Mountain Castles Soil & Water Conservation District

08/21/2026

07/28/2026

✨ The countdown is on!

Here's your complete list of vendors joining us at the 2026 Botetourt County Fair!

We can't wait to welcome an incredible lineup of artisans, makers, educators, civic organizations, local businesses, and, of course, FOOD VENDORS to the Buchanan Town Park for a weekend full of community, agriculture, shopping, and fun. We'll see you at the Fair! 🌽🍔🐄

🐄𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟑𝟏-𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧, 𝐕𝐀. 𝐓𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩, 𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 botetourtcountyfair.com

07/27/2026

We were thrilled to support Youth Conservation Camp again this summer. Lilah Barker was a camper from our District and Dan Naff served as a counselor for the second year in a row. YCC provides a life-changing opportunity for high school students from across Virginia to learn, connect, and grow. We are proud to offer camp scholarships every year.

07/23/2026

07/21/2026

We're ready to take your Cover Crop applications! Whether you have participated for years or you are just now considering it, we probably have a cover crop program that meets your needs. Learn more at https://mountaincastles.org/cover-crops/

07/06/2026

Read how a couple from Eagle Rock installed a rainwater harvesting system with help from the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program. https://mountaincastles.org/vcap-rainwater-harvesting-in-eagle-rock/

07/01/2026

Welcome!

BREAKING NEWS! Please join us in welcoming our new Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, Ms. Lara Edwards, to the VCE-Botetourt Office!

A native of Craig County, Lara joins Virginia Cooperative Extension from the Montgomery County Public School System, where she served as an Agriculture Science teacher. She is no stranger to VCE, having previously served as a 4-H Extension Agent for the City of Suffolk.

We are excited to have Lara join our team, and she’s already hitting the ground running. Lara can be reached at the Botetourt Extension Office at 540-928-3210 or by email at [email protected].

Welcome to Botetourt, Lara!

06/18/2026

Our new program year starts July 1st with near-record levels of cost share available. If you farm in Botetourt or Craig, contact Daniel Naff at (540) 580-8373 or [email protected] to learn more or schedule a site visit.

Learn from farmers about district cost share programs and how toget...

06/16/2026

Meet Makayla Petty, our summer intern from Bridgewater College. She's been assisting with farm and VCAP site visits, follow-up reports, and educational programming. Makayla was also the recipient of our district scholarship in 2024.

05/19/2026

Congratulations to the TWO recipients of the $2,000 George Todd Memorial Scholarship for Craig County HS -- Tiffany Ratliff and Carter Calfee. We're proud of your accomplishments!