With the clock ticking toward the deadline, agricultural leaders are issuing a final call to farmers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Producers have just two months left to participate in the Virginia Farmer Survey of Voluntary Best Management Practices (BMPs), a multiagency effort aiming to capture the scope of proactive steps farmers are taking to preserve soil and water.

Launched in early 2025, the survey was developed by a task force including the Virginia Farm Bureau, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. These agencies recognized that many farmers are engaged in off-the-books conservation practices such as cover crops, streamside buffers, and rotational grazing—and they’re doing it without government cost-share funding or reporting their efforts.

Closing the Data Gap

When actions are self-funded, they often go unreported, creating an information gap in Virginia’s progress toward meeting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “Total Maximum Daily Load” (TMDL) pollution limits for the Chesapeake Bay.

“Our farmers care deeply about their land and their communities,” said Mike Gutter, director of Virginia Cooperative Extension. “By taking part in this survey, they help us tell a more complete story of conservation in Virginia, one grounded in voluntary action.”

“Farmers work the land every day and bring deep knowledge and practical innovation to managing natural resources,” Gutter explained last year. “With this survey, we want to capture that expertise and ensure the agricultural community receives the recognition it deserves for its critical role in sustaining Virginia’s environmental health.”

In addition to spotlighting their conservation efforts, farmers’ responses will be used to inform state-level planning and support continued progress toward Chesapeake Bay water quality goals. Survey data may also help shape future conservation funding, technical assistance programs, and educational outreach aimed at producers.

Participating in the survey offers more than just recognition; it provides a strategic benefit to the agricultural community, according to the agencies involved. Accurate data ensures that the agricultural sector receives full credit for its role in restoring the Bay, which in turn helps shape more sensible environmental policies.

“It’s a smart step toward shaping better-informed and more accurate policy,” said Trey Davis, president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Agribusiness Council.

The survey is voluntary, confidential, and open to all producers within the Chesapeake Bay watershed through June 30. Farmers can complete the survey online or request a paper copy from their local Extension office or Soil and Water Conservation District.