Virginia Tech. Small Fruit Program at Hampton Roads AREC

As we near the end of harvest season for blackberry and blueberry crops at Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, I would like to thank the Virginia Tech Small fruit lab. folks for their hard work, enthusiasm, and dedication this spring and summer.

Sharing our latest Virginia Cooperative Extension publication on . Now available to read and download at https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/438/438-103/438-103.html

Thanks to Amy Burnett for taking the lead on writing this pub.

Commercial Blueberry Farming in Virginia: A Beginner’s Guide Blueberries, from the genus Vaccinium, are small fruits from the Ericaceae family that can be grown in the ground or in containers. They are incredibly versatile and are often used in baked goods, jams, and juices in addition to being eaten fresh. In Virginia, blueberries are a popular crop for the....

Great to see my former graduate student lead research station in his new job at University of Wisconsin-Madison. All the best Danyang Liu!

Spooner Ag Research Station Welcomes New Superintendent Danyang Liu has been named superintendent of the Spooner Agricultural Research Station.

Super proud of my Ph.D. student Thomas Gentry (photo taken at our berry field day) on receiving the 2026 NACTA (North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture) Graduate Teaching Award. Thomas was able to receive this award on June 24 at the NACTA annual conference held this year at Mississippi State University

❄️ Spring frost and freeze losses? Help may be available.

Virginia producers in eligible counties may qualify for USDA disaster assistance, including Emergency Loans and other recovery support.

🔗 Find your local FSA office: farmers.gov/service-center-locator
🔗 Contact VA FAIRS with any questions: www.vafairs.com

July is Virginia Blueberry Month! Recent drought conditions and late spring frost have made this a challenging growing season for many Virginia farmers, which means they need our support more than ever. Make plans to visit a Virginia blueberry farm, but call ahead to verify current crop availability and picking hours. Let’s show up for our farmers!

Blackberry fruit tasting opportunity for Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Norfolk residents on July 1. More details are in the flyer below

Some more photos from our field day in this post.

Sharing some photos from our field day held at Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center last week. We had over 40 attendees and several speakers from Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty and graduate students, as well UF IFAS Horticultural Crop Physiology Lab . Thanks to Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC communications and marketing team for taking photos at our event.

We had my colleague from UF IFAS Horticultural Crop Physiology Lab at the berry field day on June, 3 in Virginia Beach.