

Visit the Central District page on Forestry and Natural Resources.