Virginia Farm Bureau marks 100 years of supporting farmers and rural communities
April 2026
A tree is in full bloom outside the Virginia Farm Bureau’s West Creek office in Richmond. (courtesy Kathy Dixon)
by Kathy Dixon, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
Nearly a century ago, Virginia Farm Bureau made the state’s farmers a promise: to protect and preserve what farmers had labored so hard to create and to ensure a bright future for generations of farmers.
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation was officially incorporated Feb. 26, 1926. It grew out of the Rockingham Cooperative Farm Bureau, which enabled farmers to pool their resources to purchase farm supplies.
Farmers soon realized that representing them in the General Assembly and in Congress would also help their farms prosper, and that’s what led to the formal creation of VFBF.
Since the beginning, every president of Virginia Farm Bureau has been a working farmer, so they understand what farmers need to succeed.
Today, farmers can still purchase discounted farm supplies, have representation at the local, state and national levels, and are entitled to a variety of other benefits and services.
The organization has almost 137,000 members statewide, and the $40 annual membership dues enable it to help families, farmers and communities thrive.
ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT
Farm Bureau supports agricultural policies that will strengthen the state’s No. 1 industry, and it has had many successes. The company lobbied for a constitutional amendment to protect property rights, and it unanimously passed. Farm Bureau also fought to repeal the Virginia estate tax; lobbied to ensure funding for voluntary, cost-share conservation practices for farmers; supported grants for large animal veterinarians; and helped enact legislation to protect prime farmland.
Farm Bureau also supports Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom, which was established in 1987 to educate teachers and students about the importance of agriculture. AITC is a part of a nationwide effort to help teachers and students understand and appreciate agriculture — Virginia’s and the nation’s largest industry.
The 501(c)(3) organization has reached more than 700,000 students through an annual Agricultural Literacy Week, other outreach efforts and providing hands-on resources, workshops and grants to teachers. Currently, more than 2,100 teachers are integrating agriculture education into core subjects such as science, math and reading.
Also to increase agricultural literacy, Farm Bureau purchased The Meadow Event Park property, where the State Fair of Virginia is held. The organization has successfully kept the fair focused on agriculture and providing an opportunity to showcase the best of Virginia agriculture to those who may not have a farming background.
All year at the West Creek office in Richmond, historical artifacts that include the history of all VFBF companies over the past 100 years will be on display. (courtesy David Proett)
BENEFITS FOR EVERYONE
Virginia Farm Bureau is based in Richmond, Va., but also has 104 offices in 88 counties, so that it can provide service to every part of the state.
Through county Farm Bureau staff and volunteers, the company supports local and statewide organizations, even donating more than $200,000 in youth scholarships in 2025.
Farm Bureau members can access a robust member benefits program, which includes tangible savings on hotels, rental cars, retail establishments and more. Additionally, members are eligible for discounts on auto and truck tires through the Products Division, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year.
Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. has provided members with a comprehensive line of insurance products for more than 75 years. VFBMIC was ranked the No. 1 homeowners insurance company in the country by Forbes in 2025 for the second year in a row.
Farm Bureau plans to grow and expand these programs in the next century.