Virginia Tech Agricultural & Applied Economics

10/07/2026

AAEC faculty member Kurt Stephenson works with dairy farmers across the state to reduce the impact of Nitrogen in the Chesapeake Bay. The FARM'N (Funding for Agricultural Reductions in Mass balance of Nitrogen) program is a farm-specific, flexible way to measure nutrient loss and implement new practices on dairy farms. The program is a partnership with Virginia Tech and the Virginia State Dairymen's Association designed to work with farmers and find solutions that work for their operations.

If you would like to learn more about how you can be part of the program, email Mary Beth Collette at [email protected] or call 540-231-0749. You may also visit https://www.vsdaonline.com/FARMN/.

10/06/2026

Faculty Spotlight: Meet Shourish Chakravarty, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, based at the Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

Dr. Chakravarty’s research applies economic tools to better understand agricultural production, technology adoption, conservation practices, and crop profitability.

👉 As part of this work, check out his latest web tool, designed to help Virginia flue-cured to***co farmers evaluate production costs, profitability, and break-even estimates for their operations.

🔗 Explore the tool and learn more about Dr. Chakravarty’s research:

I completed my Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. My core research interests lie in applying economic tools to analyze agricultural production, technology adoption, conservation practices, and crop profitability.

10/04/2026

INCOME TAX SCHOOL: 2026 DATES | Nov. 4-5 and Dec. 2 - 3
Virtual seminars are a two-day continuing education program that provides an intensive study of the tax law and regulations governing individuals and small businesses.

The seminars are designed for both CPAs (Certified Public Accountants) and EAs (Enrolled Agents) to receive their annual continuing education credits, but tax professionals who want to learn more for the coming tax season are welcome. Preparation of both federal and state taxes will be covered. Experienced CPAs, EAs, Virginia Tech faculty, and the IRS will examine new tax laws and their implications. We offer continuing and professional education through the IRS, the Virginia Board of Accountancy, and CFP.

LEARN MORE AT https://aaec.vt.edu/extension/Virginiatechincometaxschool.html.

10/01/2026

Stop by and see us on October 17 on the Drillfield for the Homecoming Tailgate, four hours before kickoff! 🔗Register and details: https://alumni.vt.edu/events/2026/10/homecoming-tailgate.html

Make plans to tailgate with us before the Hokies take on Georgia Tech. Enjoy lawn games, music, family-friendly activities, inflatables, and more. Register in advance for $15 or on the day for $20; registration includes food, adult drink tickets, and a gift supporting student scholarships.

Be sure to stop by the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' tent and the AAEC table to:

• Learn more about our 2027 Centennial celebration
• Register for a prize
• Meet Karl Rich, department head
• Catch up with professors Olga Massa and Kurt Stephenson
• Chat with our COINS students about how they are the only student-managed commodity fund in the United States, investing real money and live trading.

09/24/2026

The Ag & Natural Resources Law Summit has officially concluded — and what a conference it was! Participants enjoyed great conversations, engaging workshops, and informative presentations with attorneys, agricultural and natural resources professionals and service providers, farmers, landowners, and Cooperative Extension agents.

A special thank-you to Jennifer Friedel (Associate Professor of Practice and Director of the VA Land Use-Value Assessment Program) for her tremendous work with the host committee in planning and coordinating such a successful conference!

Patrick Kayser, Virginia Land Use-Value Analyst, and the Ag Law and Land Use-Value Assessment fellows benefited from this experience!

09/22/2026

Join Virginia Tech for the We Impact Virginia Summit on October 27 in Abingdon, Virginia, for a day of connection, inspiration, and practical insights from leaders making a difference across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The summit brings together people committed to creating positive change in their workplaces and communities, with engaging speakers, interactive sessions, and opportunities to build your network and strengthen your leadership skills.

A BIG CONGRATS TO JENNIFER S. FRIEDEL, AAEC ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE, WHO IS PART OF THE SPEAKER LINEUP.

📅 October 27, 2026
📍 Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center | Abingdon, VA
🔗 Details/register: https://www.outreach.vt.edu/engagement/wiv.html

09/21/2026

A smarter way to budget for Virginia flue-cured to***co ⤵️
To***co production is a high-cost, labor-intensive enterprise, and every farm is different. That’s why Shourish Chakravarty, assistant professor, Virginia Tech Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center, and Awasar Ghimire, a second-year Ph.D. student, in collaboration with Virginia Cooperative Extension, developed an interactive (and free) Virginia Flue-Cured to***co budgeting web tool that puts those numbers into a format growers can easily customize and explore.

📊 Customize labor, input prices, yields, selling prices, and other assumptions to see how changes could affect your farm’s bottom line.
👉 Read the full Q&A and access the tool: https://aaec.vt.edu/news/articles/to***co.html

09/17/2026

What if your next role was about more than alumni engagement; it was about building a community around a mission that matters? The Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is looking for its next Director of Alumni & Constituent Relations.

If you’re a relationship-builder, strategic thinker, and passionate connector who knows how to turn engagement into lasting impact, this could be an opportunity worth exploring.

🔗 Get all the details and apply by Sept. 30th https://jobs.apply.vt.edu/jobs/director-of-alumni-constituent-relations-cals-blacksburg-virginia-united-states-hybrid

09/17/2026

Calling all Alumni! What have you been up to since your time in AAEC? We’d love to hear from you! Our alumni are doing amazing things across industries and around the world, and we love spotlighting our alumni and sharing their career paths with our current students. Your journey can help students see the many possibilities that an AAEC degree can open up.

We’re also always looking for alumni who would like to come back and share their experiences through our classroom engagement program. Whether you want to talk about your career, share lessons learned, discuss your industry, or simply answer questions from students, we’d love to have you join us!

📩 Email [email protected] for details!

09/15/2026

We’re excited to welcome two new Ag Law Fellows under the leadership of Jennifer Friedel, associate professor of practice and director of the VA Land Use-Value Assessment Program!

As part of their fellowship, they’ll contribute to: 1) Legal research on agricultural law topics; 2) Co-author at least one Extension publication or Southern Ag Today article; 3) Support Extension presentations; and 4) Serve as a teaching assistant for AAEC-3604 Agricultural Law in Spring 2027!

👏 Welcome, Kylah Ferguson and Claire Drahzal

Kylah is a junior majoring in Environmental Economics, Management, and Policy with a minor in Climate and Society. "I'm very interested in areas of Ag law such as water use and management, land use, and food regulation. I hope to attend law school after I graduate and strengthen my skills in these fields."

Claire is a junior majoring in Political Science with minors in Agricultural & Applied Economics and Animal Science. "Agricultural law interests me as it brings together my interests into one specialized field: equine business law, liability, and land use. I am eager to continue pursuing opportunities in this field and gaining experience that will support my long-term goal of attending law school."